Chris Heal

Report on Chris Heal’s talk to the Hampshire Writers’ Society, April 2023 by Sarah Noon

Our guest speaker this evening is Chris Heal who has come to discuss his latest book The Winchester Tales which was released in August 2022.  It has been described as “… the story of the Norman invasion of the city. It is also a story of Anglo-Norman love and deceit.”

Chris begins by showing us copies of his previous books which have sold internationally (some have sold even better in countries such as Nigeria and Morocco than they have in the UK).

He tells us of a time when he was discussing what his mother might like for her 100^th birthday “… she decided she’d like her own murder book.” He then says that he was “instructed” to investigate Four Marks – a village described as “The murder capital of the south of England.” Chris had already been collecting stories. The result was The Four Marks Murders published in 2020. Sadly, his mother only got to read the first three stories (“which she approved”) but passed away before she saw the rest. Chris shares with sadness that his mother died alone during lockdown on “…the day that Boris had his famous party.”

Chris began to realise the significance of enclosures and land ownership to the area’s history, and may of the murders were connected to the enclosures. He says that he believes the landowners were simply stealing the land rather than “… an attempt to improve the efficiency of farming.” As a result, Chris commissioned some political cartoons which sums up the injustice of the land issues. He tells us that some of the villages he researched were “gutted” of commoners and those that remained were “… labourers for the rest of their lives.”

He shows a table which illustrates “one of the great land-grabs.” Where ownership of the land was transferred from people to landowners.  He continues by explaining how William the Conquerer “set the clock on land ownership” in 1066 and that whatever land was previously owned before that date then became his to give to the people who helped him steal the land – barons and the church – many of whom still own it today. This lead to the Domesday Book, which was the first record of land ownership.

So where does Chris get his sources from? Well, mostly books (he tells us that he has over 100 books about the First World War, worth over £1000). He also studies charters from the church (most of which are forgeries, he tells us) and other manuscripts and he shows us some images of these. Chris’s research has brought up stories of theft, lying, treachery – a tangled web of claims over land. With regards to the books he has read, he reminds us that “It is important to go back to the source rather than use the books.” However, he points out that when looking at sources that go back to Norman times, a lot were actually written “… many, many years later.” He continues, “… they’re all half-truths and half-lies.  They’re all propaganda.” Therefore, with his books he “… made the best that you can out of it.”

As well as visiting Winchester and London to look at documents, Chris also visited Rouen, the capital of Normandy. At this point, he tells us that although adopted (he didn’t find this out until later in life) his parents were French.

Chris’s talk is a fascinating reminder of the importance of research knowing your subject.  His presentation this evening has been very interesting, and we look forward to the publication of his next book.