“Netherfield Park is let at last!” go the famous opening words from Mrs Bennet in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. To her delight, the estate has been taken on by the eligible newcomer Mr Bingley – a “single man in possession of a good fortune” – who brings new marital opportunities for her five unmarried daughters.

In the beloved 1995 BBC television adaptation of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Edgcote House in Northamptonshire was chosen as the location for Netherfield Park. Edgcote is a stunning Georgian manor, built in the mid-18th century, in an elegant landscaped park. In summer 2026, the estate is up for sale – ready and waiting for its next eligible owner (though they’ll need a bit more cash than Bingley’s four or five thousand a year).

But what about the stories beneath the glossy costume-drama world?

In the middle of the 18th century, a young labouring-class woman, Mary Leapor, worked as a servant at Edgcote House. She was also – despite her humble background and lack of formal education – a poet.

Her master at Edgcote House, Richard Chauncy, later recalled that “her fondness for writing verses… displayed itself by her sometimes taking up her pen while the jack [the spit] was standing still, and the meat scorching.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, Leapor was dismissed from Edgcote House in 1745.

Leapor’s poem Crumble-Hall is based on her time working at Edgcote House and was written just before she left. It takes us below stairs to see the hidden stories and secrets of the great English country house.

Leapor writes in the first person, in the guise of a servant called Mira, introducing us to a colourful cast of characters.

In the kitchen, the maid Ursula is doing the washing up, but crushing hard on the servant-boy Roger, who’s eaten too many leftovers and is snoring on the table.

In the poem’s typically comic style, Ursula declares her passionate (unrequited) love for Roger, dedicating all her mundane chores to him.

“Ah! Roger, Ah!” the mournful Maiden cries:
“Is wretched Urs’la then your Care no more,
That, while I sigh, thus you can sleep and snore?
Ingrateful Roger! wilt thou leave me know?
For you these Furrows mark my fading Brow:
For you my Pigs resign their Morning Due:
My hungry Chickens lose their Meat for you:
And, was it not, Ah! was it not for thee,
No goodly Pottage would be dress’d by me.
For thee these Hands wind up the whirling Jack,
Or place the Spit across the sloping Rack.
I baste the Mutton with a cheerful Heart,
Because I know my Roger will have Part.

Her frustrated romantic thoughts, however, are rudely interrupted.

But now her Dish-kettle began
To boil and blubber with the foaming Bran.

The kettle’s boiled, the water’s hot, and she has to get on with the dishes. The servant’s time is not her own. The above-stairs ladies of Jane Austen’s novels get to have their love affairs and romances – but servants can never be the main characters in their own stories.

Mary Leapor also takes us on a tour around the house. And, as the title Crumble-Hall suggests, this isn’t quite the glamorous world we might imagine. Instead, it’s disintergrating, dusty and decrepit. Leapor observes that “Safely the Mice through yon dark Passage run”. And, in the dimness, she says, “Along each Wall the Stranger blindly feels; / And (trembling) dreads a Spectre at his Heels.” Even the Library is full of “dusty volumes”, gathering cobwebs.

In fact, during Mary Leapor’s time there, Edgcote House probably really was crumbling. The new manor house, which we know from the BBC Pride and Prejudice, was built around 1747 to 1752.

Mary Leapor is looking ahead to this major remodelling of Edgcote House and its estate when she takes us briefly, at the end of the poem, out into the grounds. She laments that ancient trees will be torn down “[t]o clear the way for Slopes, and modern Whims”. For Mary, this is a moment of sadness and loss: she foresees a “ravag’d” and “barren” future park: green and elegant, but emptied of the nature and memories she knows.

What paid for this ambitious rebuilding of Edgcote House? Richard Chauncy, its owner, made his vast fortune through the East India Company. This was the joint-stock company formed in 1600 to trade in the Indian Ocean region, which by the mid-18th century was already exercising military power, assuming administrative functions, and effectively forming the basis for the British Empire in India.

Leapor’s poem points us towards the hidden labour below stairs which underpins the English country house – but also the hidden labour, halfway across the world, which pays for it.

Mary Leapor died of measles in 1746 at the age of just 24. Her poetry wasn’t known beyond her hometown of Brackley, Northamptonshire, in her lifetime. When I wrote about Leapor in my book A History of England in 25 Poems, I couldn’t help wondering: what might she have gone on to write? What sort of poet would she have become?

