The St. Arvans Pantomaniacs
proudly present
in aid of St. Mary’s Church, Penterry
FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY
Between 1986 and 2005 – with a short hiatus in the
1990s - St Arvans Pantomaniacs performed annual
pantomime in the Memorial Hall to full houses and
rave reviews – Oh yes they did!
Additionally they extended their amateur dramatic
portfolio in 1996 and 1997 by performing two light
comedies. Never before have the Pantomaniacs
taken on a serious drama. After tonight, who
knows?
“The Mary Moxley Murder” emerged from research
into Penterry history by Lyn Lynch. Archive copies
of local newspapers provided extensive details of
the 1843 trial of Edward Reece for Mary’s murder,
from which Chris Gosling produced the script for
tonight’s performance.
This tragic tale of poverty, greed and violence
within the small community of Penterry will open a
window into a vanished world, and will give you
plenty to discuss later in the evening.
Immediately after the performance a hog roast will
be served in the rear hall, with salads and
vegetarian options available, after which the St.
Arvans Occasional Singers will sing some popular
songs of the time.
A cash bar will be open before and after the play.
CAST
NARRATOR:
MON. BEACON
EDWARD REECE
MR. COOKE
MR. KEATING
RICHARD PHILLIPS
JAMES PHILLIPS
TEMPERANCE REES
JAMES MORGAN
WILLIAM JAMES
CHARLES ROBERTS
THOMAS KING
WILLIAM MAGILL
MARY ANN JONES
JOHN MOXLEY
ANN JONES
JAMES FISHER
THE JUDGE
Ros Shelley
Margaret Beach
Neil Brooke
Colin Bull
Andrew Ker
Gail Brooke
Peter Taylor
Helen Ker
Laura Kelway-Bamber
Chris Balmer
Ludo Graham
Peter Taylor
Ludo Graham
Gail Brook
Peter Taylor
Jacquie Bull
Laura Kelway-Bamber
Euan Kelway-Bamber
DIRECTED BY
Carole Jethwa
DRAMATISED BY
Chris Gosling
RESEARCHED BY
Lyn Lynch
LIGHTING BY
Chris Neighbour
Tom Adams
SCENERY BY
Euan Kelway-Bamber
PRODUCED BY
Jacquie Bull
THE ST ARVANS
OCCASIONAL SINGERS
Janet Anderton
Christopher Bailey
Valerie Bailey
Peter Ralph
PENTERRY IN THE 1840s
The Penterry of the 1841 census consisted of 9
inhabited houses with 20 male and 18 female
inhabitants. John James and his family lived at
Penterry Farm and other householders were Robert
Brown, John Moxley, John Phillips, James Morgan,
Richard Jones, Ann Reece, Jane Reece and another
Ann Reece.
The Tithe Map of 1844 shows two major
landowners, the Duke of Beaufort and Nathaniel
Wells of Piercefield Park. Four other owners and 11
tenants are named.
Other sources of information are the church records
with many names featuring in the Baptism,
Marriage and Burial records as many lived in
Penterry all their lives.
The winter of 1842 was a very harsh one, with
general unrest in the country as a result of the Corn
Laws, it was a time of great difficulty for the poor.
THE MOXLEY FAMILY
John Moxley lived with his daughter, Mary, in a
cottage alongside the road in Banton, Penterry. In
1842, he was about 60 years old, born about 1781 in
Chapel Hill and his daughter was 37. Some 8 years
previously, she had given birth to an illegitimate
daughter, Ann, who was baptised in Penterry in
1834 and buried there in 1836 aged two.
John Moxley was listed as an owner and tenant of
Nathaniel Wells on the Tithe Map of 1844. He
owned his house and garden and rented some
pasture land around the property. He also kept
cows and pigs, some of which he had sold the week
before. His neighbours might have been aware that
he would have kept the money from the sale in his
house.
His cottage was small and faced the lane which led
from Fairoak to St. Arvans, some few hundred
yards from Penterry Church. There were three or
four other houses nearby.
