THE STONEGROUND GHOST TALES

EDMUND GILL SWAIN, vicar of the parish of Stanground (near Peterborough) from 1905–16, was a friend of the great ghost story writer M. R. James. The friendship inspired Swain to write a series of his own ghost stories as a tribute to his friend, and the resulting collection of nine tales was published in 1912.Since then, THE STONEGROUND GHOST TALES has become one of the best-loved collections of supernatural fiction ever written. The reason is not difficult to fathom, for Swain's main character in all nine stories is The Revd Mr Roland Batchel, vicar of the parish of Stoneground, and one of the most endearing characters in ghostly fiction. Stoneground (which must surely have a claim to be the most haunted parish in England) has no shortage of supernatural happenings, which are investigated by Mr Batchel in a spirit of good-natured curiosity.The Ash-Tree Press edition uses the original texts, and has an Introduction by Cardinal Cox, who provides a fascinating look at Swain and Stanground and points out the many similarities between fact and fiction. Swain made free use of Stanground and its surroundings, but he also imbued Mr Batchel with many of his own characteristics, so that the likeable fictional cleric is in many ways a portrait of his creator. Also include is the text of the lengthy obituary of Swain which appeared in the PETERBOROUGH ADVERTISER on 3 February 1938.

About the Author

E.G. Swain (1861-1938) was a contemporary of M.R. James. He wrote a number of ghost stories featuring Reverend Roland Batchel.

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