I like to think that this fearless, radical, witty young woman would have held her own in conversation with Jane Austen – or, even, in the Bingleys’ drawing room. She helps us listen beyond the familiar voices and to see the other, often invisible, stories, beneath the stately homes of England.

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It is alleged a man drove nearly 300 miles from his home to Ann Widdecombe’s bungalow in Haytor, Devon, where the veteran politician and reality TV star was found dead

The murder of former British politician Ann Widdecombe is being investigated by Counter Terrorism Police with a suspect re-arrested on a terrorism offence, police said today.

Authorities confirmed Counter Terrorism Police are leading the probe after the suspect, originally detained on suspicion of Miss Widdecombe’s murder, has been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. This gives police the powers under the Terrorism Act to detain a suspect without charge for up to 14 days.

Devon and Cornwall Police had previously faced a race against the clock to bring charges after the initial arrest. The head of UK counter-terrorism policing, Laurence Taylor, said: “Building on the progress made by our colleagues in Devon and Cornwall Police, we now have new information and evidence that means Counter Terrorism Policing is now leading the investigation.

“We are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry to establish the motivation for this attack. Our priority is progressing this investigation quickly, with all the capabilities we have available to us. If anyone has any information, please share it with the police.”

Who are Counter Terrorism police?

Counter Terrorism Police work with the UK intelligence community to help protect the public and our national security. Officers from forces across the UK collaborate to prevent, deter and investige terrorist activity.

The unit says “choices have to constantly be made about resources” but they lead investigations on cases deemed to pose a threat to national security. It is unclear what the “new information and evidence” is on the Miss Widdecombe case but this has led to CTP taking the lead on this one.

Investigations have taken place in Devon and South Yorkshire (the latter where the latest arrest was made) with CTP’s team covering the whole of the UK. They generally become involved where there is suspected terrorism or offences under UK terrorism legislation. Now, the suspect has been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

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What happens next?

The re-arrest on alleged terrorism offences gives police the powers under the Terrorism Act to detain a suspect without charge for up to 14 days. Devon and Cornwall Police had initially said there was nothing to suggest the attack was terrorism-related, but investigations are ever evolving as new information comes to light.

But, like Devon and Cornwall Police said, Counter Terrorism Police has urged “anyone with any information” to share it with them online.

How significant is this?

Previously, the case was being led by Devon and Cornwall Police — because the offence happened in Devon. However, they received help from South Yorkshire Constabulary whose officers arrested the suspect on Saturday in Rotherham.

This meant the case had already used resources from at least two constabularies. Counter Terrorism Police uses such collaboration, with officers from forces across the UK.

Crucially, while Devon and Cornwall Police faced a shorter period in which to bring charges against the suspect, the latest development gives Counter Terrorism Police much more time. They have powers to detain the man, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, for up to 14 days while they continue to investigate.

Lamine Yamal has struggled for goals at the World Cup despite his stellar reputation but Rodri has come out to bat for the Spanish star ahead of their World Cup semi-final

Spanish great Rodri has told Lamine Yamal to “calm down” as he urged the teenage wonderkid to stop obsessing over the need to prove himself at the World Cup.

Spain arrived as European champions with Yamal their poster boy, but drew their opening game against Cape Verde. Whilst they have grown into the tournament, beating the likes of Portugal and Belgium, the Barcelona youngster has yet to hit top gear.

Yamal is seen as one of the next generation but has managed to score just one goal and has not recorded any assists in six matches. He remains a talismanic figure for Spain, who are eyeing their second World Cup following their 2010 triumph.

Rodri was named the best player at Euro 2024, leading to the Ballon d’Or, and he insists Yamal is still having an impact and it is the squad’s job to remind him of his quality and keep him level before games.

The Manchester City star said: “I think he needs to calm down a bit, that anxiety that sometimes he has to prove himself. He’s a very important player for us because of what he does with and without the ball, and he’s a very intelligent guy. It’s true that he’s 19 years old and that we have to calm him down at certain moments of the game.”

Yamal has hit back at his critics and maintains he’s more than having an impact on games, even if he’s not scoring, and his lack of goals won’t mean anything if Spain ultimately deliver the big prize.

