It was in the 1840s when Stan Sheppard first set eyes on Harbour Breton, Newfoundland. He hardly knew how to describe it.

It was beautiful, certainly, but threatening too. It was nothing like the gentle, rolling countryside of England he’d left behind; cliffs seemed to rise from the sea like walls. It was as if the landscape were telling him he was unwelcome, as if it wanted him to stay away, as if it had secret to keep.

Stan Sheppard had a secret, too; a secret he’d carried across the Atlantic. Back home in England no one knew him as Stan Sheppard, back home he was called Mildred Baxter.

And Mildred hadn’t come to Newfoundland for the fishery, she’d come to learn the truth about her lying fiance.

Mildred Baxter’s England

In the days before Mildred Baxter had ever heard of Harbour Breton, she lived a privileged life in England. She was regarded as a beautiful young woman and many bachelors vied for her attention, but their efforts were in vain.

Mildred had eyes for only one man — Paul Langstone.

Langstone, everyone agreed, wasn’t the obvious choice for Baxter. Though he was handsome and educated, he didn’t have much money.

He worked as an office clerk for Newman and Company. If Mildred were to forge a life with Langstone, it would mean the end of the privileged existence she’d known; money would not be as plentiful.

She didn’t care.

She loved Paul, and money seemed like nothing, set against true love.

Soon, the couple were engaged.

Langstone wanted to provide the best life he could for Mildred, so he formulated a plan.

Newman and Co. were operating a whaling and fishing business on the south coast of Newfoundland. Most of the workers came from England. If he volunteered to go, he thought, it might be a chance to move ahead in the firm and differentiate himself from the rest of the clerks.

He told Mildred of his plan and, reluctantly, she agreed. She was going to miss him terribly but, when he returned, they could have a better life together.

So, Paul Langstone left for Newfoundland.

Gaultois

The voyage across the ocean was a long one. Everyday seemed more painful than the last.

When he finally arrived he was stationed at the company premises in Gaultois. There were no more than 200 people in the settlement, and they were all tied to in the fishery.

It was a harder life than Paul had imagined. Still, he was determined to keep to his plan and return to Mildred a wealthier man.

He wrote to Mildred faithfully, re-affirming his love and devotion to her.

Paul made a success of his time in Gaultois and soon he was transferred to the community of Harbour Breton — the ‘Capital of Fortune Bay.’ It seemed as though his plans were coming to fruition; he was getting noticed and moving-up in the firm.

Harbour Breton

The distance from Mildred was taking a toll though. Paul was lonely. Sometimes she seemed more like a memory; a piece of his past, rather than the wife of his future.

He couldn’t bring himself to confide these feelings to her. She’d waited so patiently for him, and with such devotion; he couldn’t let her feel his doubt. He resolved to be strong, to see the plan through, and return to Mildred.

Then he met Alice.

Alice was new to Harbour Breton. She’d come to the settlement as the daughter of a storekeeper. She was better educated than many in the community, beautiful and friendly. Paul noticed her almost immediately,

and she noticed him.

It wasn’t long before they began talking and discovered they had much in common. The people of town soon assumed they were courting, and almost before Paul realized it, they were.

He hadn’t told Alice about Mildred, and he certainly didn’t tell Mildred about Alice.

He should have been honest. He knew that. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to write those words to Mildred; to sever their relationship. Instead he kept writing as he always had, mentioning nothing of Alice or the new life he was forging in Newfoundland — a new life that soon saw him married to Alice, while still engaged to Mildred.

He’d never had such feelings of guilt in his life.

Mildred Knows The Truth

While Langstone wrestled with his guilt in Harbour Breton, Mildred was coming to terms with heartbreak in England.

Though Paul had told her nothing, she perceived a change in his letters. Then, one day by happenstance, she overheard a Newman and Co. employee mention something about Langstone’s new bride in Newfoundland.

Instinctively she knew he was talking about Paul; and that Paul had not only been unfaithful, he’d married someone else.

