Welcome to The History Alchemist! I'm Richard Clements, a writer dedicated to unearthing historical mysteries, chilling supernatural tales, and the unusual. Follow for my upcoming scripts, stories, and deep-dive content for podcasts & blogs. #HistoricalMystery #WeirdHistory

A new trail begins. Some recent work by Mark and Laura of Paranormal Reason on the Cage at St Osyth sent me down a different path. Over the coming weeks I'll be looking at some of Essex's old village lockups and cages. A few still survive. Others seem to have disappeared altogether. There are already a few places on the list. No doubt more will turn up along the way. We'll see where it leads. #TheEssexProject #EssexHistory #HiddenEssex

Pleased to say that an upcoming collaboration with Tom Gardner and the Mythic Albion podcast is on the way. I've been helping with research packs and story ideas exploring history, folklore and the unexplained. Looking forward to hearing the first episode when it goes out. Many thanks to Tom for the opportunity. Link to podcast below. 👇 youtube.com/@MythicAlbion #MysticAlbion #Folklore #HistoryPodcast

New on The Essex Project. Over several months I followed reports of possible surviving mortsafes in Essex. The search eventually led to three churchyards: 📍 East Mersea 📍 Borley 📍 Henham The evidence raises interesting questions, although not necessarily clear answers. Three graves. Three questions. #EssexHistory #LocalHistory #Folklore #Churchyards thehistoryalchemist.com/the-…

Avebury had somehow escaped me over the years, but yesterday finally put that right. An early start from Essex, a day spent among the stones, a wander through St James' Church with Darryl and Kerry Ann, an hour sitting in the shade of one of the great sarsens, then on to Swallowhead Spring and West Kennet Long Barrow beneath the watchful presence of Silbury Hill. Excellent weather, good company and even a wave to Stonehenge from the A303 on the journey home. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday. I have a feeling it won't be another sixty years before I return. #Avebury #WestKennetLongBarrow #SilburyHill #SwallowheadSpring #Wiltshire #AncientBritain #Prehistory #History #LandscapeHistory #TheHistoryAlchemist

Made it to Avebury. Believe it or not, this is my first visit. After years of meaning to come here, it's good to finally be wandering among the stones and seeing the landscape for myself. Looking forward to exploring and seeing what catches the eye over the course of the day.

Believe it or not, I've never been to Avebury. Somehow, it's always been one of those places I've meant to visit but never quite got around to. That changes tomorrow. An early start and a coach trip with friends means I'll finally be able to wander among the stones, and I'm hoping to make it over to West Kennet Long Barrow as well. I'd also like to see Swallowhead Spring, the little well and spring that marks the beginning of the River Kennet. Looking forward to a good day out, a bit of fresh air, and seeing what catches the eye. #Avebury #WestKennetLongBarrow #SwallowheadSpring #AncientBritain #Prehistory #Megaliths #Fieldwork #LandscapeHistory #Archaeology #TheHistoryAlchemist

A good charity shop discovery today. Eight copies of the 1970s magazine Man, Myth & Magic. A fascinating mixture of folklore, ancient mysteries and the unexplained. Old magazines like these are dangerous things. You tell yourself you'll just have a quick look and before long you've acquired another little pile to bring home. #History #Folklore #VintageMagazines

Last week's trip to St Mary's Church, Henham, produced one possible mortsafe, although that one still needs a bit more thought. What we did find beyond any doubt was medieval graffiti. We'd more or less finished looking around when Darryl spotted these examples in the entrance porch. To be honest, they would have been easy to walk past. Funny how often that happens with old churches. 📷 Two examples from St Mary's Church, Henham. #ChurchGraffiti #MedievalGraffiti #EssexHistory #HistoryAlchemist

A churchyard without a church. That was the mystery that led me to the forgotten Essex Earthquake of 1884. The first article in The Essex Project is now live. Victorian photographs reveal a disaster that changed parts of the county forever. #EssexHistory #EssexProject #HistoryAlchemist thehistoryalchemist.com/the-…

