Cryptic Clues

Chapter 4

After a break for coffee Tony continued his story. Ray was particularly keen to learn if the threat had the effect of undermining the unity of the team.

"We assembled in the finds" tent where Charles spoke to us. As he described the situation our mood became increasingly sombre. He presented us with a simple choice: to stay, or to leave. Marcus spoke for everyone, saying they all needed to work and they needed as much hands-on experience as they could get. Everyone wanted to stay."

"You didn"t consider contacting us?" Ray asked.

"Actually, we did discuss it. But we thought the police wouldn"t get involved because it wasn"t a crime scene. As Marcus put it, it was just some anonymous nutcase who hated archaeologists. Nigel suggested the guy must have failed his degree, which caused much laughter and the sombre mood lifted.

"We opened two trial trenches. Burials were found in both, but there was no time to examine them. The remains were photographed and the trenches covered over for the night. As the daylight began to fade we headed for our vehicles. I think we all experienced a similar sense of relief. Nobody had interrupted us. Perhaps it was just an empty threat after all."

Ray studied Tony"s body language, the tension in his face and hands. "I get the impression that the nutcase notion was fairly soon abandoned. Am I right, Mr Danby?"

"I"m sad to say you are. Next day we all arrived at the same time, parked up and walked the short distance to the excavation site where we got one hell of a shock. The trial trenches had been backfilled and the finds" tent ripped to shreds. In the centre of the cleared area a roughly-painted board was nailed to a wooden post. It read: IF YOU VALUE YOUR PEACE OF MIND LEAVE THE DEAD ALONE.

IF YOU VALUE YOUR PEACE OF MIND LEAVE THE DEAD ALONEMartin looked up from his notes. "That"s hard evidence of harrassment. It"s something tangible we could have used."

"We were shocked and not considering evidence, I"m afraid. My first rational thought was to tackle Charles about our legal status. He confirmed the university had approached both parish and district councils and everyone was happy for the dig to go ahead. I recall Marcus interrupted us, saying that someone definitely wasn"t happy and he was watching them approach that very moment.

"They appeared so suddenly, as if they"d risen from the earth. A group of seven figures, with scarves across their lower faces and the hoods of their jackets shadowing their eyes, were walking towards us from the direction of the oak wood. Two of the group had huge mastiffs held on heavy choke chains."

"The original dogs of war," Ray interrupted, " a crucial element in battle from pre-Roman to mediaeval times. Still used in some countries by police and military."

Martin paused in his note taking, surprised as so often before by the range of his partner"s knowledge.

"The dogs were truly terrifying, but Charles seemed completely unfazed. He told the group who he was and that he was in charge of the excavation. He asked them to state their business.

"An exceptionally tall and powerfully-built man stepped forward. He was evidently their spokesman. He told us that nothing but trouble could come from disturbing the dead. Charles, to his credit, kept his nerve. He asked the man who he thought he was to make such claims. The spokesman replied that he was the voice of his people and the chosen representative of their sacred wishes. Charles countered that we had every right to be there, that the required notices were printed in Stone Clough parish magazine and on the district council"s website. Everyone who needed to know had been informed. It was too late to make objections.

"The spokesman replied that they were from Pen Crags and this was their ancestors" burial ground. He claimed they were the custodians of the sacred dead and that outsiders were not allowed to trespass on their graves. He said our very presence was an act of defilement. I think we were all aware that we were facing fanatics, whose hostility was palpable.

"He said we should let the dead rest in their otherworld. Disturbing them was a breach of ancient law and would have serious consequences. Charles challenged him, asking what ancient laws were these? The man replied that they followed the laws of Hywel Dda; removing items from the dead was sacrilege and would have repercussions.

"I told him that under English law he had no right to challenge the decisions that had been legally made regarding the site. I added that I thought it was time for them to leave. Marcus and Nigel, meanwhile, had taken out their phones and had photographed the hostile group. "You"re on record now, buddy," I remember Marcus saying. "This is going viral."

English"The tall man appeared unperturbed. He said we should leave now and that was his final warning. The group departed, melting away among the trees of the oak wood."

"You should have come to us sooner," Ray advised. "We might have been able to talk some sense into those guys. I don"t think Hywel Dda would have much weight in a modern court."

"With hindsight I can see that we should. But you have to understand we were all a bit unnerved. Charles and I worried that setbacks might compromise the funding. To add to our feelings of confusion Marcus and Nigel found they had nothing on their phones. For a moment we could have believed we"d been trying to photograph ghosts!