Still, Paul’s letters continued to arrive with no mention of a bride.

She was hurt. How could her Paul have been unfaithful? How could he continue to lie, and promise a future that would not be?

Mildred Becomes Stan Sheppard

Mildred drafted a letter to Paul telling him she knew about his deception. Just as she was about to sign it she tore it up, as she had done nearly a dozen times before. Confronting Paul in a letter seemed unsatisfying. She had so much to say, and so much she needed to know.

She wanted to see his new life. She wanted to meet his wife.

At first, it seemed impossible.

In the 1840s single, respectable women didn’t travel by themselves to fishing outports across the Atlantic. Even if she did go, her arrival on Paul’s doorstep would cause such turmoil that she’d never get to understand his life.

Then an idea occurred to her.

If she could persuade everyone she was a man, she might be able to get to Newfoundland. She could make her way to Harbour Breton. She could meet Paul as a stranger and get introduced to his new bride.

She’d be able to see Paul’s new life as it really was, not as he wanted to present it to ‘Mildred’.

She set about making it happen.

She cut her hair and bought a suit and tie. She made sure the suit was cut in a way to conceal her figure. She finished the look with a pair of glasses.

As she rested the glasses on the bridge of her nose, she evaluated her disguise. The figure in the mirror looked more ‘boy’ than ‘man,’ she thought.

Still, it was shocking transformation. It might just work.

She packed what she needed, made her way to the port, introduced herself as ‘Stan Sheppard’ and secured passage on a vessel to Newfoundland.

Stan Sheppard’s Letter

After a long voyage, Stan stepped ashore in Harbour Breton.

Before leaving England, Mildred had drafted a letter of introduction for ‘Stan’. In it, she explained that he was her cousin who had come to Newfoundland for work. If circumstance allowed, she wrote, she hoped he might be able to come to Harbour Breton, meet Paul, and bring her greetings.

The letter, Mildred reasoned, would allow Stan quick entry into Langstone’s life, and perhaps just as importantly, it offered an explanation as to Stan’s strong resemblance to Mildred.

He made his way to the Newman and Co. offices.

Mildred thought her heart would burst. What had she been thinking? This was crazy. it was a folly certain to end in disaster, or at least embarrassment. She was full of doubt — could she stand before the man who’d claimed to love her and have him not recognize her? Could she conceal her emotions?

Milderd took a deep breath.

If Paul Langstone could lie to her, she could find the strength to lie right back. She willed herself to become Stan, and stepped through the door.

Suddenly, right in front of her was Paul. He was sitting as his desk, writing.

He had changed.

Though it was scarcely more that two years since their courtship in England, he had aged noticeably. He clearly hadn’t been lying about the challenges of life on the Newfoundland coast.

Paul set his pencil down, stood up and looked at Stan.

The was a long pause.

Langstone slowly offered his hand, “Good day, sir. Welcome to Newman and Co.”

Stan opened his mouth but no words would come. Rather than shake Langstone’s hand, he pushed Mildred’s letter forward.

Langstone took it.

When Paul saw the handwritten address, he felt as though his heart had stopped. He returned to his desk, cut the letter open and read it.

Paul’s Problem

So, this boy in his office was Mildred’s young cousin. He knew as soon as he saw him that he must be related to Mildred; the similarities were uncanny.

This meant trouble.

Did the boy know he was engaged to Mildred? If he were staying in Harbour Breton there was no hope of keeping his wife, Alice, a secret. Stan would surely find out, then it was just a matter of time before Mildred learned the truth… and then it, whatever ‘it’ was, would be over.

Up until that second, he’d convinced himself that his greatest error had been not making a clean break with Mildred. He’d thought it was cowardice that stopped him from telling her, but now, with Mildred’s letter in his hands and his lies unfurling, he realized he’d been wrong.

His mistake was falling for Alice. It was loneliness that had confused him, his heart had belonged to Mildred the whole time. He knew that now.

