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[H.P.KINGSTON]

BILSTON EDUCATION COMMITTEE.

CENTRAL SCHOOL,
BILSTON.

Headmaster:
W.S. PEACH, M.A.

19. ix. 29

John Buchan Esq.
c/o Messrs Thomas Nelson & Sons, Ltd.
Publishers
London.

Sir,

I have lately read, & much enjoyed, your admirable little book called "A Book of Escapes & Hurried
Journeys." Your account of the "Escape of King Charles after Worcester" interested me in particular,
for all my life I have known that part of the Staffordshire & Shropshire country-side, into
which his wanderings led the King; & I think I may claim, without arrogance, to be as well
acquainted with the geography of Moseley Old Hall as I am with my own home. I hope
therefore that you will not take it amiss in me that I venture to point out to you what I think
to be three small inaccuracies in your account of the King's stay in & near Moseley.

Moseley is about five miles from Whiteladies, & not nine as you state on p.44 line 5, while
the water-mill mentioned on page 42, line 9, is Evelith Mill & is about three miles from Whiteladies,
not one.

There are four "priests' holes" known & shown at present in Moseley Old Hall, & none
answers to the one which you describe. In the eaves of the third storey is a small chamber
which may be closed with a diamond-shaped door, or shutter; behind the chimney-stacks of the
same storey is a fair-sized room; a perilous descent, now blocked up, led down the chimney
from the top storey to the kitchen, & a fourth hiding-place is found under the floor of a
small closet opening out of Father Huddlestone's bedroom, which was the one occupied by the King.
Neither the first, second nor third of these "priests' holes" corresponds to your description, while the fourth -
the hole under the closet-floor - is certainly not behind the panelling, though the door of the closet
itself was possibly panelled before the walls of this room were stripped, as they appear to have been.
So far as I am aware there were no arrangements for feeding the unfortunate occupant of
this hole.

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