“If we win the World Cup, I think nobody will remember how many goals I scored or how many I didn’t. If we win, we’ll all be happy, that’s all I want,” said the Barcelona man.

“I know that with my movement I draw a lot of opponents away; I can create space for a teammate. Anything I can do to help, even if I don’t touch the ball in a play, will be a positive. I think everyone’s obsessed with scoring goals,” says Lamine Yamal, via COPE.

At the Euros two years ago France met Spain in the semi-final, where Yamal scored a wonderstrike from distance to level the contest before the Spanish went on to claim victory. The teenager was electric in that tournament as his country went on to claim the trophy.

Last season he enjoyed his best year to date in front of goal as Barcelona retained their La Liga crown. Yamal scored 24 times – six more than the previous campaign.

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In an upcoming speech this Thursday, President Donald Trump will reportedly reveal plans by foreign nations to interfere in the 2020 election.

The claims will be based on declassified intelligence information, MS Now reports.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.

On Monday, President Trump previewed the address with a brief message on Truth Social, describing it as a “Speech to the Nation” planned for 9 p.m. Eastern time.

The president has long claimed without evidence that he won the 2020 election.

Since Trump returned to office, federal officials have continued to investigate the election in Georgia.

Federal prosecutors have also described investigating a potential “grand conspiracy” against Trump dating back to 2016.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.

“Oxford University’s new Ebola vaccine has been developed in just eight weeks after a deadly outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is British science at its finest.”

Efforts will save lives

British scientists are once again showing how skill, urgency and public service can save lives far beyond our shores. Oxford University’s new Ebola vaccine has been developed in just eight weeks after a deadly outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo killed 625 people and infected nearly 1,800. That speed is extraordinary, but corners are not being cut.

The same rigorous tests are being carried out, with teams working around the clock and in parallel. The technology behind the jab helped create the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, credited with saving millions of lives worldwide. Now it could offer hope against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.

The first safety trial will take place in Britain before testing begins in Africa. This is British science at its finest: fast, careful and driven by the simple belief that every life matters, wherever it is lived.

Fairness for all

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is right to argue that Britain’s asylum system needs reform. It is slow, costly and leaves people trapped in limbo for years. But change must be fair as well as firm.

Handing appeal decisions to members of the public raises questions about consistency and expertise, while charging successful applicants £10,000 for support and accommodation risks punishing people who have proved their right to stay. Meanwhile, concerns over trafficking survivors must be answered, not brushed aside.

Any new rules should protect victims rather than make it harder for them to rebuild their lives. Creating legal routes is welcome and could help restore order. Ministers should think carefully before changing settlement rules for those who came here under one promise and may now face another. Reform needs trust, clarity, as well as humanity.

Best bar none

Britain’s best pub may be closer than the local high street. Ingenious homeowners’ brilliant garden boozers prove imagination, recycled materials and a well-stocked fridge can create something special. The Pampered Chicken, The Mucky Pub and Hibbys are all worthy finalists. May the best backyard boozer win – with no closing time and no taxi home.

Prince Harry has said he shows affection to his children as his mother, the late Princess Diana, did to him.

The Duke of Sussex told former England rugby player Joe Marler on his podcast that ‘if a day is hard, one thing I will do is always squeeze my kids that extra, extra tight’.

Harry has previously described how Diana would squeeze him and his brother, Prince William, as ‘tight as possible’.

Speaking on the Joe Marler Will See You Now episode, recorded on Thursday before his family’s secret reunion with King Charles the following day, Harry said: ‘The resilience of kids is amazing and the way they view life is so incredibly refreshing.’

His children Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, were reunited with their Royal grandparents for the first time since 2022 on Friday during a private evening at Highgrove.

It came at the end of a week in which Harry suffered a crushing defeat in his privacy court case against the Daily Mail.

Celebrity Traitors star Marler hosts the podcast which takes the form of a mock therapy session.

Harry joked during the episode that his hair was not ‘ginger’ but ‘auburn’ and when asked to name his ‘favourite trashy TV show’ he replied ‘Love Island’, adding: ‘I don’t watch Love Island, I have watched Love Island.’

The Duke of Sussex recited his rarely-used full name in the new interview with former England rugby star Marler

Asked which other Harry he would be for the day, ‘Harry Styles, Harry Kane or Harry Potter’, the Duke said: ‘Kane on a winning day.’