Damage Control

Paul saw little course of action but to welcome Stan. Their paths would continue to cross as long as the boy remained in Harbour Breton. If he could be on good terms with him, perhaps he could control the story that made it back to Mildred.

To that end, he decided to invite the boy to his home for dinner the next night. That way he could meet his wife, Alice.

As he spoke the words, he examined Stan’s face. There was no trace of surprise, let alone shock. The boy must not have known about his engagement to Mildred. He accepted the news of Paul’s wife with complete ease.

That was good; less drama now meant more time to control the story later.

Stan Meets Alice

The next evening Stan arrived at Langstone’s home whereupon Paul introduced him to Alice.

Meeting Alice wasn’t at all like Mildred had thought it would be. She had imagined Alice to be a temptress; a liar in league with Paul. Instead she found a woman who bore an unmistakable air of sadness. Alice, was trapped in a marriage to a man who was never wholly with her.

Part of Paul lived in Harbour Breton but another part was in love with a woman across the sea; a woman Alice had never heard of. Some days it seemed that Paul, not only regretted marrying Alice but resented her existence, too.

It was a horrible way to live, and certainly not the way Alice had envisioned her marriage.

All through dinner Stan was attentive and kind to Alice. He seemed to want to know her. He listened to her stories, asked thoughtful questions, and seemed empathetic in a way that Alice had never known a man to be.

For his part, Paul remained quiet. He had been worried about the dinner and, if Alice and Stan were happy to chat with other, it saved him from having to answer awkward questions about Mildred.

When the time came for Stan to leave, Alice encouraged him to return again, and often.

Talk of the Town

The next day Alice met Stan outside the Newman Co. office. After a brief chat, Stan persuaded her to give him a tour of the town.

Soon their walks became daily and, as they strolled, Alice introduced Stan to the people they met. With most, Stan made a very favourable impression. He helped them with their work, listened to their problems and even provided financial assistance when he could.

Stan’s charm and goodwill won him favour with many, but to some there was something suspicious in Stan’s relationship with Alice. It seemed improper for a young man to go walking about with a married woman — it looked, for all the world, like they were courting.

They became the talk of the town and, before long, Paul heard what they were saying — that, while he was at work, his wife was being unfaithful.

An Unusual Opportunity

The truth is, Paul had been relieved to see Alice’s friendship with Stan develop. In his heart, he knew Alice had not been unfaithful but, in a strange way, the talk of infidelity eased his mind.

When Stan arrived in Harbour Breton, Paul was certain it was only a matter of time before Mildred would learn of his marriage. Maybe, given Stan’s apparent philandering, that was no longer true. Perhaps, Stan would be reluctant to recount a tale to Mildred that cast himself in such a questionable light.

Then a darker thought occurred to him.

If everyone believed Alice was unfaithful, it was a golden opportunity. It was a perfectly acceptable grounds for a divorce. He could escape the trap he’d built for himself, leave Harbour Breton and return to Mildred.

If he played his cards right, maybe he’d even be able to come clean to Mildred. He could tell her how conniving, unprincipled Alice had seduced him into marriage; how the minute he’d made his vow, he’d known it was in error; and how Alice had proved it when Stan Sheppard came ashore.

He could make himself the victim, and Mildred would forgive him.

He knew it.

Divorce

With a confidence he hadn’t felt in months, Langstone confronted Alice and Stan.

He told them he wanted a divorce and that he was prepared to stand before the magistrate and swear to what everyone in the harbour already knew; that Alice was having an affair with Stan Sheppard.

Upon hearing the news, Stan leapt to Alice’s defence. He assured Paul that his relationship with Alice was honourable and, should he choose to bring claims before the magistrate he would find out, to his peril, that he was wrong.

But Paul couldn’t be dissuaded. Divorce was the ticket out of a life he’d grown to hate, and no threat from Stan Sheppard would stop him.

The Truth Comes Out

Word of the charge spread quickly through town and, when the day of ‘trial’ came, the courthouse was full.

