‘The Truth is Rarely Pure and Never Simple.’

~ Oscar Wilde

With Quill and Ink By Candlelight. ‘Fac Quod Faciendum Est.’

The Lady Brigante most cordially invites curious minds and those of a discerning spirit to cross the threshold and step inside a twilight world rife with mysterious happenstance and feats of every egregious kind.

As each tale will unfurl a precious truth – a pseudonym, nom de plume or ananym will most certainly be employed within the pages of this site to protect those folk who enjoy something of a rather dubious reputation.

ΓΝΩΘΙ ΣΑΥΤΟΝ

Panel 1

The Spiritual Sleuth.

‘Twixt Night and Morn!

The Lady Brigante loves nothing more than shocking unsuspecting folk with the tale that she was abandoned at birth by gypsies and raised en famille with kindly mice in the crypt of an old church.

Alas! The truth is altogether more unremarkable!

My Lady Brigante?

The Brigante Chronicles (Steve Evans Photography) (7)

A Lady’s musings by candlelight.

‘Twixt Night And Morn.

My Lady Brigante!

The truth is altogether more unremarkable for although blessed with an illustrious lineage – Lady B was in truth raised in genteel affluence in this ancient City.

by Lady Brigante

What Lies Beneath?

The recovery of the bodies of a young mother and her infant from the River Ouse had begun the previous evening when a passerby had heard of a splashing sound.

by Lady Brigante

The Door to Hell?

As dawn broke one chilly February morning – a local tinsmith walked from his workshop in Fossgate towards the notorious passageway known as Black Horse Passage.

by Lady Brigante

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For all of the whispers from the archive of a celebrated seeker of the dead, and exciting discoveries about the unique walks, place of rendezvous AND ticket availability – step inside the twilight world of the Lady Brigante and subscribe to The Brigante Chronicles to bring forth EVERY snippet of chatter direct to your inbox!

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A Mourning Walk?

“As you start to walk out on the way, the way appears.”

Rumi

Would you like to enjoy a unique and private stroll far from the maddening crowds through the secret passages and old snickelways of the City of York including a wander along the riverside?

Why not take A Mourning Walk with the Lady Brigante one evening and learn of the long-forgotten dead?

And there will also be the opportunity to learn something of an ancient city’s most infamous ghosts along the walk.

Curious much?

To death in a chocolate box?

The Sculptor.

‘The lawn is pressed by unseen feet,

And ghosts return

Gently at twilight, gently go at dawn.

The sad intangible, who grieve and yearn…

‘T. S. Elliot

Deep within the confines of a cluttered atelier nestled among the groaning shelves of old paint, baskets of clay, pots of glue, and other strange implements and although contemplated by stuffed corvids and a tattered skull – a restless spirit awaits.

From the most haunted city within an ancient isle – an ineluctable curiosity begins to stir…

The Miniaturist.

‘Only the broken know

What it’s like to live inside

Of their imagination.

Creating worlds to dream in,

We are artists of the mind.

Our true gift is survivial.

Christy Ann Martine

As All Hallows Eve beckons – whisper has it that an small emporium seeped in all manner of ancient folktale and superstition will open its door to welcome those discerning folk with a penchant for retail indulgence and a predilection for all that is extraordinary…

#Ladybrigante #politetourist #snickelsleuth #FOPPOTEE

The Lady Brigante most cordially invites curious minds and those of a discerning spirit to cross the threshold and step inside a twilight world rife with mysterious happenstance and feats of every egregious kind.

join m’lady for tea?

And for those of a cuious mind who would like to take a peek at the bundles of old documents, burial records, and hear the untold tales of nefarious deeds and suspicious deaths from the exclusive Brigante archives – why not cross the threshold of a twilight world nestled inside a little slice of the web to which the Lady B has since laid claim?

Your generosity of spirit is noted and appreciated.

Panel 2

The Storyteller.

‘We’re All Stories, in the End’

Steven Moffatt

‘I am pregnant and have been suffering from severe sickness and have been living in a quiet area of York with my husband and our young son until things took a turn for the worse one chilly February evening.

As my post mortem examination revealed that I had died as a result of a brain haemorrhage caused by some kind of mysterious ingested poison – an inquest into my death was soon opened.’

Florence Byrne

‘Shortly after midday on a balmy August day – my body and that of my youngest child were recovered from the River Ouse in York.

And a story would begin to unfold so tragic that it would touch the hearts of many including that of the coroner who implored the media to use their influence to promote a better understanding on the subject of suicide.’

Sarah Bell

Panel 3

The Seeker of the Dead.

And Those Ghosts Return?

‘One foot in Winter

And one in Spring.

One foot with the Living

And one with the Dead.’

~ V. E. Schwab

Death in a Chocolate Box presents The Ghosts Of Walmgate.

For those of a curious and hardy temperament – why not come along and listen to the Lady Brigante one Wednesday evening as she shares with you the tales of those ordinary folk including the story of the desperate young mother, the wealthy ornithologist, the tragedy of a reputation shattered and a strange posioning.

And ALL lost to history – until now!

To the Box Office?
Straker Passage (Steve Evans Photography) (October 2020)
Panel 4

Death in a Chocolate Box


DEATH – noun.

The end of the life of a person.

CHOCOLATE BOX – adjective.

Pretty in a superficial way or a romanticized aesthetic.

With the coming of dusk…

And with the door of an atelier closed for the day – it is possible to catch a glimpse of a celebrated miniaturist and storyteller clad in her distinctive black feline boots wandering through the snickelways and secret passages of York in a quest to wake the dead.

ordinary folk. extraordinary deaths.

And for those of a curious and hardy temperament – why not come along and listen to the Lady Brigante as she shares with you the tales of the illustrious, the miscreants, artists, misfits and those ordinary folk who have ALL been lost to history – until now!

However, for those of a sensitive nature who are averse to real stories of tears, heartache and tragedy – a meander through the fascinating streets of York with the Lady Brigante may NOT be to your taste.

With Lady B at St Mary Bishophill York (Steve Evans Photography) (1)

Who or What is Death in a Chocolate Box?

Death in a Chocolate Box offers true crime walks of Victorian York.

Innovative, meticulously researched and inspired by true crime stories from the Victorian era and through the tales of those ordinary people woven into the rich fabric of an ancient city’s social history – our tours are designed to offer an informative and unique walk with an experienced storyteller.

Browse the shelves of our emporium for the deliciously unusual or become a fellow taphophile on our forum Beneath Thy Feet to quench those unanswered questions or dispel gossip from truth!

And if you would like to dig deeper and take a peek at the bundles of old documents, burial records, and hear the untold tales of nefarious deeds and suspicious deaths from the exclusive Brigante archives – why not join the Lady B for a tea on Ko-fi and step inside the twilight world of a celebrated storyteller and seeker of the dead.

With Lady B at St Mary Bishophill York (Steve Evans Photography) (2)

CURIOUS MUCH?