He also gave his prediction about England’s chances of the World Cup, saying: ‘I think it’s coming home, not going to be easy – never is.’

Asked about his grooming regime, he replied ‘s***, shave, shower’ and ‘I trim my beard every five or six days, just to keep it a little bit tidy’.

The duke added: ‘Nothing really happening on top, I get a haircut, otherwise I try not to look at what’s happening.’

Striking a more serious tone when asked how he dealt with trauma, Harry said: ‘Exercise, sport and being able to find the time to take yourself somewhere, do something – repetition is great, have a routine.’

He added: ‘Boxing, another thing that I really enjoy, just to let the aggression out, get a sweat on, to me it’s always about getting a sweat on.’

At the start of the episode Harry used his full name in answer to one of Marler’s questions.

Asked for his name, the Duke replied: ‘Henry Charles Albert David, Duke of Sussex,’ to which podcast co-host Jake Bhardwaj quipped: ‘It’s a long one.’

Harry quickly responded: ‘Alright, Jake,’ causing huge laughter from the podcast hosts and crew members behind the camera.

As Harry entered the podcast set the hosts chanted, ‘Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke’ before Marler said: ‘What the f*** was that?’

Marler and Bhardwaj spoke to the prince about trauma, coping mechanisms, identity and grief, as well as lighter topics.

By JOSHUA HAINING, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 20:53 BST, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 21:58 BST, 13 July 2026

A walker in his 70s has been trampled to death by cattle while visiting a National Trust site today. 

Emergency services rushed to Felbrigg Hall, near Cromer in Norfolk at about 11.45am.

Sadly, the man died from his injuries on the parkland grounds.

Following the death, the National Trust site has closed for the rest of the day and tomorrow.

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Norfolk Police said: ‘Despite efforts to save him, a man in his 70s sadly died at the scene.’

‘His next of kin have been informed. Officers are investigating alongside colleagues from the Health and Safety Executive.’

A National Trust spokesperson said: ‘Emergency services were called to the parkland at Felbrigg Hall on Monday 13th July after a member of the public was seriously injured while walking. 

‘Despite the efforts of the paramedics, the person tragically died at the scene. 

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A man was killed by cattle at Felbrigg Hall, pictured, located near Cromer in Norfolk today

The site’s grounds span 520 acres and include woodland, a lake and a walled garden

The property which was built in the 17th century, was donated to the National Trust in 1969

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‘We are shocked and deeply saddened by this news, and our thoughts and condolences are with their family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.’

This is not the first death to occur on the Norfolk estate.

In 2007, Daniel Mullinger, 11, was killed by a 23-metre-long tree branch that fell on him, while visiting the estate on an orienteering trip with his school.

Felbrigg Hall was built in the 17th century and was donated to the National Trust in 1969. 

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Its grounds include 520 acres of woodland, a lake, and a walled garden.

Carol Vorderman has said she was left unconscious this summer after a fall while out on a walk.

The 65-year-old Welsh TV presenter shared the grim tale on her Instagram, detailing the subsequent hospital trip and how she overcame the resultant lingering dizziness.

Explaining why she had been largely offline last month, Vorderman said: ‘Right at the end of May I was walking just outside my house on a public footpath, and I tripped over a tree root, which I didn’t see.

‘I went smash here on the tarmac path and I was unconscious. I can’t remember what happened then, but I do know that an ambulance came, and I was taken to the Bristol Royal Infirmary.’

Vorderman says she was told that The Final Countdown, by Swedish rock band Europe, was playing in the ambulance en route to the hospital, adding: ‘It’s another story, but it did make me laugh.’

The Countdown alum said she was discharged the following day but still had ‘massive vomiting, all the bad signs’.

She continued: ‘Straight back into hospital, they were wonderful. The A&E did all the CT scans and everything.

‘Out again. I had the biggest black eye and bruises all down my face for three or four weeks. But what it did leave me with after about two or three weeks was dizziness. I felt as though I was walking on a moving ship, knocking into the wall a little bit.’

Vorderman said that while in bed, it felt like the room was spinning. Ultimately, the Epley manoeuvre proved the magic trick to get rid of the symptoms.

‘When she did it the first time, I thought I was falling off the edge of the earth. Apparently, my eyes were going like in a cartoon. After the first session, 95 per cent of it went,’ Vorderman said in her social media post.

