The Haymakers Survey: Our Secret Inheritance 

Q1.     Who was the galloping ghostly horseman and did he succeed in his mission?

Q2.     What happened to the remaining seventeen questions in The Haymakers Survey and what were these? Q3.     What’s the source and purpose of the sacred stones and who placed them in the tree at Keepers Cottage?Q4.     What was Uncle John Plummer’s nightmare vision?

Q5.     Did Captain Richard Lewin RN survive or drown at sea?

Q6.     How is all the time travel possible?

Q7.     Is Julia’s fascination with fairies significant?

Q8.     What painting did Malachi have and who was chasing him?

Q9.     What’s the significance of Charles’ handkerchief?

Q10.  Who is the child Adam and what happened to him?

Q11.  How did Jonas’ family die and what’s the significance of their death?

Q12.  Why did Uncle John build the lion statue in the wilderness garden?

Q13.  How did the Justice Chair come to be?

Q14.  Does Lucy Ebbs live or die?

Q15.  What happened to Walter Clibborn the infamous ‘Murderous Pie-man of Ware?

Q16.  Where does Lucy’s locket come from and what’s its power?

Q17.  What happened to the Lady in Grey?   

Opens with an introduction from five fictional characters, Ben Whittingbury, his wife Julia and teenage daughter Sarah, Jonas Fosbrooke and Caleb Hitch. The ‘famous five’ narrate their experiences leading to the discovery of a journal from the 18th century by English poet and essayist Charles Lamb. They set the scene and invite the reader to experience the magic they have encountered and subscribe to the Whittenbury Watch.

The book is told in three parts: Art, Love and Nature.  Art (Book 1) is told through responses to 83 questions, interupted by occasional mail messages from the future.  It begins with Ben’s quest to be ‘Nature’s Champion’ and save Earth and humanity from environmental disaster.  Inspired by an idyllic rural scene in The Haymakers by George Stubbs, Ben moved from the city to Keeper’s Cottage at Noblin (no bling)Green near Ware, Hertfordshire. Ben imagines the woman in the painting to be Mother Nature personified and vows to be accountable to her for his actions. Ben is aided in his mission by Malachi a mischevious yet learned latin speaking dog whose thoughts are shown in the book with a small dog symbol. Oddly, the dog yearns to be part of the Haymakers’ painting.

The first ‘mail’ from the future warns from experience of the urgent need for action on the environment.

At sunset on the autumn equinox Ben and Malachi go for a walk.  Having first passed what he assumes is the silohoutte of his melancholic neighbour, Jonas Fosbrooke, Ben climbs up on a haystack close to Keeper’s Cottage and demands ‘Action to save Nature’. He tosses his watch away in disdain at humanity’s casual tardiness. Shortly after he swears an oath of honour before a spectacular evergreen tree dubbed, ‘The Goblin Tree’ as its top branches have a demonic appearance.  Malachi claims it’s Yggdrasil - the Tree of Life in Nordic mythology. Malachi (which translates to ’God’s Messenger’ in Hebrew) witnesses the event and understands the consequences of Ben’s pledge. A white owl (perhaps representing the Holy spirit) flies directly over Ben as a prelude to the appearance of a ghostly figure of a Lady in Grey. She is Fanny Ebbs and symbolises the impact of the industrial revolution on nature. Fanny is deeply troubled and searching for something lost. She appears to recognise Ben, but suggests his name is Richard.  She implores Ben to help Lucy before it’s too late which heralds the arrival of a crazed galloping horseman. Malachi pursues the horse into the fading light towards the Nimley Bourne stream and fails to return. The ghostly woman has vanised from sight. Ben briefly curses his misfortune and recollects his decision to keep Malachi after he mysteriously ‘found them’ at the Bourne several months previously. At the time Ben had seen a couple of people nearby one of whom called Malachi several times, but the dog stayed with Ben and nobody came to claim him. Whatever the circumstance Ben loved his dog.

Meanwhile Julia’s distracted from her chores to look upon the Goblin Tree rooted next to Keeper’s Cottage. Julia has a kind of ’sixth sense’ or third eye - an insight on what’s gone before or what might happen in the future.  As se studies the tree the words ‘Water, water everywhere, but nor a drop to drink’ (from Samuel Coleridge’s lament ‘The Ancient Mariner’) spin in her mind. She sees  a rampant squirrel (Ratatosk - or swift teeth) who warns, ‘the time for talking is over.’  She dwells upon her love of myth and mystery and how Ben likened her to the Lady of Shalott. 

