SUBSCRIBER NEWS
Local books for local buildings
‘I have just had my seventh local history book published,’ writes subscriber Jim Reeve.
‘Three were published by Amberley Publishers and four by The History Press. My current book is called Chelmsford in 50 Buildings. It sets out the history and interesting facts about fifty properties in Chelmsford. Many of the buildings are haunted by ghosts. A number have had murders committed in them.
‘In the 1800s, one building was being used as a court and a murder case was being tried. There was a tremendous lot of local interest because a gang of five had murdered a policeman. People fought to climb the stairs to the court room.
Unfortunately, because of the number of people, pushing and shoving, the staircase collapsed, killing a nineteen year old youth. The building which it had replaced held the witch trials of 1566. They were instigated by Matthew Hopkins the Witch Finder General, who it is said was responsible for hanging 230 witches. Thomas Hooker, who lived at Cuckoo Farm and emigrated to America because he was being persecuted for his outspoken religious beliefs, wrote the Constitution for Connecticut, which was later adopted to become the American constitution.