Martin's Close- M.R. James short story set in 1684
Montague ('Monty') Rhodes James (1862 - 1936) , renowned Medieval Scholar, one time provost of King's College Cambridge, is probably best known as M.R.James, the writer of ghost stories. His tales are regularly dramatised for television and radio. M R James' fiction has also become a major influence on the modern day 'Hauntology' movement.
The M.R.James ghost story 'Martin's Close ' concerns a murder committed in 1684 , and dominated by a London trial featuring Judge Jeffreys before he became so notorious. Jeffreys is most known as the 'hanging judge' who was let loose on the wretched rebel prisoners and supporters of the Duke of Monmouth's doomed 1685 rebellion. Particularly despised in the West Country. Originally read out at one of M R James' famous Christmas Eve select gatherings at King's College, and first published in the author's 1911 collection ' More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary'. There have been several radio versions. Most recently a BBC Four television version was shown at Christmas 2019 and repeated the following year.
In the original story the narrator visits a friend who is a rector based in a north Devon village, and they examine a map of the locality. Which leads to discussion about a piece of land known as Martin's Close, where nobody wants to build a house on. The narrator then discovers a document at the local library. which happens to be a record of an eye witness to a related murder trial that took place in London, in 1684 in front of Lord Chief Justice Jeffreys.
The accused, a young squire George Martin educated at Cambridge returns to the village of Stampford Courtenay near Dartmoor. He asks a young woman, by the name of Anne Clark who is deemed to be unattractive and quite 'simple' to dance with him . They meet again and Martin whistles the song 'Madam Will You Walk' as he approaches, letting Anne sing the refrain. One gets the impression that Anne is inexperienced in both emotional and physical love and soon begins to think of squire Martin as her sweetheart after a couple more meetings, and this becomes the talk of the village.
Martin discovers that a young wealthy lady of his own social standing is interested in him, but when she hears that Martin's name is linked with Anne Clark, any chances of marriage are off. Martin starts to resent, then to snub poor Anne, who is heartbroken at being rejected. In one particular harsh encounter, Martin strikes Anne with his riding whip. But one day Martin is seen by a boy from the village as being quite friendly towards Anne, who then goes missing.
Via testimony of the witnesses , one learns that Anne's body has been found in a pond with her throat cut. Martin's knife is later discovered there. Martin has already disclosed to someone in the local inn that his knife is lost. He is observed trying to locate a missing object in the pond. On a stormy night Anne's voice is heard singing the refrain of 'Will you walk with me' outside the inn. Some force or presence is sensed there, Martin appears particularly alarmed, Someone else claims to see what look likes part of a cloak or dress trapped in a door. A trail of water materialises . M R James was on fine form in writing this, avoiding the term 'ghost', yet depicting the haunting of a small community by a murder. Finally a witness claims to see a figure outside the village, agitated, flapping its arms, and deciding that this must be Anne.
Judge Jeffreys is condescending and snide, and an interpreter has to 'translate' the testimony from Devon dialect for him. He is also hostile towards Martin who desperately maintains his innocence and also argues that the indictment against him is invalid as his name is not spelt correctly. Martin breaks down and claims that there are mysterious disturbances outside his cell door, Then appears to see Anne in the court room. However, Jeffreys finds him guilty and orders him to be hanged on 28th December, the traditional feast of Holy Innocents (when King Herod ordered the slaughter of the infants) and finally invokes the ghost of Anne Clarke to haunt and to torment Martin .
It is strange to see how M R James recasts Judge Jeffreys as an avenger working for some higher principle of justice, who expresses nothing but contempt for a fancy young squire who has ill treated then murdered a simple country girl. In fact the whole story is understated.
By contrast, Judge Jeffreys, has been portrayed in a much more severe fashion in Bram Stoker's ( 1847- 1912) horror story 'The Judges House' , first published posthumously in 1914 in the December 5, 1891 issue of Holly Leaves the Christmas Number of The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News. A young academic rents an empty but furnished Jacobean house for some solitary study-a literary device M R James would use. Of course the locals are concerned for his well being. Each night he spends in the house becomes an endurance test. Rats appear, led by a defiant monstrous king rat , a haunted picture, a hangman's rope that hangs through the building that moves. All these features are portents that culminate in the demonic materialisation of Judge Jeffreys himself, as the notorious hanging judge who finds a sadistic, possibly a sexual, pleasure in condemning men to death.
It is highly possible that 'The Judges House' inspired the 1970 horror film 'The Bloody Judge' staring Christopher Lee.
In real time Judge Jeffreys tumbled from power along with James II at the end of 1688, when William of Orange invaded. One account holds that Jeffreys tried to dress up as a sailor in a blue jacket, and with a hat pulled over his head but was recognised by the mob and got dragged in front of the Lord Mayor. Jeffreys' hat was removed and the Lord Mayor " beheld that face which previously inspired so much fear", then fainted. The Mayor died the following day HASWELL Jeffreys died in the Tower on 16th April 1689 without facing trial .
For more information on 'Martin's Close', please see The Podcast to the Curious episode 14 run,
I am also indebted to the Ghosts and Scholars research on 'Martins Close'.
And to the BramStoker.org website for background information for 'A Judges House'.
'A Burnt Ship' has previously looked at M R James Uncommon Prayer Book
Companion Blog to this one by Michael Bully 1685 Monmouth Rebellion
Jock Haswell quote from 'James II-Soldier and Sailor' , History Book Club, 1972
New blog launched 2nd February 2023 BleakChesneyWold Charles Dickens & 'dark' 19th century
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