30-463: Moonfleet may refer to: Moonfleet (novel) , a 1898 novel by J. Meade Falkner Moonfleet (film) , a 1955 film directed by Fritz Lang, inspired by the novel Moonfleet (1984 TV series) , a British period television drama series, based on the novel Moonfleet (2013 TV series) , a British period television drama series, based on the novel See also [ edit ] Moonfleet & Other Stories ,
60-508: A Roman fort underneath the later buildings. Seventy-one steps lead up to the keep. In the centre of the castle enclosure are the domestic buildings; these are mostly of the 13th century, with upper parts of the 16th century. Some are in ruins, but the main rooms were used as the official residence of the governor of the Isle of Wight until the 1940s, and they remain in good repair. The Great Hall, Great Chamber and several smaller rooms are open to
90-470: A 2010 album by Chris de Burgh Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Moonfleet . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moonfleet&oldid=1018554115 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
120-491: A coffin when he hears Ratsey and Elzevir coming. When they leave, they fill in the hole, inadvertently trapping him. John finds a locket in the coffin that he hid behind (it turns out to be that of Blackbeard himself) which holds a piece of paper with verses from the Bible. John eventually passes out after drinking too much of the wine while trying to quench his thirst, having not eaten or drunk for over 24 hours. Later he wakes up in
150-634: A formerly prominent local family, the Mohunes. The main character is John Trenchard, an orphan who lives with his aunt, Miss Jane Arnold. The village church includes the sexton , Mr. Ratsey, and Parson Glennie, who also teaches in the village school. Elzevir Block is the landlord of the Mohune Arms . The inn is nicknamed the Why Not? , a pun on the Mohune coat of arms , which includes a cross-pall in
180-409: A national memorial of Charles I. Within the walls is a well 200 ft (61 m) deep and another in the centre of the keep is reputed to have been still deeper. Near the domestic buildings is the well-house with its working donkey wheel. The well is also famous as the hiding place of the Mohune diamond, in the 1898 adventure novel Moonfleet , by J. Meade Falkner . Wyndham Lewis , who lived on
210-416: A ship. A storm blows up, and by a strong coincidence, the ship is wrecked upon Moonfleet beach. While trying to reach the beach Elzevir helps John to safety, but is himself dragged under by the surf and drowned. John arrives where he originally started, in the Why Not? , and is reunited with Ratsey. He is also reunited with Grace. She is now a rich young lady, having inherited her father's money. However, she
240-415: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Moonfleet (novel) Moonfleet is an 1898 novel written by English writer J. Meade Falkner . The plot is an adventure tale of smuggling , treasure, and shipwreck set in 18th-century England . In 1757 Moonfleet is a small village along the coast of southern England. The village takes its name from
270-459: Is located above, and to the south of, Carisbrooke village centre. In 2007, English Heritage opened a holiday flat inside the castle, in converted former staff quarters. The castle received 131,358 visitors during 2019. Carisbrooke was the strongest castle on the Island; though it is visible from some distance, it does not dominate the countryside like many other castles. There are traces of
300-445: Is still in love with John. John tells her about the diamond and his life in prison. He regrets having lost everything, but she says, rich or not, she loves him. Then Parson Glennie visits and reveals he had received a letter from Aldobrand. The merchant, suffering a guilty conscience and in an attempt to make amends, had bequeathed the worth of the diamond to John. John gives the money to the village, and new almshouses are built, and
330-642: The Why Not? inn – he has been rescued by Elzevir and Ratsey. When he is better, he returns to his aunt's house, but she, suspecting him of drunken behaviour, throws him out. Elzevir takes him in. When Block's lease on the Why Not? comes up for renewal, Maskew bids against him in the auction and wins. Block must leave the inn and Moonfleet but plans one last smuggling venture. John feels honour-bound to go with him, and visits Grace Maskew, whom he loves and has been seeing in secret, to say goodbye; his aunt gives him his mother's prayer book — her last hope to influence John towards piety. The excisemen and Maskew are aware of
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#1732791040259360-473: The 1970s, primarily as a result of its adventure themes relating to pirates, treasure, and smuggling, and due to its suspenseful story-line. It has frequently been studied in schools, and used as required reading for some English courses. It is often compared with similar novels like Stevenson's Treasure Island . Falkner uses the local geography of Dorset and the Isle of Wight in the book, only changing some of
390-542: The Entrance Gate. Woodville was killed by Richard III in 1483, but his brother Edward Woodville was given control of the castle on the accession of Henry VII in 1485. The keep was added to the castle in the reign of Henry I , and in the reign of Elizabeth I , when the Spanish Armada was expected, it was surrounded by additional fortifications by Sir George Carey , who had been appointed Governor of
420-456: The Isle of Wight in 1583. Carey later commissioned the Italian engineer Federigo Giambelli (or Genebelli) to make more substantial improvements to the defences. Starting in 1597, Giambelli constructed a modern trace Italienne fortification, a squat rampart and ditch supported at intervals by powerful bastions , which completely surrounded the old castle and bailey. The new fortification
450-501: The Isle of Wight as a child, cites the donkey wheel at Carisbrooke as an image for the way machines impose a way of life on human beings ('Inferior Religions', published 1917). The Constable's Chamber is a large room located in the castle's medieval section. It was the bedroom of Charles I when he was imprisoned in the castle, and Princess Beatrice used it as a dining room. It is now home to Charles I bed as well as Princess Beatrice's large collection of stag and antelope heads. This room
