The Book

“But the righteous are like carvings upon stone, For their smallest act is durable.” Horace, 65BC – 8BC

The Stone is set in Kilkenny, Ireland in mediaeval times. It deals with the life of Alice Kyteler, a wealthy businesswoman and her son William Outlaw. She was a hugely rich woman who was a moneylender to nobility.  She also managed to have four husbands throughout her life.

In 1324, Alice and her circle were accused of witchcraft by Bishop Richard Le Drede, a Franciscan appointed by the Pope in Avignon, France. He accused her of asssociating with demons, and of increasing her wealth and power by being the Devil’s consort. The Stone imagines the terrible and dramatic events of those times and the point of view of all the protagonists involved.