In this episode Will & Mike experience the horticultural horror of M.R. James’s ‘The Rose Garden’. Thanks to Kirsty Woodfield who was our reader for this episode. Show notes: Popish Plot Playing Cards (BritishMuseum.org) Having trouble getting your head around the popish plot? Why not invest in a pack of Popish Plot Playing Cards! Alas hundreds of years out of print. The Seven of Hearts is the one of Edward Coleman being ‘drawn’ to his execution behind a horse, and the Six of Diamonds is also particularly gruesome. M.R. James’s Women by David G. Rowlands (Ghosts & Scholars) This essay looks at the small selection of women who appear in James’s work, including ‘The Rose Garden’s Mrs Anstruther. “The Rules of Folklore” in the Ghost Stories of M.R. James by Jacqueline Simpson Landmarks and Shrieking Ghosts by Jacqueline Simpson An excellent pair of essays originally published in Ghosts & Scholars that drew our attention to the influence of Danish and Suffolk folklore on ‘The Rose Garden’. Weald Country Park, Essex (Wikipedia) The site of the former Weald Hall, residence of the terrible Sir William Scroggs and the possible real-world ‘Westfield Hall’. The hall fell into disrepair and was pulled down after world war II but the park can still be visited and looks like a nice day out! Victims of the Popish Plot (Wikipedia) Wikipedia provides a brief rundown of those accused during the popish plot. Play special attention to Sir William Scroggs, Oliver Plunkett and Edward Colman! The Head of Oliver Plunkett (Wikipedia) As mentioned in this episode, popish plot victim Oliver Plunkett’s head is on display in Drogheda, Ireland. A possible inspiration for the strange face in ‘The Rose Garden’? Proceedings against Sir William Scroggs (on Google Books) Cobbett’s Complete Collection of State Trials features a transcript of the indictment against Sir William Scroggs that makes very interesting (and frequently humorous) reading. Gaude, Gaudy, Domini in Laude by Roger Johnson The essay that drew my attention to Weald Hall was featured in the Ghosts & Scholars Newsletter 15, not available online but an incentive (if more were needed) to subscribe to this foremost Jamesian news source. Eastscapes: Doggerland Photographic work by friend of the podcast and M.R. James fan David Senior will be on display at the House Gallery in Camberwell, London from the 15-22nd March 2012 as part of his collaboration with artists Misa Tamura and Dan Howse. Errata: Since recording we have been informed that the correct term is ‘Hanged’ rather than ‘Hung’. Could we be arsed to go back and re-record? We could not.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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