If it were not for the information provided by certain inhabitants of the towns of Bickley Marsh and Haversford, Charles Brack would have known even less than the little he did of the locality where he found himself, let alone the interesting goings-on that occurred there. Mr. Jones was the local butcher in the nearby town of Haversford and knew a great many local legends (or at least gossip). So, it was he who was regarded as the authority when it came to information concerning the history of the towns of Bickley Marsh and Haversford and their inhabitants or "locals." People were not considered locals unless they were either born in one of the towns or somewhere in the adjoining countryside, although you could be raised to that status after a period of time residing in the vicinity. With all this in mind, Charles was not expecting to be regarded as local any time soon. However, we are getting ahead of ourselves. So, before we talk more of the towns of Bickley Marsh and Haversford and the role they played in Charles Brack's life, we should start with some background to explain his presence there.