Ahead of the case, the magistrate had already heard the stories, and seen Alice and Stan socializing around town. There was little doubt in his mind that the charge was true.

Besides Langstone worked for Newman’s, and Newman’s controlled the money in town. If Langstone wanted a divorce it made sense to grant it. Justice may be blind, but she still has to eat.

Paul presented his evidence.

Though he never believed Alice and Stan were romantic, he spun a tale of the intimacies he’d observed between the two. He called on members of the community, and there were no shortage of citizens who’d seen them together, who believed them to be courting.

It was, Paul declared, a case of flagrant infidelity.

“It is nothing of the sort,” replied Stan emerging from the gallery. “You are nothing but a liar. How dare you besmirch the name of a good woman to hide your own deceit?”

“Is it not true that you married poor Alice while still engaged to a woman in England? Did you not continue both relationships, concealing the truth from everyone? It is you who has been unfaithful!”

The magistrate was stunned. He was not used to such contempt of court. He tried desperately to regain control of the room, but Stan continued.

“I know this to be true. I know this because Paul wrote me letters, promising me his love.

“My name is not Stan Sheppard, it is Mildred Baxter and Paul Langstone is engaged to me.”

Mildred threw her overcoat to the floor, revealing to the community, for the first time, her figure.

“Alice Langstone has known my true identity since our second meeting. She has been perfectly faithful to her deceitful husband, and she is far better than he deserves.

“It was not my intention to deceive the court. When I came to Harbour Breton it was with the hope that I might meet the woman who had taken my place. When I did, I learned what a pitiable character my intended husband truly was. It was then I resolved to tell Alice the truth, and to help her if I could.

“I did not wish it to come to this. I did not wish to reveal my true identity here. But, as I’m sure you will understand, I’ve done it to save a friend.”

Love, Lies and Loss

With Mildred’s testimony, the magistrate dismissed Paul’s charge. Alice’s reputation was saved and Paul’s lies were revealed — he was found guilty of perjury and levied a substantial fine.

Alice was able to secure a divorce and, some say, she accompanied Mildred to England where she lived out the rest of her life far from Paul Langstone.

Paul remained in Harbour Breton where he died alone, haunted by the memory of one of the strangest tales of love and lies ever heard in Newfoundland.

The end of the story, as I’ve recounted it here, is the conclusion I’ve most often heard. I was once told a different varient, a tale in which Mildred was less friendly toward Alice.
In the alternate version, Mildred (in the guise of Stan) encouraged Alice to develop romantic feelings for her. In the end, Mildred exposed both Paul and Alice as unfaithful.

Strange Truth or A Familiar Old Tune?

I first heard the story of Mildred Baxter nearly 25 years ago. I was living in Gaultois at the time. It was told to me as fact but, like most stories told around a kitchen table, there was nothing to back-up it up.

Listen to the Tale of Mildred Baxter podcast episode for more information on the story and the tales that likely influenced it.

I’m pretty sure my storyteller believed it.

I remain a skeptic, but I want to be a believer.

The thing is, I’ve never been able to find anything that corroborates any part of the tale. That’s not to say the evidence isn’t out there; I just haven’t seen it.

I reached out to Ruth Lawrence who dramatized the story of Mildred in the plays Mildred Baxter and Talk of the Town. I wanted to know if she had discovered anything to support the existence of an historical Mildred. She told me, “I did a lot of research at the time (mid 90s) but couldn’t track any of the names in the story.”

Mildred was as elusive for her, as she’s been for me.

