The Havell Hundred Mysteries

I thought this week would be a good week to feature a front page of the Gleaner. Although this front page and extraordinary story came to my notice in September, I thought the unexpected death of our Queen Elizabeth ll would eclipse interest in it. However, as the British Museum is currently showcasing Egyptian Hieroglyphs and it is a hundred years since archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the "wonderful things" in Tutenkhamun's tomb, I thought this story might be of interest. Egypt's Queen was an ancestor of Tutenkhamun. It's all speculation and more than a bit theoretical, but, as Gleaner photojournalist Margery Moore would say, "nothing is ever straight forward in the Havell Hundreds." https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=6146758282015377&set=a.103517133006219

 Here is a little trailer for my first novel. I've had a little bit of feed-back from readers. "I’ve now finished reading your book and I’m impressed with the clever plot and twists and turns – you are certainly  following in Phyllis’s footsteps. You really set the scene well too in the 1980s with lots of background information and detailed observation. It’s very interesting historically – I think we all knew a Harry Grimes or two! Margery Moore is a lovely character and I’ll hope to meet her again." CM "Just finished reading this fabulous new book. It only came out a month ago from a new author, and it's a great read. Not sure whether me reading it in Mallorca means it can now be counted as "Internationally acclaimed", but I would certainly recommend it!!" CC

 This well-placed pub opposite the priory ruins in Great Havell has an unusual name. It is named after Sergey Stepniak, who was described as the "Amicable Anarchist" in his obituary in the Times in 1895. The pub's acronym might appeal to those who announce to their families they are attending the "A.A." aka "Alcoholics Anonymous". The eponymous Amicable Anarchist was gregarious and popular. He propped up many a bar, before his demise under a train at Bedford Park. This popular intellectual asylum seeker (assassin of the Russian chief of secret police in St Petersburg 1878) was not looking where he was going as he typically had his nose in a book at the time the train hit him.

 This sand and gravel ridge was left behind at the end of the last ice age, about 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. It was part of the local ecclesiastical holdings, historically used to graze sheep. Angry reactions to the executions of the monks of the nearby priory initiated legends of evil. When the thin pathetic remains of the six witches of Havell-on-the-Marsh swung on gallows in the summer breezes, a myth, that the mound was intrinsically malevolent began and persisted into the 20th century. Although these fables angered historians, they were unable dispel them.     

 It is difficult to explore almost anywhere in England without coming across the ruins of a former priory, monastery or abbey. They grace parks and gardens all over the country. The Havell Hundred is no exception to these ubiquitous features of the English landscape. The monastic ruins above are typically and usefully near a pub.

  It's February 1986 and freelance photojournalist Margery Moore lives in the shadow of the mysterious and legendary Glebe Mound, by the ruins of the old priory in Great Havell. A stroppy detective from Scotland Yard is enlisted by the mayor to assist the local police to probe two sudden deaths. Are the two people victims of the supernatural, ancient "curse of the mound"?   Are the stories behind the local newspaper's headlines able to offer a satisfactory explanation? Do the two coroner's inquests throw light on everything? Or does DI Barker's cynical attitude towards the provinces ultimately solve the case?          https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/death-behind-headlines ISBN No:  9781528999694