Author Description

This is the biography of the Reverend Edward Muckleston MA (1819-1913), whose life was filled with scandals, many played out in the newspapers. Selfish and self-centred, he behaved in a way at odds with his vocation, seeming to care little about the impact of his actions on others. Who would expect a vicar to persistently fare dodge on the railways, maliciously damage a neighbour's trees and even refuse to pay his washerwoman?Edward was born into an ancient landowning family in Shropshire but he lost it all causing his family to suffer as a result. Having been forced to resign from one parish, he obtained a position in a small parish in Warwickshire and was, for many years, as unpopular with his parishioners there, as he had been in Shropshire. Despite many appearances in court regarding the validity of his appointment, it was a position he would hold for forty-eight years until his death.His story provides insight into life during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, especially within the clergy. His extraordinary life has been pieced together using newspapers and local archives, by Janet Mackleston who has a family connection to the tale.