Illustrated Tales of Warwickshire by S. C. Skillman
Strange Discoveries and Reflections in Warwickshire
Whilst researching my Warwickshire books for Amberley, my main focus is always the people at the centre of the stories I tell. Under the various headings - whether rural crimes, hoaxes, or strange customs and ancient ceremonies - at the very heart of each topic stands a fascinating person.
I have considered the conflicting rumours about the king of the Mercians who may or may not have been assassinated at Seckington; Sir Thomas Malory, the career criminal genius writer of Newbold Revel; and Sarah Siddons, tragic actress, a frequent visitor to the wealthy estate of her own starstruck fan, Bertie Greatheed at Guy’s Cliffe. I interviewed the delightful Cyril Hobbins, traditional wooden toymaker chosen by Disney to be ‘a real life Geppetto’ in a special feature for their new DVD of Pinocchio. I felt moved by the story of William Hirons, well-loved rural employer in Wellesbourne, who came home one evening and found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time; and I could vividly imagine the two schoolboys spooked by phantom footsteps in the derelict seventeenth-century coach house they had entered in order to shoot rats.
Once I’ve discovered a story, I then go deeper by a direct enquiry with the source of the tale. If the person concerned is living, I email them and ask for further information and, if appropriate, meet up with them and take photographs. Alternatively, it may be a question of visiting the museum which celebrates this person with a special exhibition, as was the case with Larry Grayson, well-loved twentieth-century entertainer; and then I follow up with the curator and possibly with living relatives. One of my stories was unexpectedly offered to me one afternoon by a National Trust head gardener. Another emerged whilst I delved deeper into the fascinating history of Guy’s Cliffe, the haunted gothic ruin on the outskirts of Warwick.
With many of the stories, an unusual angle can change the whole significance of the tale. That is certainly the case with the murder at Lower Quinton which took place on Meon Hill in 1945 and is associated with a local belief in witchcraft. When I discovered how many other writers have caught hold of this gruesome story, involving the death of Charles Walton, I saw another way of viewing it.
Long after I had completed and delivered the manuscript of ‘Illustrated Tales of Warwickshire’ we were driving through the county down towards the Gloucestershire border. As the passenger, I hadn’t consciously registered exactly where we were, but I found myself gazing at a particular hill, unable to take my eyes off it, and feeling its eerie and strange atmosphere. Of course, it was Meon Hill, which we had visited and photographed several months before.
This hill is the focus of many paranormal tales in the area, and I cannot help imagining the people who buy properties in the new housing estate opposite, Meon View. I wonder whether they are ever visited by the phantom black dog who roams the hill or if they experience strange phenomena in their homes! Several writers have alighted upon the shocking case of Charles Walton; in fact you could call this a story which “grown legs” and run away from the true events very fast. This brutal murder in a lovely pastoral setting has borne much fruit: novels, books of real life crime, blog posts, documentaries, and even a TV series by the man who investigated the crime. I found myself most drawn to the question of how the people of Lower Quinton must feel about the supposed “wall of silence” which met the enquiries of Scotland Yard’s finest after the murder – and indeed, whether the “wall of silence” ever existed - or whether it was manufactured by story-tellers afterwards.
More than one journalist has referred to the unwillingness of the landlord of the College Arms, the local gastropub, to say anything at all about the case. If I ran the pub today, I think I’d give exactly the same response. This led me to wonder how present-day locals feel when such strange stories persist about the actions and beliefs of not-so-distant past generations.
But my greatest interest lies in a much bigger question: what all this has to tell us about the nature of rural communities, and the ease with which strange beliefs may sweep through them and sometimes cause tragedies. This is a poignant train of thought when it comes to the story of ‘Hiron’s Hole’ in my book. The story centres upon how the villagers reacted to the murder scene where popular local employer, William Hirons, met his fate, on the road to Wellesbourne. Certainly, having researched ‘Illustrated Tales of Warwickshire’, I cannot think of charming hamlets in the same way, no matter how idyllic they seem to be!
Illustrated Tales of Warwickshire by S. C. Skillman is available for purchase now.