Orphaned John Trenchard grows up in the village of Moonfleet with his aunt, entranced by the local legend of the ghostly Blackbeard, who rises each winter night to search for his lost diamond. While conducting his own hunt for the treasure, John is trapped in the church crypt and discovers the true secret of the village: smuggling. Taken under the wing of the gruff innkeeper and chief smuggler, Elzevir Block, John begins a dangerous adventure which will see him in a hair-raising chase along a precarious cliff path and deciphering a hidden code in an ancient castle. Moonfleet is a thrilling story of revenge and betrayal, of loyalty and great sacrifice, but it is above all a story about friendship.
A chilling tale of suspense with a puzzling mystery at the heart of the story. Architect Edward Westray is sent by his firm to restore Cullerne Minster. The young man believes that more work is needed to secure the bell tower but his warnings go unheeded. A fellow lodger, the church organist Sharnall is investigating the belief of the late Martin Joliffe, the landladys’ brother, that he, Joliffe, was the rightful heir to the Blandamer title and estates. Sharnall dies in circumstances which he had predicted and confided to Westray and the architect continues this search into the noblemans history much to his Lordships displeasure. With little experience of life beyond his profession, the young man discovers the truth and finds himself on a knife–edge of self doubt in which his senses of honour and tradition are at odds with one another. Life is no longer black nor white but grey as the crumbling stone of the Minster, which, in a thrilling finale, threatens to come crashing down upon him.
This is splendid from start to finish-a forgotten masterpiece from the author of 'Moonfleet brought back to vigorous life by Peter Joyce's tremendous narration. The architect Westray is lodging in a Dorset village while overseeing the restoration of its minster.He discovers Lord Blandamers dishonourable deception in love and estate ownership and his honourable is anguished-ts a serious theme beneath a gripping and dramatic tale
"BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Falkner's gripping tale of mystery and high adventure in a Dorset smuggling villlage.
When fifteen-year-old John Trenchard discovers a secret passage into the vault of the powerful Mohune family, his peaceful life in the Dorset village of Moonfleet is at an end. It is said that Captain Mohune, the notorious Blackbeard, haunts the place with wild and bloodcurdling cries, forever seeking his hidden treasure.
As John sets off in a search of that treasure, a fabled diamond, he becomes caught up in the dangerous coastal smuggling runs and is forced to flee the country in the company of Elizevir Block, the man who is to become like a father to him.
A tale of smuggling and mystery on the Dorset coast as told by John Trenchard, a boy obsessed with discovering the secret of Colonel 'Blackbeard' Mohune's hidden treasure. One night, trapped in the Mohune family vault beneath the church, John finds a locket round the Colonel's neck which contains verses from the Psalms of David. What could it mean? Elzevir Block, landlord of the local public house, who has lost his son in the contraband wars, befriends John and together they struggle to find the secret of Blackbeard's buried wealth. It is an adventure story full of action and misfortune spanning many years, two different countries and ending with a message to us all.
