A Warning to the Curious
Encyclopedia
"A Warning to the Curious" is a ghost story by M.R. James, found in his book A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories
first published in 1925. The tale tells the story of Paxton, an amateur archeologist who travels to "Seaburgh" (a disguised version of Aldeburgh
, Suffolk) and inadvertently stumbles across one of the lost crowns of Anglia, which protect the county from invasion. On digging the crown up, Paxton is stalked by its supernatural guardian.
as the second instalment of the BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas
strand. As with the previous installment, it was first broadcast on BBC 1 at 11pm on Christmas Eve 1972. In adapting the story, Clark changed the protagonist of the original from a young, innocent amateur to an older, more menacing man (Peter Vaughan
) fully aware of what he is looking for. The implied background of the 1930s Depression
adds an extra layer to Paxton's search for the treasure. Clark also included the character of Dr. Black (Clive Swift
), who first appeared in The Stalls of Barchester
. The adaptation was filmed around the North Norfolk
coastline at Waxham
, Happisburgh
and Wells-next-the-Sea
.
The story begins with a brief description of the seaside town of Seaburgh which has changed little over the years. It forms part of a wind-swept marshy coastline dotted with windmills and red-brick cottages in the east of England.
While staying at the Bear Inn in Seaburgh with his friend, the narrator met a young man called Paxton one evening who happened to be one of the few other residents. They engage him in conversation and he begins to recount the series of events which have led him to be in such an anxious state of mind.
We learn of Paxton's interest in architecture and archaeology and how he learnt of the legend of the three crowns which were buried around the ancient kingdom to protect it from invading forces. Yet there is but one crown that remains interred as one had already been dug up many years before and probably melted down, whilst another had been washed into the sea with the Saxon palace that contained it. The amateur archaeologist enquired of the rector of the local church if he knows of the whereabouts of the last crown and it is implied that it is known locally where it is buried.
We also learn of the Ager family from the rector who says that they claimed to guard the crown; the last, William, died recently from consumption after having spent many a night watching over it. Paxton discovers the likely burial place of the crown and he tells how he dug into the mound under cover of night and removed the crown. The other two men are naturally excited by this, but are shocked to learn of the young man's dilemma; he quivers, 'I don't know how to put it back,' which strikes both as very strange indeed.
The other two men ask to see the crown. As they approach the young man's room, there is the distinct impression that there is someone else in the passage and on wishing to examine the crown with his own hands, Paxton is at pains to prevent the narrator from doing so.
Paxton nervously tells his companions that he has never been alone since he touched the crown. He felt a scratching on his back while he dug the tunnel which at first he mistook for falling soil and after while returning to the station the spectre of Ager lurks behind hedgerows and passers-by stare beyond Paxton as if there were something following him. As he boards the train, the porter appears to see someone enter the same carriage even though nobody is there. Worse, Paxton is all too aware the ghost of William Ager will afford him no forgiveness even were he to put the crown back.
With the crown concealed under Paxton's coat, the three leave at night to return to the hillock. All the while it seems they are being watched and when they arrive there seems to be a definite, malevolent presence waiting for them. Paxton hastily reburies the crown and as they descend the narrator cries out to Paxton that he has left his coat on the mound. Of course, Paxton recognises that this is not the case and when they turn again to look the dark shape has vanished.
The following morning Paxton seems in lighter spirits and agrees to meet with his two friends later in the day. They see him early in the afternoon and agree to meet half an hour later. When they return to his room he has, to their surprise, already left and the Boots tells them Paxton had made haste down the beach after he thought he had seen the others go that way.
As the mist gathers in and they are unable to see much in front of them until they climb the ruins of an old battery neighbouring a martello tower. Suddenly, they hear a ghastly laugh and peer beneath to find Paxton's body with his mouth filled with sand and stones and his jaw and teeth smashed. The caretaker of the tower witnessed the scene in part, but could not be sure if Paxton was alone or not when he fell over the wall.
The inquest into Paxton's death concludes that Paxton was in danger from someone, although it was not known whom and no mention is made either of supernatural forces nor of his discovery of the crown.
The BBC adaptation from 1972 differs in a number of ways; chiefly, there is only one other character who accompanies Paxton who is named as Dr Black and Paxton is chased back to the mound where he meets his end. The adaptation ends with Clive Swift's character boarding the train away from Seaburgh only for the porter to say he thought he saw someone else boarding the train in the same carriage, suggesting Ager will exact vengeance on him too.
A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories
A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories is the title of M. R. James' fourth and final collection of ghost stories, published in 1925....
first published in 1925. The tale tells the story of Paxton, an amateur archeologist who travels to "Seaburgh" (a disguised version of Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh is a coastal town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. Located on the River Alde, the town is notable for its Blue Flag shingle beach and fisherman huts where freshly caught fish are sold daily, and the Aldeburgh Yacht Club...
, Suffolk) and inadvertently stumbles across one of the lost crowns of Anglia, which protect the county from invasion. On digging the crown up, Paxton is stalked by its supernatural guardian.
BBC adaptation
In 1972, the story was adapted by Lawrence Gordon ClarkLawrence Gordon Clark
Lawrence Gordon Clark is an English television director and producer, perhaps best known for his A Ghost Story for Christmas series of mostly M.R...
as the second instalment of the BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas
A Ghost Story for Christmas
A Ghost Story for Christmas is a strand of annual British short television films originally broadcast on BBC One from 1971 to 1978, and later revived in 2005 on BBC Four. With one exception, the original instalments are directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark and the films are all shot on 16 mm...
strand. As with the previous installment, it was first broadcast on BBC 1 at 11pm on Christmas Eve 1972. In adapting the story, Clark changed the protagonist of the original from a young, innocent amateur to an older, more menacing man (Peter Vaughan
Peter Vaughan
Peter Vaughan is an English character actor, known for many supporting roles in a variety of British film and television productions. He has worked extensively on the stage, becoming known for roles such as police inspectors, Soviet agents and similar parts...