Ben returns home without Malachi and tells Julia what happened. He goes in search of Malachi and finds him with lease tangled around a tree stump that resembles a woman hunched in a foetal shape. Ben’s discarded watch hung from the wooden stump.  Bemused Ben collects his watch and tries to free his dog. In doing so he discovers Malachi has dug up a gold heart shaped locket.  When Ben holds the locket the tune, ‘Yankee Doodle’ comes into his mind. He tucks the locket into his pocket and returns home to show Julia the locket, but not before first pulling a blue ribbon from his pocket which tumbled to the floor in a heart shape.  When she touches the locket Julia has a psychic experience.  She faints and her hand falls upon the blue ribbon. Whilst unconscious she speaks in Latin, ‘into thy hands o Lord.’  She recovers quickly to tell of her vision of a dying rose the scent of which she and Ben can smell.

The following day Ben returns with Julia to the ‘Web-log’  - the place where Malachi unearthed the locket. They take some photos but these come out foggy and distorted. Ben re-examines the locket. It has the initials LL engraved on it and, notably, cannot be prised open.  Ben speculates that the locket belongs to Lucy and decides to ask locals if they know who she or Fanny Ebbs is.  Together Ben and Malachi explore the Ware Uplands without joy until they reach Babbs Green where they see something resembling the remains of a human hand pointing skyward. Malachi warns of Walter Clibbon - the infamous 18th century murderous pieman of Ware. Caleb Hitch, a local historian, reassures them pointing out that the dead mans fingers is just a fungi and that Clibborn’s Post marking the point of his burial is elsewhere.

After Ben’s fruitless search concluded Julia tidied the garden ahead of her daughter’s return from a short stay with her grandparents.  In cutting back some dead wood from an old tree she hears the words, ‘release me’ caught on an icy North wind.  She senses there’s something inside the hollow and with Ben’s help they discover an aged glass jar containing soil and some perfectly round marble like white stones.  As Ben was about to pass Julia the jar Malachi jumped up and knocked it to the floor. Julia has a vision of a foreboding chamber lit by three candles and a picture of The Haymakers hung precariously. The white stones spirialled at her feet. A man in the shadows warns her that this is the final chance.

A second anonymous mail summarises events so far and invites humanity to prepare for the improbable.

Julia was raised by her grandmother. She had a fascination with fairies and impressed this into Julia’s psyche. Afer she died she left her a copy of a poem called Shadows which she too had inherited from her grandmother. The words provide an insight into events to unfold in the story -a form of prophercy.  Resting alone in her room Julia re-reads the poem. She is compelled to rub one of the white stones in the palm of her hand - to and fro - until it begins to sparkle, bringing to life a couple of lines in the poem.  When Ben rejoins her he suggests she looks vibrant and five years’ younger than before.

The couple resume gardening and led by Malachi’s nose they uncover several penny coins from 1823 embedded into a rockery Ben made a few years ago. Ben had previously scattered the soil from the broken jar on to the rockery, which perhaps led to their appearance. Malachi speculated the coins were from the Maundy Ceremony.

That evening a storm rages which causes a local power failure. Ben and Julia ponder life before the industrial revolution. Ben imagines being part of The haymakers Survey - on top of the hay cart and helping to firm it into place. He wonders where it was painted. Malachi suggests a local beauty spot called Philosopher’s Point. the storm worsens causing and lightening strikes a nearby tree. Julia peers outside through the rain. The drops on the window form an image in her mind, representing a life on hold. A figure approaches in the gloom. A heavy thud on the door.  It’s their forlorn and sodden neighbour Jonas Fosbrooke, former carpenter and widower.

Jonas joins Ben by the fireside and dwells in self-pity. Ben tells Jonas about the recent strange events and tentatively asks Jonas if he’s heard of Fanny Ebbs. Jonas gives a cryptic reply that suggests she is known to him. Jonas’ sadness turns to anger and he promises revenge on someone. Malachi suggests that Walter Clibborn was responsible for his misfortune.  Julia retires early and falls into a vivid dream in which she meets an angelic Lucy who holds a minature Earth within her palms. Julia is advised that she ‘holds the key and must retain her faith’.

In the morning Ben and Malachi survey the area around Keeper’s Cottage. Ben is pleased to see that the Goblin Tree survived the storm. He’s saddened however by the condition of the Noblin Green farm, which has long since fallen into disrepair.  He imagines the farm in its glory days and longs to restore it and farm in harmony with nature.  He’s surprised and distracted by the arrival of new tenants at the Noblin Green farmhouse. Malachi cautions against the new arrivals and gets into a verbal spat with Toby a chequered terrier, whilst Ben takes an instinctive dislike to Toby’s Napoleonic like owner.  

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