The first photograph, taken by Elsie. This was labeled “Alice and the Fairies” in Conan Doyle’s first Strand Magazine article.
“Elsie and the Gnome” (1917)
The second photograph, taken by Frances. This was labeled “Iris and the Dancing Gnome” in Conan Doyle’s first Strand Magazine article.
“Frances and the Leaping Fairy” (1920)
The third photograph, taken by Elsie. This was labeled “Alice and the Leaping Fairy” in Conan Doyle’s second Strand Magazine article.
“Elsie Presented with Flowers” (1920)
The fourth photograph, taken by Frances. This was labeled “Iris with Fairy Carrying a Bunch of Harebells” in Conan Doyle’s second Strand Magazine article.
“The Fairy Bower” (1920)
The fifth photograph. This wasn’t printed in the Strand Magazine articles, but became the focus of much speculation, even as to which of the girls took it.
Note from Christine Lynch
© Photograph of Christine Lynch courtesy of Christine and Anne Hailes.
I TOTALLY BELIEVE my mother Frances when she said she saw fairies in the late days of the First World War. From an early age, Frances could “hear” people’s thoughts and had to “close her mind” to stop others from “reading” her own thoughts. She took it for granted that everyone was the same. Frances was not a daydreamer like Elsie. As she said herself, she was a very practical person with no imagination at all.
In the spring of 1917, she was a newcomer to England and the village of Cottingley, a bright, intelligent little girl of nine years of age who had just won a scholarship to Bingley Grammar School. Returning from school in the late afternoon, she would run down to the beck at the end of the garden, and it was here she spent endless hours listening to the sound of water as it trickled over the rocks, sitting on an overhanging branch of a willow tree, absorbed in the atmosphere of the glen. Her secret life of seeing fairies began. It doesn’t take much imagination on our part to understand that these were the right conditions for someone like Frances to see this rare form of life, and on a daily basis too.
I truly believe Frances saw fairies over the summers of 1917, 1918, and 1920. Although the first four of the five Cottingley photos were faked, I am certain the fifth and final photograph—what Conan Doyle called “The Fairy Bower”—was genuine and would like to see a full investigation into this photograph. With today’s advanced technology, who knows what might be revealed from an in-depth examination of the original glass plate? With enhancement, the wings seen at the top of the grasses could reveal the fairies to whom they belong. The faint, partially emerging figure to the right could reveal the full image of a fairy. I myself have seen the hand of the beautiful fairy on the left of the glass plate enlarged to the extent that I could see the lines between her little fingers. Perhaps even more figures could be found in the grasses when work is done on the plate. Who knows? What a challenge for someone with imagination!
I was delighted when Hazel contacted me to talk about the book she was planning to write on the Cottingley fairy story—in time for the hundredth anniversary of those seminal events—and I look forward to sharing it with my family.
Christine Lynch
Belfast, December 2016
Reading Group Questions
1.Were you aware of the Cottingley fairy photographs before reading The Cottingley Secret? If so, what surprised you most in learning more about the events that unfolded? If not, what is your reaction to the story?
2.Frances and Elsie developed a very close friendship. How did their relationship influence the decision to fake the fairy photographs?
3.Ellen Hogan’s belief that her daughter was taken by the fairies was inspired by the W. B. Yeats poem “The Stolen Child.” What are your favorite fairy tales or poems?
4.The possibility of fairy life captured a nation’s imagination in the early 1900s. Are we still as fascinated in the possibility now? If so, why do you think that is?
5.Arthur Conan Doyle’s Strand Magazine articles were pivotal in making the Cottingley photographs public knowledge. What is your reaction to how he and Edward Gardner dealt with the girls and their family?
6.The girls had several opportunities to confess to the trick they played on their parents. Do you think they should have told the truth, or were they justified in keeping this a secret?
7.Olivia feels disconnected from her family’s past, and it is only through discovering Frances’s story and reading about her great-grandmother that she begins to understand her family history. Do you talk to your older relatives about the past? What events and memories do they enjoy talking about, and what do they find it difficult to talk about?
8.Olivia is at a pivotal point in her life when she inherits Something Old. How did you respond to her relationship with Jack and Ross, and her decision to call off the wedding?
9.The Cottingley Secret is partly a love letter to bookshops, and Something Old is depicted as a magical place. What is your favorite bookshop to visit, and why?
10.Inscriptions in books are mentioned several times in The Cottingley Secret. Do you inscribe books you give as gifts? Do you have a favorite inscription in a book you have received?
11.Olivia and Frances become connected by their dreams of Aisling, the mysterious little flowers, and the garden that grows in the window of Something Old that reflects these dreams and Olivia’s state of mind. Do you think it is possible for reality and imagination to become blurred in this way?
12.Even after it was admitted that the first four photographs were faked, Frances always maintained that the fifth photograph was genuine and that she really did see fairies at Cottingley beck. What is your response to that?
13.Frances and Elsie kept their secret for seventy years. Why do you think Elsie eventually confessed? Was she right to do so?
14.There are still many places in Ireland where fairy folklore is alive and well, with fairy forts shown great respect and the community refusing to build on them or affect them in any way. Do you believe in fairies?