) fully aware of what he is looking for. The implied background of the 1930s Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
adds an extra layer to Paxton's search for the treasure. Clark also included the character of Dr. Black (Clive Swift
Clive Swift
Clive Walter Swift is an English character comedy actor and songwriter. He is best known for his role as character Richard Bucket in the British television series Keeping Up Appearances. He is less known for his role as character Roy in the British television series The Old Guys...
), who first appeared in The Stalls of Barchester
The Stalls of Barchester
The Stalls of Barchester is the first of the BBC's Ghost Story for Christmas strand, first broadcast on BBC 1 at 11pm on 24 December 1971. Based on the story "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral" from the 1911 collection More Ghost Stories by M.R...
. The adaptation was filmed around the North Norfolk
North Norfolk
North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, United Kingdom. Its council is based in Cromer. The council headquarters can be found approximately out of the town of Cromer on the Holt Road.-History:...
coastline at Waxham
Waxham
Waxham is a small village in Norfolk in eastern England. It lies on the north-east coast of the county in Sea Palling parish. Buildings in the village include Waxham Hall, the 14th-century St. John's Church and the 16th-century Waxham Barn. One of the largest barns in the county, it has recently...
, Happisburgh
Happisburgh
Happisburgh is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated off the B1159 coast road from Ingham to Bacton.The civil parish has an area of , although this is declining due to cliff erosion. In the 2001 census, before the creation of Walcott parish, it had a...
and Wells-next-the-Sea
Wells-next-the-Sea
Wells-next-the-Sea, known locally simply as Wells, is a town, civil parish and seaport situated on the North Norfolk coast in England.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 2,451 in 1,205 households...
.
Plot summary
This is a summary of the plot of the original story and not of the BBC adaptation, although it remains broadly faithful to the original.The story begins with a brief description of the seaside town of Seaburgh which has changed little over the years. It forms part of a wind-swept marshy coastline dotted with windmills and red-brick cottages in the east of England.
While staying at the Bear Inn in Seaburgh with his friend, the narrator met a young man called Paxton one evening who happened to be one of the few other residents. They engage him in conversation and he begins to recount the series of events which have led him to be in such an anxious state of mind.
We learn of Paxton's interest in architecture and archaeology and how he learnt of the legend of the three crowns which were buried around the ancient kingdom to protect it from invading forces. Yet there is but one crown that remains interred as one had already been dug up many years before and probably melted down, whilst another had been washed into the sea with the Saxon palace that contained it. The amateur archaeologist enquired of the rector of the local church if he knows of the whereabouts of the last crown and it is implied that it is known locally where it is buried.
We also learn of the Ager family from the rector who says that they claimed to guard the crown; the last, William, died recently from consumption after having spent many a night watching over it. Paxton discovers the likely burial place of the crown and he tells how he dug into the mound under cover of night and removed the crown. The other two men are naturally excited by this, but are shocked to learn of the young man's dilemma; he quivers, 'I don't know how to put it back,' which strikes both as very strange indeed.
The other two men ask to see the crown. As they approach the young man's room, there is the distinct impression that there is someone else in the passage and on wishing to examine the crown with his own hands, Paxton is at pains to prevent the narrator from doing so.
Paxton nervously tells his companions that he has never been alone since he touched the crown. He felt a scratching on his back while he dug the tunnel which at first he mistook for falling soil and after while returning to the station the spectre of Ager lurks behind hedgerows and passers-by stare beyond Paxton as if there were something following him. As he boards the train, the porter appears to see someone enter the same carriage even though nobody is there. Worse, Paxton is all too aware the ghost of William Ager will afford him no forgiveness even were he to put the crown back.
With the crown concealed under Paxton's coat, the three leave at night to return to the hillock. All the while it seems they are being watched and when they arrive there seems to be a definite, malevolent presence waiting for them. Paxton hastily reburies the crown and as they descend the narrator cries out to Paxton that he has left his coat on the mound. Of course, Paxton recognises that this is not the case and when they turn again to look the dark shape has vanished.
The following morning Paxton seems in lighter spirits and agrees to meet with his two friends later in the day. They see him early in the afternoon and agree to meet half an hour later. When they return to his room he has, to their surprise, already left and the Boots tells them Paxton had made haste down the beach after he thought he had seen the others go that way.
As the mist gathers in and they are unable to see much in front of them until they climb the ruins of an old battery neighbouring a martello tower. Suddenly, they hear a ghastly laugh and peer beneath to find Paxton's body with his mouth filled with sand and stones and his jaw and teeth smashed. The caretaker of the tower witnessed the scene in part, but could not be sure if Paxton was alone or not when he fell over the wall.
The inquest into Paxton's death concludes that Paxton was in danger from someone, although it was not known whom and no mention is made either of supernatural forces nor of his discovery of the crown.
The BBC adaptation from 1972 differs in a number of ways; chiefly, there is only one other character who accompanies Paxton who is named as Dr Black and Paxton is chased back to the mound where he meets his end. The adaptation ends with Clive Swift's character boarding the train away from Seaburgh only for the porter to say he thought he saw someone else boarding the train in the same carriage, suggesting Ager will exact vengeance on him too.
External links
- A Warning to the Curious at bbc.co.ukBbc.co.ukBBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
.