480-484: The diamond is fake. Elzevir falls for the deceit and angrily throws the diamond out of the window. John, however, knows they have been duped, and suggests they try to recover the diamond through burglary. The attempt fails and they are arrested and sentenced to prison. John curses the merchant for his lies. John and Elzevir go to prison for life. Eventually they are separated. Then, unexpectedly, ten years later, their paths cross again. They are being transported , and board
510-480: The founders of the New Zealand city of Dunedin , led to him naming his estate "Carisbrook". The name of the estate was later used for Dunedin's main sporting venue . The gateway tower was erected by Lord Scales who was lord of the castle at the time in 1464. The chapel is located next to the main gate. In 1904 the chapel of St Nicholas in the castle was reopened and re- consecrated , having been rebuilt as
540-540: The main part of the story opens, Block's youthful son, David, has just been killed by Maskew during a raid by the Maskew and other authorities on a smuggling boat. One night a bad storm hits the village and there is a flood. While attending the Sunday service at church, John hears strange sounds from the crypt below. He thinks it is the sound of the coffins of the Mohune family. The next day, he finds Elzevir and Ratsey against
570-579: The narrative is a continuing reference to the boardgame of backgammon which is played by the patrons of the Why Not? on an antique board which bears a Latin inscription Ita in vita ut in lusu aleae pessima jactura arte corrigenda est (translated in the book as As in life, so in a game of hazard, skill will make something of the worst of throws ). Moonfleet is considered to be a classic work of fiction, and continues to be published in series such as Dover Children's Evergreen Classics. Its popularity among children worldwide continued up until at least
600-468: The place names. The village of Moonfleet is based on East Fleet in Dorset by Chesil Beach . The headland in the book called The Snout is Portland Bill . Corfe Castle and Carisbrooke Castle are key plot locations. Carisbrooke Castle Carisbrooke Castle is a historic motte-and-bailey castle located in the village of Carisbrooke (near Newport ), Isle of Wight , England. Charles I
630-504: The planned smuggling run but do not know exactly where it will occur. During the landing Maskew appears and is caught by the smugglers. Elzevir is bent on vengeance for his son by killing Maskew, and while the rest land the cargo and leave, he and John keep watch over Maskew. Just as Block prepares to shoot Maskew the excisemen attack. They wound John and unintentionally kill Maskew. Block carries John away to safety and they hide in some old quarries. While there, John inadvertently finds out that
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#1732791040259660-400: The public, and an upper room houses the Isle of Wight Museum. Most rooms are partly furnished. One of the main subjects of the museum is King Charles I. He tried to escape from the castle in 1648 but was unable to get through the bars of his window. The name of the castle is echoed in a very different structure on the other side of the world. A visit to the castle by James Macandrew , one of
690-513: The school and the church renovated. John marries Grace and becomes Lord of the Manor and Justice of the Peace. They have three children, including their first-born son, Elzevir. The children grow up, the sons going away to "serve King George on sea and land" while their daughter too, it seems, has married away. But John and Grace themselves do not leave their beloved Moonfleet ever again. One feature of
720-428: The shape of the letter "Y". Mr. Maskew is the local magistrate , who has a daughter, Grace. Village legend tells of the notorious Colonel John "Blackbeard" Mohune who is buried in the family crypt under the church. He is reputed to have stolen a diamond from King Charles I and hidden it. His ghost is said to wander at night looking for it and the mysterious lights in the churchyard are attributed to his activities. As
750-435: The site during the 8th century. Around AD 1000, a wall was built around the hill as a defence against Viking raids. From 1100 the castle remained in the possession of Richard de Redvers ' family, and over the next two centuries his descendants improved the castle with stone walls, towers and a keep. In 1293, Countess Isabella de Fortibus , the last Redvers resident, sold the castle to Edward I . From then on, its governance
780-412: The south wall of the church. They claim to be checking for damage from the storm, but John suspects they are searching for Blackbeard's ghost. Later John finds a large sinkhole has opened in the ground by a grave. He follows the passage and finds himself in the crypt with coffins on shelves and casks on the floor. He realises his friends are smugglers and this is their hiding place. He has to hide behind
810-410: The verses from Blackbeard's locket contain a code that will reveal the location of his famous diamond. Once John's wound heals, he and Block decide to recover the diamond from Carisbrooke Castle . After a suspenseful scene in the well where the jewel is hidden, they succeed in escaping to Holland where they try to sell it to a diamond merchant named Krispijn Aldobrand. The merchant cheats them, claiming
840-543: Was entrusted to wardens as representatives of the crown. In 1377, in the reign of Richard II the castle was unsuccessfully attacked by the French. It was reputedly saved by local hero Peter de Heyno who shot the French commander. Anthony Woodville, Lord Scales , later Earl Rivers, obtained a grant of the castle and rights of Lordship in 1467. He was responsible for the addition of the Woodville Gate, now known as
870-496: Was imprisoned at the castle in the months prior to his trial. The site of Carisbrooke Castle may have been occupied in pre- Roman times. A ruined wall suggests that there was a building there in late Roman times. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle mentions that Wihtgar , cousin of King Cynric of Wessex , died in AD 544, and was buried there. The Jutes may have taken over the fort by the late 7th century. An Anglo-Saxon stronghold occupied
900-432: Was mostly completed by 1600 at the cost of £4,000. Charles I was imprisoned here for fourteen months before his execution in 1649. Afterwards his two youngest children were confined in the castle, and Princess Elizabeth died there. From 1896 to 1944, it was the home of Princess Beatrice , daughter of Queen Victoria , as Governor of the Isle of Wight . It is now under the control of English Heritage . The castle
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