While I haven’t seen any evidence to support the tale of Mildred Baxter there are others who claim it’s out there.
Joan Horwood wrote a radio play and novel(?) based on the story called Lie To Me, My Lover.
Lisa De Leon includes a chapter about Horwood in her book Writers of Newfoundland and Labrador: Twentieth Century. She writes, Lie To Me, My Lover “is based on an authenticated story which happened in the early 1800s. This romantic encounter set in Harbour Breton has been suppressed for over 150 years which motivated Horwood to research it more thoroughly in England. Initially, all avenues of verification were closed but persistently she searched and found the evidence she needed to reaffirm its truth.”
She doesn’t say what Horwood found.
The Mildred Baxter story is included in The Treasury of Newfoundland Stories published by Maple Leaf Mills Limited (1961). In the foreword editor L.W. Janes writes “Every story in this collection has a foundation in fact and is told vividly and with sympathetic understanding of the kind of life experienced in our outports.”
The book doesn’t include any citations… and I should mention, it also contains a version of Kinchler and the Devil, so ‘foundation in fact’ is pretty questionable.
Harbour Breton has a brief piece about Mildred Baxter on their town website called ‘An 1840s Love Story Gone Wrong.’
It doesn’t offer any citations or specific historical data either.

Mildred, Paul and Willie Taylor

The thing that bothers me most about the Mildred Baxter story isn’t the lack of evidence; it’s the familiarity of the story.

There are quite a few old songs that bear remarkable similarities to the story of Mildred Baxter.

Take, for example, the song ‘Willie Taylor’.

‘Willie Taylor’ tells the story of a woman who dresses as a man and joins the crew of a ship to find her wayward husband. When she finds him, he is married to another woman. She makes him answer for his infidelity (in her case, she shoots him).

The story presented in ‘Willie Taylor’ is not the story of Mildred Baxter but there is a definite resemblance.

I wanted to know more about ‘Willie Taylor’ and the tradition of songs describing women who altered their gender expression to go to sea, so I turned to Rosemary Lawton.

Lawton not only recorded a fantastic version of Willie Taylor, but wrote Resilience : A Collection of Empowering Songs of Women in Newfoundland and Labrador. She told me songs like ‘Willie Taylor’ are part of a genre in traditional music known as ‘jacket and trousers songs’.

I asked Rosemary if she had any idea why it became such a popular subject in old ballads. She told me:

[W]omen had to make sure nothing fell apart, they had to make sure the kids survived winter, and they lived by themselves a lot of the time, and that pressure…I would wonder if somebody had daydreams of just leaving it all behind and having that freedom? And, what if I was a man? What if I did throw on a a jacket and trousers, and tried to go on a ship… like, what would happen?
I sort of wonder if that's where some of these songs came from… but I don't know. I don't know if we'll ever know.

You can hear more of my discussion with Rosemary Lawton on the Product of Newfoundland podcast Strange Truths and Tall Tales.

Is The Mildred Baxter story another Jacket & Trouser Song?

Maybe, but the similarities between ‘jacket and trouser songs’ and the tale of Mildred Baxter, doesn’t mean her story must be fictitious.

History inspired many broadside ballads. People like William Brown and Anne Jane Thornton disguised themselves as men and went to sea; it’s possible, a woman named Mildred Baxter did the same thing.

But, if she did, her adventure doesn’t seem to have left much of a paper trail.

If I were a betting person, I’d say there’s a fair dose of fiction in the Mildred Baxter tale and, even if there are kernels of ‘truth,’ I think they’ve been merged into the tropes of popular ‘jacket and trouser’ ballads.

I don’t know that, of course.

Beyond being told around kitchen tables, the story of Mildred Baxter has inspired many local artists. There is a radio play by Joan Horwood (Lie To Me, My Lover), a song by Simani (‘The Ballad of Mildred Baxter’), and a stage show by Ruth Lawrence (Mildred Baxter).
The script of Horwood’s radio play is available online. Simani’s ‘The Ballad of Mildred Baxter’ appears on the album Outport and Sea, a can be streamed online.

Whatever her origin, we can be sure of one thing — Mildred is definitely a ‘jacket and trouser’ song now.

‘The Ballad of Mildred Baxter’ was recorded by legendary Newfoundland folk musicians Simani, and was included on their Outport & Sea collection. It tells the tale of Mildred Baxter, donning her jacket and trousers, heading to Harbour Breton and facing down Paul Langstone.

You can check it out below.