John Herring: A West of England Romance. Volume 2 (of 3)

In Short

Set in the rugged West Country of England, this second volume of Sabine Baring-Gould's regional romance follows the unraveling of a fraudulent mining scheme and the fallout of romantic self-interest. As the deceptive speculative enterprise of Ophir crumbles, the calculating Captain Trecarrel shifts his marital ambitions from the impoverished Mirelle to the seemingly wealthy Orange Trampleasure, only for financial ruin to strike the Trampleasure household. Meanwhile, the noble John Herring quietly surrenders his own fortune to shield the vulnerable Mirelle. Marked by vivid local dialect, sharp social satire, and moral contrast, the novel explores duty, self-sacrifice, and deception.

The Story

The narrative opens amidst complex social maneuvering in the West Country. Mirelle, a proud and sensitive young woman of French and Brazilian heritage, finds herself isolated as Captain Trecarrel shifts his romantic attentions away from her to Orange Trampleasure, whose father, the bombastic Trampleasure, promises a lucrative match. Trecarrel, motivated purely by financial convenience, abandons his tender overtures to Mirelle when he believes Orange offers a more secure fortune. Mirelle, nursing a quiet heartache, attempts to maintain her dignity among neighbors she views as vulgar, even offering a beloved brooch to Orange as a wedding gift—only to be told the family jewels she treasures are cheap paste imitations.

Concurrently, a massive financial deception unfolds around the local mine "Ophir," pitched by old Trampleasure as an ancient gold field rich with auriferous quartz. While gullible investors and local figures like Squire Battishill and the misguided Reverend Israel Flamank are seduced by salted gravel and planted artifacts, John Herring suspects deep foul play. Aided by the half-wild Joyce and her reluctant, scheming father Cobbledick, Herring uncovers how the mine is systematically salted with gold dust. When Sampson Tramplara—old Trampleasure's thuggish son—realizes the fraud is discovered, he attempts to violently silence Herring, firing a pistol shot that narrowly misses him and pierces the local constable's hat instead. Sampson flees as the law closes in, leaving the fake enterprise in ruin and exposing the Trampleasure family as bankrupt swindlers.

The sudden collapse of the Trampleasure fortune sends shockwaves through the community. Orange, once sought after, finds herself utterly abandoned by fair-weather friends like the snobbish Miss Bowdler and shunned by society. Desperate to hold onto her betrothal, Orange pursues Trecarrel, but the calculating Captain uses his alleged ill health and the family’s public disgrace to slide out of the engagement.

Amidst this ruin, John Herring acts with silent magnanimity. To spare Mirelle from total destitution and the humiliation of public charity, Herring secretly uses his own capital to purchase back her furniture at auction and set up an account in her name, allowing her to believe her mother’s diamonds were sold for the proceeds. Overwhelmed by a sense of obligation and believing herself entirely without resources, Mirelle agrees to marry Herring, even as his old housekeeper Genefer warns him against yoking himself to a frail Catholic outsider. On Christmas Day, as she rides in a carriage through town, Mirelle makes a final, agonizing request of Trecarrel: to allow her wedding to Herring to take place in the Trecarrel chapel. The volume closes as Trecarrel leaps from the carriage in shock, leaving Mirelle to face a marriage born of sacrifice rather than love.

How It Unfolds

The shift of affections Captain Trecarrel coolly withdraws his attentions from the sensitive Mirelle to pursue Orange Trampleasure, calculating that Orange’s prospective dowry makes her the safer financial choice. Mirelle suffers the humiliation in silence, isolated among local acquaintances whom she views with deep disdain.

The illusion of wealth When Mirelle gifts a piece of her mother's jewelry to Orange, she is shocked to learn the household considers her family heirlooms to be worthless paste. Meanwhile, old Trampleasure drives interest in his local gold mine, Ophir, convincing investors through staged displays of gold washing.

Unmasking the swindle John Herring uncovers the truth behind the mine with the help of Cobbledick, revealing that the site has been salted to fool gullible directors. During a confrontation, Sampson Tramplara fires a shot at Herring, hits the constable's hat, and flees the country as the fraudulent enterprise collapses.