‘I am not a doctor. I am not advising people about this, but I’m just telling you what’s happened to me.’

The TV presenter said she sought out treatment from a physio, who performed the manoeuvre on her, and that after three sessions, she is now feeling far better. 

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Rebecca Lucy Taylor really believes in her material, which appears ripped from within her. Her candid accounts of what it feels like to be a modern woman, powerful but exhausted, desiring and often despairing, have a rare ability to turn individual experience into something universal. We saw that power in full force on Friday, which was thankfully a little cooler than the evening before.

Yet something seemed to be the matter when Taylor first walked on. Dressed in the same devotional costume she wears on her latest album, 2025’s A Complicated Woman, she had been crying and was still holding back sobs as the eight-strong choir began I Do And I Don’t Care.

Crowds at York Museum Gardens. (Image: Paul Rhodes)

We will never know, but Taylor talked a few times of this being a crazy day. She is clearly someone who feels deeply, and her audience responds to that. In a short time, there was a reassuring hand from one of her troupe, who then returned to singing beautifully and dancing with sometimes alarming intensity.

Taylor’s latest songs were driven more by message than melody. The voices, choreography and stark group formations made it theatrical, but they also operated like a musical family, and we were drawn in. It really worked, despite the sometimes dim lighting. But at least we had screens this year, positioned sensitively to the sides.

Recommended read:

Thousands flock to open-air gig as multi-platinum stars return to North Yorkshire

Redemption had already arrived – at least for the few – thanks to opener Joshua Idehen, a British-Nigerian poet and electronic artist whose work combines poetry, house music and messages of hope, resilience and renewal. He turned out to have a masterful command of the crowd. Believing in second chances, he gave us a better chance to engage our shoulders and get off on the right foot.

Like Self Esteem, his words mattered deeply too, and he brought many of the newcomers to tears. The groove was also important as the extra element to lift half-spoken, half-rapped words. There was something of Gil Scott-Heron in the combination of social observation, humour, poetry and rhythm, but Idehen is very much a man of his own time. His signature song, Mum Does The Washing, has grabbed a wider audience online, and while that number was surprisingly absent, we were also caught up in his world.

Above all, this was a night about connection. Female friends, mums and daughters, young families gathering around music while spending time close to those we loved. It made for a lovely, all-age atmosphere under a cloudless sky.

It was harder to get close to Moonchild Sanelly, the South African singer and self-styled “future ghetto punk” artist known for mixing electronic pop, dance music and South African rhythms with sexually candid, fiercely independent lyrics. She brought a more confrontational energy. With vivid green hair and a bold stage presence, she was defiant, spiky, frequently taking aim at former partners foolish enough to reject her, as on Demon.

There was plenty of indie-energy in third support act The Big Moon, a Mercury-nominated London indie-rock four-piece whose melodic guitar pop has expanded to take on motherhood, relationships, body change and, on their newest material, hearing loss. This was the only traditional band performance of the night and a clever shift in tone.

Their Museum Gardens set was a fascinating mixture. The songs had strong melodic foundations and choruses, underpinned by particularly impressive bass playing. There was even a singalong to Fatboy Slim’s Praise You.

Headliner Self Esteem was not polished. She said later that costume changes had been missed and her hair had not been done. The audience loved her more for this, not less.

She didn’t forget to make the evening fun and tuneful. Her numbers from Prioritise Pleasure were more danceable and got the crowd moving. Once the opening emotional storm had passed, the performance became looser and more playful.

Towards the end of her 90 minutes, Taylor spoke emotionally, not to seek praise, but to say thank you. She was met by a huge wave of applause and support. Like Adele, her troubles were our troubles.

After the nostalgic full house for Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark the night before, Self Esteem was a bolder programming choice by event promoters Futuresound: a younger, messier and more varied bill. The artists selected worked well together – for my money, more fun than, say, three and a half hours of Guns N’Roses.

This was music for people still working things out, performed by artists willing to open themselves up for us, on a striking, memorable Friday night spent with people we care about. It turns out it’s OK to just be together, the deep blue OK or not.

By Paul Rhodes

By MARK DUELL, DEPUTY CHIEF REPORTER (DIGITAL)

Published: 15:06 BST, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 21:35 BST, 13 July 2026