"Charles said if anyone wanted to leave the project he completely understood their position. No one should have to go through a situation like that in the pursuit of lawful activities. If they wanted to move on with their careers they could count on him for a reference. He said he would speak to the department, as they may want to make an official complaint. "Who do they complain to?" Nigel asked angrily. "The ancient dead of Pen Crags? Or maybe just summon the spirit of Hywel Dda."

"No one wanted to leave. They didn"t see why a bunch of thugs claiming to be into some weird ancestor cult should make one scrap of difference to what the team was doing. They were seeking new knowledge and it was the public"s democratic right to share in it. Sue raised the point that the group from Pen Crags claimed the land was theirs – why would they lie? Annette thought they could at least have a moral right to protect the sanctity of their ancestors.

"It seemed to me that some official somewhere must have slipped up and the longer the matter remained unresolved the greater the risk the team would fragment. I decided to drive to Stone Clough and find someone who could explain how this mess had come about."

* * *

"I parked in the village main street and decided the church of St John the Evangelist might be a safer bet than the local post office. When I entered the church I found Reverend Sykes, the vicar, arranging booklets on a table near the door. I explained the situation and hoped for the best.

"The vicar said he was sorry to hear of our problems, but he knew the people in Pen Crags were not consulted about the excavation. He added that it must have taken them completely by surprise.

"I asked him what our dig had to do with Pen Crags when the site was in Stone Clough parish. He replied that it had everything to do with it. Pen Crags folk claimed it was the burial site of their ancestors, but the irony was no one would know for certain unless the excavation could continue and find confirming evidence.

"I said I was getting the impression there was conflict between Stone Clough and Pen Crags. Reverend Sykes agreed. He gave me a recent example, when young Pen Crags stockmen diverted the stream that fed the field troughs in Stone Clough village. The source of the stream was on Pen Crags land, but it was taken as an act of hostility by the people here. They retaliated by giving their permission for the excavation.

"I asked the vicar how long this feud had been going on and was surprised by his reply."

The detectives exchanged interested glances. "You"re going to tell me this conflict has a thousand years" history, aren"t you?" Ray commented.

"Apparently so. Reverend Sykes believed it started when Athelstan tried to take the remains of old Elmet by force in the mid-920s. Some remote places like Cragg Vale and Pen Crags fought back.

Ray laughed. "Saxon and Celt. On the football field and in village England. What you"re saying doesn"t surprise me. Some say it"s taught. Others that it"s in the blood."

"The vicar told me there was also a long-running dispute about the precise position of the boundary between the two parishes, Stone Clough claiming the burial ground was in their parish, while Pen Crags asserted the opposite. "I could hardly believe what I was hearing!" Reverend Sykes exclaimed.

"Surely, I protested, the boundary was clearly defined on the Ordnance Survey map? Not so, was the vicar"s reply. It"s shown following alternative routes on different maps and nobody seems to agree on the definitive boundary. The dispute could end up in court, but neither side wants to make the first move in case they lose and have the costs to pay."

"They"d rather feud than sort it out," Ray remarked. "So it inevitably becomes a way of life."

"The vicar told me he was doing his best in Stone Clough to make them see reason. He handed me a booklet entitled STONE CLOUGH – A VILLAGE HISTORY. It was twenty-four pages in length and divided into chapters, one of which was headed ANCIENT RIVALRIES and another THE DISPUTED PARISH BOUNDARY.

STONE CLOUGH – A VILLAGE HISTORYANCIENT RIVALRIESTHE DISPUTED PARISH BOUNDARY"I asked him if he was the anonymous author? He replied it had begun as a labour of love, but had changed into something of a penance. I bought six copies."

* * *

"When I briefed the team I was overwhelmed with questions. Was there a feature on the dig in the local papers? Had some influential bigwig muzzled the press? Was it the funny handshake folk – all in the same lodge and not a Pen Crags" Celt among them? Charles said nobody the department spoke with had rung the tocsin. The geophysics survey went ahead and no one came storming up from Pen Crags to try to stop it. And no one in Stone Clough breathed a syllable about any enmities.

"I handed round the booklets, saying the problem was deeper and more complex than any outsider could have realised. Charles added that the dig was still official and he wanted to carry on, "in spite of Hywel Dda"."