The aftermath of ruin The Trampleasures are reduced to sudden beggary, their domestic goods auctioned off and their social standing destroyed. Orange attempts to hold Captain Trecarrel to his promise, but he adroitly extricates himself from the marriage as the family's disgrace becomes absolute.

A sacrifice accepted To save Mirelle from poverty, Herring quietly spends his own money to secure her independence while letting her believe her jewels funded the rescue. Seeing no other path forward to clear her debts of gratitude, Mirelle accepts Herring's proposal of marriage, ending in a tense Christmas Day revelation.

The People

• John Herring: A virtuous, selfless gentleman who acts as Mirelle's protector. He desires to shield her from hardship and dishonor, putting his own resources on the line without seeking praise, though his high-minded devotion leads him into a marriage lacking mutual passion.
• Mirelle: An aristocratic, fastidious young woman displaced from her home. She longs for refinement and emotional connection, but her pride and rigid sense of duty compel her to surrender her freedom when she believes herself financially indebted.
• Captain Trecarrel: A smooth, self-interested suitor who prioritizes financial comfort over genuine affection. He shifts casually between women based on prospective doweries, seeking to avoid open scandal while coldly discarding those who lose their fortune.
• Orange Trampleasure: A vindictive, sharp-witted woman who seeks social standing and security through her engagement to Trecarrel. When her father's financial crimes bring total ruin, her fierce pride is shattered by social abandonment.
• Joyce: A semi-savage, uncultivated moorland girl whose devotion to Herring elevates her character. Unselfish and fierce, she protects him from physical violence out of pure, uncalculating affection.

In Its Own Voice

'I have lived hitherto in a walled garden among lilies and violets and faint sweet roses, and suddenly I am transplanted into a field of cabbages, where some of the plants are mere stumps, and all harbour slugs.'

— Mirelle expresses her bitter alienation to John Herring during a social gathering at the Trampleasure home.

'I tell you, Master John, there don't at no time meet two women wi'out one putting the Shibboleth to the other and finding out whether her belongs to Ephraim or Gilead.'

— The housekeeper Genefer offers her stern, traditional West Country wisdom to Herring regarding female nature and marriage.

'You're a beggar, you're a beggar! Oh, shock-ing, shock-ing! Not a penny. Cluck, cluck, cluck!'

— The Bowdler household cockatoo squawks mockingly at Orange when she arrives to beg her former friend for help amidst her family's ruin.

What It's Really About

Beneath its romantic plot, the book critiques the cold financial calculation governing Victorian marriage and social status. Baring-Gould contrasts genuine moral integrity with the superficial morality of middle-class society. Figures like Captain Trecarrel and the Trampleasures view human relationships as speculative investments no different than the fraudulent gold mine of Ophir. The narrative explores how financial speculation corrupts community trust and how vulnerable individuals are exploited under the guise of gentility. It also examines the nature of self-sacrifice, questioning whether acts of unasked-for nobility—such as Herring’s silent financial rescue of Mirelle—can truly bring happiness when built on misunderstanding, pride, and obligation rather than mutual understanding.

Why Read It Today

John Herring: A West of England Romance will appeal to readers who enjoy regional Victorian fiction rich in local color, sharp satire, and complex moral dilemmas. Baring-Gould paints a vivid picture of nineteenth-century Devonshire and Cornwall, filling the narrative with authentic local vernacular, comedic minor characters, and realistic descriptions of the landscape and speculative mining crazes of the era.

The novel avoids easy sentimentalism; its characters are frequently flawed, driven by pride, spite, or social ambition. Modern readers should be prepared for slow-paced nineteenth-century prose, heavy rendering of local dialect, and period provincial prejudices—particularly visible in the rustic characters' suspicions of foreigners and Roman Catholics. Yet the book remains engaging due to its sharp observation of human hypocrisy and its unflinching look at the devastating consequences of financial ruin. What stays with the reader is the poignant tragedy of Mirelle—a woman trapped by her own high standards and the subtle, well-meaning machinations of those who claim to love her.