He went regularly to Chepstow market on
Saturdays which would also have been known by
those who lived nearby. The Monmouthshire
Merlin of the time refers to Moxley as “an
industrious man of frugal habits ….And his
daughter of a similar disposition.”
THE REECE FAMILY
The Reece family lived at Bantwm1 in 1841. Jane
Reece was the head of her household, her husband,
Edmund, having died in 1835. She lived with her
children, Edmond and Nicholas, then aged 25,
Edward aged 20 (all labourers) and her daughter,
Elizabeth, aged 15. Jane is described on the census
as a farmer and is listed as a tenant on the 1844
Tithe Map.
Church records show that Jane (nee Morgan) and
Edmund were married at St. Mary’s Penterry on
17th August 1795. Nicholas, Edward and Elizabeth
were all baptised at Penterry.
Edward had married Betsy Jones the week before
the murder. She had been in service in Bristol but
had been taken ill and returned to live with her
father and step-mother until she recovered. On
meeting Reece who urged her to become his wife,
she agreed on the understanding that she returned
to service until they could afford to furnish a home.
He assured her that he expected soon to receive a
sum of money and they were married at St. Briavels
on 27th November 1842.
1
Now shown as Banton on OS maps, spelling varies
THE MURDER
“On Saturday last, shortly after one o’clock, the
quiet rural village of St. Arvans was startled with
the horrifying intelligence that a dreadful murder
had been committed at Bantam, a farm house
situated in the parish of Penterry, about two miles
from St. Arvans. The report was quickly brought to
Chepstow; where it was speedily circulated, and
Saturday being market day, and numbers of
country people being in town, we have seldom
witnessed such a degree of excitement as prevailed
on the occasion.” Monmouthshire Merlin 10.12.1842
Mary Moxley had been found battered to death in
the lane at about one o’clock that day, having been
seen and spoken to by various locals in the hours
before her death. Beside the body was a heavy
hedge stake which was stained with blood. Blood
was also found in the house and along the path to
the lane, suggesting that she had first been attacked
inside.
When the news reached Chepstow, the police and
John Moxley hurried to the spot and enquiries
began. According to the press reports at the time
which were never fully explained, John Moxley
stated that he believed Edward Reece, a neighbour,
to be the murderer and the following day Edward
and his wife were taken into custody. She was later
released.
This gravestone, which stands in the churchyard at
St. Mary’s, Penterry, commemorates Edward’s
parents Edmund and Jane Reece, and Edwin, the
illegitimate son of his sister Elizabeth.
Edmund was spared the knowledge of his son’s
fate, but his mother outlived him by 20 years.
THE INQUEST
At the time of the Moxley murder, a coroner was
required to conduct an inquest, with a jury, into any
suspicious death. He would hear evidence from
witnesses and a verdict of unlawful killing was the
equivalent of an indictment for murder.
Publication of reports of these hearings was, as
now, prohibited but a full account can be found in
the Monmouthshire papers of the time!
The Monday after the murder, the inquest was held
by the coroner, Mr. Brewer, and a great number of
people were present. They first went to the Moxley
cottage where the coroner and the jury – appointed
from the local gentry present – viewed the body.
Edward Reece, in custody, was brought forward
and looked at the body, apparently with
indifference, declaring that he knew nothing of the
murder.
The crowd then adjourned to Red House (now
known as Woodpecker Cottage) some few hundred
yards away to continue the proceedings. It is
believed that the inquest was held in a stone barn
which stood next to the cottage as the size would
have been more suitable for the occasion.
The inquest continued all day and on the following
Thursday and Friday when a verdict of wilful
murder was returned against Edward Reece who
was committed for trial at the next County Assizes.
THE TRIAL
Monmouth was part of the Oxford Circuit and the
next Assize court was held in April 1843. The
accused at the time had no right to see a copy of the
indictment to check the details and, as the accused
had to pay for his own legal assistance or conduct
his defence in person, it is likely that his counsel
was assigned to him by the Judge. Thus, Mr.
