Seasons
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The Civil War, pt. 1
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(Caution: Contains spoilers for Episodes: 03×04: Beyond the Grave, 06×04: A Tale of two Hamlets, 08×04: Bantling Boy, and 11×02: Blood Wedding)
•After the Gunpowder Plot, religious tensions in England continued to escalate against the Catholics. Among them were the Fitzroys of Bledlow Village, who took over ownership of their manor c.1610. This is what Harry Fitzroy told Ben Jones during his investigation…
The episode first aired in 2008, which means the Fitzroys have owned the manor since at least 1608, perhaps even before the Gunpowder Plot? Unfortunately, we don’t know from whom they acquired the manor.
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The Civil War, pt. 2
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(Caution: Contains spoilers for Episodes: 11×02: Blood Wedding, and 15×01: The Dark Rider.)
•Continued from Civil War, pt. 1
But when the Parliamentarians failed to capitalise on the successful battles of Marston Moor and Aspern Tallow, Oliver Cromwell and Thomas Fairfax formed the New Model Army – a single professional standing army of fanatical Puritans who fought not for money but for their honour, their faith and their passion.
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Roman Vineyards
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(Caution: Contains spoilers for Episode: 17×04: A Vintage Murder)
•Elspeth Rice has just returned from measuring the depth of a lake in Midsomer Vinae. She is deeply concerned about the results, as this lake holds a painful memory for her. Five years ago, she accidentally hit and fatally injured young Jessica Tyler, and her car sank into this very lake. Elspeth has been struggling to forgive herself ever since, and in an effort to protect herself, she made some regrettable choices.
However, she is now determined to face the truth and make amends. In the trial, she confidently testified that she saw Nadia Simons’ black car at the scene of the accident, driving at a dangerously high speed and likely under the influence of alcohol. This happened after the launch of Carnarvon’s first Midsomer Vinae wine, to which Simons had been invited. In a friendly manner, Elspeth imposed herself on her friend and Jessica’s mother, Judy Tyler. She confidently explained to her that Jessica’s death was caused by Nadia Simons, who is known for drunk driving. The Carnarvons had invited her to their wine launch, possibly to divert attention from her. I hope this information helps.
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Gilbert & Sullivan: Pirates of Penzance and Midsomer
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(Caution: Contains spoilers for Episode: 22×05: For Death Prepare)
•The opening shot shows a house by a river. “Empson Playhouse” is written on the building. After three seconds, a man comes out of the front door with a poster in his hand. He hangs it on the wall of the house, next to the entrance. On the beige background, which appears to have yellowed, is a tall, black-haired pirate holding a sabre in his right hand. It says “The Midsomer Mummers – The Pirates of Penzance – Centenary Charity Concert – 5th – 8th May”.
The Midsomer Mummers’ theatre has been The Mill in Sonning, Berkshire, for a hundred years. Instead of “Empson Playhouse”, the building actually says simply “The Mill”. This is because the former mill is actually used for theatre performances.
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Treasures & Raiders in Midsomer County
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(Caution: Contains spoilers for Episodes: 05×04: Murder on St Malley’s Day, 14×05: The Sleeper under the Hill, 18×05: Saints and Sinners, and a little bit 09×04: Down Among Dead Men)
•Three episodes of Midsomer Murders are about treasure and its theft. They come from three different eras: The Anglo-Saxon treasure of Gorse Meadow from the Battle of Hallows Beck between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings (14×05: The Sleeper under the Hill) and the Tudor hoard of Milson (18×05: Saints and Sinners) – both treasure heists taking place in Midsomer in the early 21st century.
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A traitor from Midsomer in the American Independence War?
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(Caution: Contains spoilers for Episode: 08×04: Bantling Boy)
•We enter Bantling Hall with Tom Barnaby and Angela Hartley, because among the large gentlemen in oil on canvas is Thomas Bantling. One of the men of whom the lady speaks only with contempt. He fought as an Englishman in the War of Independence, but not for his country, but for the colonies that later became the United States of America.
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Midsomer and the Battle of the Somme
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(Caution: Contains spoilers for Episode: 11×01: Shot at Dawn)
•The episode begins with a black and white picture. “France, July 1916.” is superimposed. Is it 1 July 1916 – the first day of the Battle of the Somme? The assumption is very obvious, but is not explicitly confirmed in the episode.
We watch soldiers walking forward, landmines explode, people are screaming. But there is a soldier limping in the opposite direction. It is Private Thomas Hicks. He escapes from the obviously life-threatening situation and wants to go back to the Royal Midsomer Yeomanry base. At the street he meets a car with three officers, including his friend Lieutenant Douglas Hammond. Thomas Hicks can only muffles in response to Douglas’ astonished question as to what he is doing here, and pulls behind him with his finger to the battlefield. Douglas Hammond pushes the still muffling Private into the car with light pressure.
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The Fisher King in Midsomer County
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(Caution: Contains spoilers for Episodes: 03×03: Judgement Day & 07×03: The Fisher King)
•Near to the village Midsomer Priors, on the site of today’s Midsomer Barrow, in Celtic times, during the Iron Age, 3000 years ago, there was a local chieftain: the Fisher King. He was a wealthy man and died of the dolorous stroke, a symbolic death: he was stabbed in the thigh with a spear. (Note: Paul Heartley-Reade calls it the dolorous blow, but in the context of Arthurian legend it’s called a stroke).
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Not Dead But Sleepeth
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(Caution: Contains spoilers for Episode: 13×04: The Silent Land)
•Joyce and Cully Barnaby attend a concert by a tenor singer and a pianist. While Joyce listens with enthusiasm and devotion to Ben John’s rendition of “Drink to me only with thine eyes”, Cully is visibly bored. Later, on the drive home to Causton, the two discuss the style of music, for Joyce has not had enough and listens to more singing on the car radio – much to the displeasure of Cully, who eventually falls asleep from boredom in the passenger seat as they pass the March Magna village sign.
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Ghost Villages in World War 2
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(Caution: Contains spoilers for Episode: 19×01: The Village That Rose From the Dead)
•A curtain opens, revealing a room with nine people. All the people are dressed in 1940s style and are sitting at three tables. Only the older woman, Sylvia Lennard, who opened the curtain, is standing in front of them and is just finishing her presentation über ein living museum in Little Auburn.
Those present applaud. Roderick Craven, the landlord of Great Auburn and heir to Little Auburn, thanks her. 75 years ago, Little Auburn became a military base and fell into a ghost village after the war. The inhabitants founded Great Auburn not far away, but tomorrow the army will return the land to the Craven family. In return, the landlord wants to support a project – including his mother’s living museum.
