By Media Projects East
Location: North Norfolk CoastSource Description: Mardling from Coast to BroadSource Author: Various Norfolk school schildren, directed by Media Projects East, with help from The Museum of the Broads and Poppyline EducationEdition Statement: Publication Statement: http://www.mediaprojectseast.co.uk/mardling/Date of Original: Date of Collection: Copyright: Media Projects East
The Headless Smuggler
Video content for the above
It was a night in 1793.
The grey sea
of the North Norfolk Coast was splashing against the rocks of the beach.
Shouts and laughter came from the alehouse pub.
Screwloose
“Be off with you, you scoundrels! There’ll be no more rum from here tonight!”Drunkard 1
“It’s alright, Mr. Screwloose! We won’t be wanting any more boot’ful rum from this here farm place!”Drunkard 2
“Oi, Mr. Screwloose, why the long face? Was your mother a horse?”Together
“Neigh!”Screwloose
“Oh, get out of it!”Drunkard 1
“We’d better hurry up, it’s nearly midnight. We’ll get to the Pig and Whistle” (outside pub)Drunkard 1
“Look at that man over there. He’s got a sack on his back”Together
“Sack back! Sack back!”Drunkard 2
“Oi! Sack back! Get over here, we want to talk to you! Oi! Come back”Drunkard 1
“Oh my God, that’s not a sack: that’s his head! He’s gone down the well! Help help, there’s a ghost! Run for your life!”Drunkard 2
“Horse face! Horse face! Let me in horseface! There’s a ghost outside, it’s following me! You can see right through it, it’s got no head, let me in! Let me in horseface! Can I come in?”Screwloose
“You’re shaking. Looks like you’ve seen a ghost”Drunkard 1
“It’s true it’s true, there’s a ghost. Its head is hanging on its back, by a long strip of skin”Screwloose
“I don’t believe this. Listen, there’s no such thing as ghosts! There’s nothing there!”
The next day, Fredrick, Mr. Screwloose and Tom went to Hazel well. Young Tom climbed down the well, and found two big parcels. The parcels were full of bloody body-parts, including a head dangling from a thick strip of skin. The gang was keen to get to the bottom of the story. They searched the village for clues.
They walked to Car Gab, and discovered a pool of congealed blood near the sand dunes, where the murder must have taken place. Then Tom found a half-buried pistol in the sand.
To this day, people still see a glowing specter, floating along the hedgerows on wild nights. Perhaps the ghost is still looking for his killers”