This episode Mike and Will indulge in murder, moralising and supernatural goat-based mayhem in A.C. Benson’s ‘Out of the Sea’.

Big thanks to our reader for this episode Debbie Wedge, and don’t forget to check out her M.R. James-themed t-shirt designs, ‘No diggin’ ere‘ and ‘Barchestering‘!

Notes:

• A.C. Benson (Wikipedia)
  A.C. Benson was one of MRJ’s closest friends throughout his life. They attended prep school, Eton and King’s College together, worked together in later life and remained regular correspondents right up until Benson’s death in 1925.
• ‘Out of the sea’ (full story – Project Gutenberg)
  You can read this story online, or download as a free ebook at Project Gutenberg. The story features in Benson’s 1904 collection ‘The Isles of Sunset’.
• Wreckers (wikipedia)
  In this episode we speculated that Mister Grimston might have been involved in ‘Wrecking’, the act of luring passing ships into dangerous waters to sink them so their cargo could be stolen.
• A.C. Benson and Cambridge (Ged Martin)
  An extended essay about A.C. Benson that touches on his whole life at Cambridge, as well as his relationship with his father and his mental health.
• Why is the Devil also a goat? (Refinery29.com)
  This article explores why goats became associated with evil in both religious symbolism and popular culture.

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This episode Mike & Will kick off Season 3 with ‘An Antiquary’s Ghost Story’ by Augustus Jessopp! Scroll down for a full list of the ‘James Gang’ authors we will be covering over the next 15 episodes.

Big thanks to our reader for this episode, Debbie Wedge!

Show notes:

• Collected writings of Augustus Jessopp (gothictexts.wordpress.com)
  The ghostly writing of Augustus Jessopp and more can be downloaded for free on Kindle, Epub and PDF here, courtesy of friend of the show Dewi Evans.
• The Antiquarian of Arcady, Augustus Jessopp (Violet Books)
  This brief biography of Jessopp by Jessica Amanda Salmonson touches on his life, work and relationship with M.R. James.
• Augustus Jessopp’s obituary (The Times)
  Jessopp’s obituary mentions the supernatural experience described in this story, and its part in drawing Henry Walpole to the public’s attention.
• The Arcadian Club newsletter archive (derehamhistory.com)
  The Arcadian Club is a specialist group dedicated to Augustus Jessopp. You can download back issues of the clubs newsletter from their website.
• ‘One generation of a Norfolk House’ by Augustus Jessopp (archive.org)
  Augustus Jessopp’s book about the Walpole family.
• William of Norwich (wikipedia)
  The 1144 murder of William or Norwich was the topic of ‘The Life and Miracles of St William of Norwich’, the book M.R. James and Augustus Jessopp collaborated on and published in 1896.
• Velázquez ‘Dead Soldier’ (nationalgallery.org.uk)
  This is the story that Jessopp mentions in this story. Check out that hand!
• Mannington Hall, Norfolk (manningtongardens.co.uk)
  This picturesque country estate is the location for this story.
• Images of Henry Walpole (Google Images)
  Let us know your thoughts on whether you think the available paintings of Henry Walpole match Jessopp’s description of the ghost he encountered!

Season 3: The James Gang

Over the next 15 episodes we will be looking at stories from ‘The James Gang’, the group comprising authors which were either personal acquaintances of M.R. James, or whose stories were directly inspired by his work. The authors we are covering are:

• Augustus Jessop
• Adrian Ross
• Arthur Benson
• Robert Hugh Benson
• E.F. Benson
• E.G. Swain
• Ingulphus (Arthur Gray)
• H. Russell Wakefield
• R.H. Malden
• M.P. Dare
• Andrew Caldecott
• L.T.C Rolt
• A.N.L Munby
• Christopher Woodforde
• Noel Boston

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Seasons greetings listeners! For this special festive episode Mike and Will turn off the lights and dive into the wardrobe for a game of hide-and-shriek, courtesy of A.M. Burrage’s Christmas classic ‘Smee’!

Big thanks go to our reader this week Kirsty Woodfield.

Also mentioned in this episode were ‘The Dead Room’, the new Mark Gatiss ghost story due to air at 10pm on BBC4 this Christmas Eve. Also Robert Lloyd Parry, who is going to be live-streaming a performance of an M.R. James ghost story on Facebook this Christmas Eve at 7pm.

Last but not least, don’t forget to test your M.R. James knowledge with Monty’s Quiz, our brand new (and 100% free) quiz game with over 300 M.R. James-based multiple-choice questions!

Show notes

• A.M. Burrage (wikipedia)
  
• Smee by A.M. Burrage (original version)
  The easiest way to get hold of the original/full version of this story is to shell out for the ebook from Burrage Publishing.
• Smee by A.M. Burrage (abridged version)
  This is the abridged (and free-to-read) version of ‘Smee’ that seems to be doing the rounds online, masquerading as the original story. We believe it has it’s origins as a simplified version of the story intended for those learning English as a foreign language!
• Who was A.M. Burrage? (greatwarfiction.wordpress.com)
  This biographical essay focuses on Burrages life rather than his ghost stories, but features a wealth of information about the man himself.
• A Review of Smee (booksofdaniel.com)
  This interesting essay explored how ‘Smee’ fits in to the wider tradition of Christmas ghost stories.
• A Game of Bear by M.R. James (Ghosts & Scholars)
  The framing of ‘Smee’ bears (ahem) similarities to an unfinished M.R. James story draft, which also makes reference to the hidden terrors lurking in party games that “entail stealthy creepings up and down staircases and along passages, and being leapt upon from doorways with loud and hideous cries.”
• Deadly Game or Hide and Seek (seeksghosts.blogspot.com)
  This blog post explored the ‘Mistletoe Bough’, a classic German ghost story dating back to the early 19th century which features an unfortunate bride whose wedding day game of hide and seek turns deadly! The story inspired one of the first celluloid Christmas ghost stories in 1904.

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