Read On
Further Reading
IF YOU WOULD LIKE to read more widely about the Cottingley fairies, or fairy sightings or fairy tales in general, the following might be helpful, as they were to me during my research.
Reflections on the Cottingley Fairies: Frances Griffiths in Her Own Words (Frances Griffiths & Christine Lynch)
Seeing Fairies (Marjorie T. Johnson)
The Coming of the Fairies: The Cottingley Incident (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The Case of the Cottingley Fairies (Joe Cooper)
The Book of Fairy and Folk Tales of Ireland (W.B. Yeats)
Fairy Tales of Ireland (Sinéad de Valera)
The full Cottingley archive is held in Special Collections at the Brotherton Library, University of Leeds, England, and can be viewed by appointment.
Older children (10+) may find Mary Losure’s book The Fairy Ring: Or Elsie and Frances Fool the World an interesting account of the Cottingley events, and for younger children the Cicely Mary Barker Flower Fairies books are wonderful. Peter Pan (J.M. Barrie) and The Water Babies (Charles Kinglsey) are also mentioned in The Cottingley Secret.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
Praise for The Cottingley Secret
“The Cottingley Secret tells the tale of two girls who somehow convince the world that magic exists. An artful weaving of old legends with new realities, this tale invites the reader to wonder: could it be true?”
—Kate Alcott, New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmaker
“There is real magic in these pages. And beauty. And heart.”
—Nicole Mary Kelby, author of The Pink Suit
“I adored The Cottingley Secret, which shifts between a bookstore in present-day Ireland and an actual account from the World War I era of two girls who claimed to have seen fairies—and captured them on film. Gaynor has penned in majestic prose an enchanting and enthralling tale o
f childhood magic, forgotten dreams, and finding the parts of ourselves we thought were lost forever.”
—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan’s Tale
“Richly imagined and terrifically enchanting, Hazel Gaynor’s The Cottingley Secret is an enthralling tale where memories serve as lifelines for the living, and the unseen is made real. Reading this novel is akin to finding hidden treasure—each character, a friend; each chapter, a revelation.”
—Ami McKay, author of The Witches of New York
Praise for The Girl from The Savoy
“Hazel Gaynor captures both the heartache and hope of England between the wars in this richly imagined novel peopled with unforgettable characters, impossible ambitions, and unexpected twists of fate. Once begun, I dare you to put it down.”
—Kathleen Tessaro, New York Times bestselling author
“A disarmingly charming story of a young woman determined to make her dreams a reality. The Girl from The Savoy is as sweet as a love song, as energetic as a tap dance, and full of dazzling details about life in London after the disasters of the Great War. I won’t soon forget Dolly Lane and her rise from loneliness and hardship to the glitter of stardom.”
—Jeanne Mackin, author of The Beautiful American
“Hazel Gaynor’s artistry as a storyteller shimmers like satin in The Girl from The Savoy. Evocative, transportive, and redemptive, this is an enchanting gem of story.”
—Susan Meissner, author of Secrets of a Charmed Life
“Gaynor struts her historical stuff once again in her latest novel, set in 1920s London. . . . Gaynor’s latest quickly and completely takes readers into the exciting world of London between the wars. This story of loss and longing and of the power of ambition and dreams to carry us forward is filled with rich period details and unforgettable characters.”
—Booklist
Praise for The Girl Who Came Home
“The Girl Who Came Home follows on the centenary remembrance of the Titanic in 2012. Is the world ready for yet another account of this tragedy? With this novel, the answer is a resounding yes.”
—New York Journal of Books
“Readers will enjoy this lovely, heartfelt story.”
—RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
“A phenomenal book that is a must read!”
—Examiner.com
“A beautifully imagined novel rich in historic detail and with authentic, engaging characters—I loved this book. Hazel Gaynor is an exciting new voice in historical fiction.”
—Kate Kerrigan, author of Ellis Island and City of Hope
Praise for A Memory of Violets
“Gaynor has written a masterpiece of a story, one that will linger long in the memory of readers.”
—Myrtle Beach Sun News
“A beautifully moving tale that shows how people can transcend even the darkest of situations or perceptions.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Gaynor once again brings history to life. With intriguing characters and a deeply absorbing story, her latest is a fascinating examination of one city’s rich history and the often forgotten people who lived in it.”
—Booklist
“Given the awards she has already received, we are sure to hear much more from Hazel Gaynor—and that is a good thing.”
—New York Journal of Books
Also by Hazel Gaynor
The Girl from The Savoy
A Memory of Violets
The Girl Who Came Home
Credits
Cover photographs: © Paul Knight / Trevillion
Images (cottage); © Sandra Cunningham / Trevillion Images (detail)
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
P.S.TM is a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers.
THE COTTINGLEY SECRET. Copyright © 2017 by Hazel Gaynor. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books
FIRST EDITION
EPub Edition August 2017 ISBN 978-0-06-249985-1
ISBN 978-0-06-249984-4
ISBN 978-0-06-269048-7 (library edition)
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Hazel Gaynor, The Cottingley Secret
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