A churchyard without a church. That was the mystery that led me to the forgotten Essex Earthquake of 1884. The first article in The Essex Project is now live. Victorian photographs reveal a disaster that changed parts of the county forever. #EssexHistory #EssexProject #HistoryAlchemist thehistoryalchemist.com/the-…

Just spotted this story. Apparently repairs at New Hall School near Chelmsford have uncovered what are thought to be Tudor tunnels beneath the site of Henry VIII's old Palace of Beaulieu. Makes you wonder what else is still down there. #EssexHistory #TudorHistory #Chelmsford exploringgb.co.uk/blog/tudor…

Spent the day following up a couple of leads in the search for possible surviving Essex mortsafes. St Peter's, Sible Hedingham, didn't reveal anything I could confidently identify, though it was well worth the visit. Henham, however, turned up something rather intriguing. Taken alongside the examples at Borley and East Mersea, there are now three Essex structures that I think deserve to be considered together. All are different, which perhaps makes the question even more interesting. Are they genuine surviving mortsafes? Variations on the same idea? Or examples of Victorian grave ironwork that have acquired another story over the years? At this stage I'm happy to leave the question open. The more I look into this, the more I suspect the story may be as much about Victorian fears and local traditions as it is about the resurrection men themselves. For now, the search goes on. Photographs, in order: • St Mary the Virgin, Henham • Borley Churchyard, Borley • St Edmund, King and Martyr, East Mersea #EssexHistory #Churchyards #Mortsafes #LocalHistory #HistoryAlchemist

Field notes from St Peter's Church, Sible Hedingham. The search for possible Essex mortsafes continues. After following one lead earlier in the day, today's investigation has brought me to another of the county's historic churchyards. Do genuine anti-body-snatching devices survive in Essex, or are some of these unusual structures simply examples of Victorian grave furniture? Time for another look.

Lovely morning for a bit of fieldwork. Today's investigation has brought me to St Mary the Virgin, Henham, in search of another possible Essex mortsafe. Whether it proves to be the real thing or simply an interesting piece of Victorian grave furniture remains to be seen.

Sunday's field trip has a question attached to it. I've only ever come across two alleged mortsafes in Essex, one on Mersea Island and another at Borley Church. I've visited both, but I've never been entirely convinced. Were resurrection men ever enough of a concern in rural Essex to leave physical traces behind in churchyards, or are some of these structures simply Victorian grave furnishings that have acquired a story over time? Another lead awaits. Watch this space. #Essex #LocalHistory #Mortsafes #HistoryAlchemist #EssexProject

Stonehenge never seems to run out of mysteries. New research suggests the monument's Altar Stone may have originated in north-east Scotland, travelled by glacier to Doggerland, and then been moved hundreds of miles by prehistoric people before reaching Salisbury Plain. An extraordinary journey if true. To read full article click on the link below. salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/… #Stonehenge #Archaeology #History

4 June 1940. Following the evacuation from Dunkirk, Winston Churchill delivered one of the most famous speeches in British history. "We shall fight on the beaches... we shall never surrender." Words that have echoed through the decades. #OnThisDay #WW2 #Churchill #History

I've added a new section to The History Alchemist website: The Essex Project. A home for ongoing fieldwork, local history investigations and explorations of some of the county's overlooked places. Still very much a work in progress, but the first research trips are already underway. #Essex #LocalHistory #TheHistoryAlchemist

Just found this one again while looking for something completely different. It's an article I wrote a while back about Jack Ketch, probably the most infamous executioner in English history. I'd forgotten some of the details. The execution of the Duke of Monmouth was every bit as grim as I remembered. Funny how old pieces turn up from time to time. #History #BritishHistory #JackKetch #SocialHistory spookyisles.com/jack-ketch-t…