About

“ahem”   

- The Ellwoods -

David Ellwood bought the house on Crawleyside in the winter of his 29th year. Over the next decade he and his wife had three children. He worked away a lot of the time.

Janet Ellwood kept the house and raised the children. Their education was her highest priority. She never got round to writing a book on the subject.

Matthew Ellwood spent his formative years chasing rabbits and making dens. In the ninth year of his life he went into business, breeding red ants, which he sold to a pet shop in Durham.

While on a family picnic in Hamsterley Forest his brother, Robert Ellwood, shot him between the eyes with an arrow. The scar is still visible between his eye brows. 

He kept a small studio in the corner of the Ballroom. With encouragement from his Grandfather he developed as a painter.

Thomas Ellwood was probably adopted, at age two. He ran away on his first day of school and camped out on the fell. He survived on Twisters and Cola. 

He had been a champion swimmer from year three of primary school. He turned pro in his 9th year and won The Northern District Championships three times in a row. Thomas retired from professional swimming at thirteen. His last gala had been widely discussed in the media.

The past two years he has been traveling alone on the ocean.

Since Primary School Robert Ellwood had always been employed. First as a Milkman, where he learned the importance of catching the worm before others had even been to bed. 

He became a successful Baker gaining the title of Master Baker. However after an almost preternatural financial mishap he has not completed a bake in seven years.

In fact, virtually all memory of brilliance of the young Ellwoods had been erased by two decades of betrayal, failure and disaster.

Later life 

Matthew Ellwood became know for his extreme secrecy. Spending most of his time hidden away in a small attic room of the family home. It was during this dark time he met dear sweet Sarah. A beautiful young woman, whose kind and pure soul I shall not speak of more for her modesty would not permit. Thanks to her Matthew rose to fame but little fortune.