Most Popular Books by Peter Ford

The history of Hay on Wye usually concentrates on the castle and Jacobean Mansion built on the bluff in the centre of town, and the cluster of buildings around them. Easily overlooked is the original pre-Norman settlement to the west of the town. Known as Weston Hamlets it lay outside the 1237 town walls on the flat agricultural lands of Gypsy Castle. The first Mott and Bailey castle and St Mary''s Church formed the core of this settlement and legally it remained distinct from the town being part of Haia Wallensis or Welsh Hay until at least the 17th century. Latterly this is the area of the town expansion. Here are the almshouses, the workhouse, the National School, hospitals, wells, and memorials to the dearly departed. It was also the site of the Bletchley Park monitoring station for decoding Enigma signals during the Second World War. This is the story of Weston Hammett the founding settlement of what became the town of Hay on Wye, and the people who who lived there.

The story of poor Mary Morgan, the servant girl in ''the big house'' who becomes pregnant, conceals her pregnancy, and then kills her baby at birth is not uncommon. Neither is the rapid discovery of the body, the trial and the verdict - guilty of murder.What is so poignant is that just a few miles away another young servant girl called Mary becomes pregnant, kills her new-born child, and is sentenced by the same judge to a lesser penalty for ''concealment of birth''.Was Mary Morgan a hapless victim of a harsh social structure where the ''have nots'' had few rights? Were their different sentences an indictment of the legal system at the time? What did it say about society?Who was the father? Was there a conspiracy against one Mary and not the other? Did the judge have an ulterior motive?Time has not mellowed the horrific details. One Mary was sentenced to two years in goal, the other Mary was hanged. A judicial killing? Which Mary received appropriate justice?Judge for yourself the case of Mary Morgan, victim or villain.