Keating would have learned about the case only
from the evidence as it was given and was forced to
consider his witnesses and line of defence as he
went along. Perhaps this is why neither Reece nor
his wife were called as witnesses. Perhaps Mr.
Keating did his best after all.
Many witnesses were called by the prosecution but
all could only offer circumstantial evidence. Mr.
Keating summed up the case with a “forcible and
pathetic appeal” according to the Monmouthshire
Beacon.
The trial lasted the whole day from nine o’clock on
Tuesday morning until the court rose at half-past
one on the following morning. The jury took only
from 11.20pm until 1 am to deliberate on such a
complicated case and having found the accused
guilty, he was sentenced to death by the Judge
wearing his black cap.
Reece apparently showed little emotion at his fate
and sat down resting his head on his hand.
THE EXECUTION
Reece received a final visit from his wife on the
Saturday before the date set for his execution and
she was carried from the room afterwards in a state
of great distress having urged him to confess his
guilt.
Having confessed his guilt to the prison governor at
midnight on the Sunday, Reece was taken to the
condemned cell where he apparently slept soundly.
The Chaplain came to him at seven o’clock in the
morning and prayed with him. He wrote two
letters when he woke, one to his wife and one to his
mother and received communion from the priest at
11 o’clock.
Then, his arms were pinioned behind his back and
he was conducted in a procession to the scaffold.
There, the rope was adjusted, the cap put on his
head and he was allowed to address the crowd
which he did at some length, thanking the
Chaplain, the Governor and the turnkeys for their
kindness. The cap was then “pulled over his face,
and as the drop fell and the town clock struck
twelve, he made a convulsive clutch of the rope
with his hands, which were immediately removed
by the executioner; and although we could observe
that life did not depart for some minutes, he did not
appear to suffer much. Thus ended the life of
Edward Reece.” Monmouthshire Merlin 29.4.1843
THE CONFESSION
“I went to John Moxley’s house in disguise, and
asked to light my pipe. Mary Moxley was in the
house, and tried to push me out three times. She
said she would have me taken up and sent to
prison. Then we had a sharp scuffle, and she struck
me with a hammer on the forehead. I then struck
her on the head with a hacker. The same hacker
was produced before the coroner on the Friday. I
took the hedge-stake there to force open the door. I
took the money, but I think it was more than what
the old man said. I do not think he knew how
much was taken. It was not my intention to kill her
a quarter of an hour before it happened, and cannot
tell what possessed me. I do not think the bank
note is changed, but it is not in the possession of
any of my family – perhaps it may be found, but I
cannot tell you exactly where it is. I was in the
place where Mr. Roberts saw me but some of the
witnesses said more than was true; but I was the
man who done the deed. I never took anything, nor
hurted any person in my life before.”
Rees allegedly made this statement to the prison
governor, Mr. Barrett, at midnight before his
execution, having previously made a general
admission of guilt a few hours earlier. Rees asked
that it should not be made known until after his
death. Why?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The players will have their moment in the spotlight,
but many other people have given generously of
their time to help make this evening a success.
Our thanks go particularly to Jean Davies of
Parkfield Stores for her help with publicity and
selling tickets, to Nick Peacock for his help in
researching the legal system of the time of the
murder, to the Curator and Staff of Monmouth
Museum for their help with the research of the
murder, to Glamorgan Vale for the hog roast, to
Euan Kelway-Bamber for organising the bar and to
all who have provided the vegetarian alternatives
and the salads.
Finally, we thank you for supporting this event, and
wish you an enjoyable evening.
THE SONGS
The St. Arvans Occasional Singers will sing:
Early One Morning (trad. English arranged by
Jeremy Jackman)
Scarborough Fair/Canticle (trad. arrangement by
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel)
Now To The Banquet We Press (from the Finale
to Act 1 of "The Sorcerer" - Gilbert and Sullivan)
PENTERRY TODAY
Although the Moxley’s house is now just a pile of
rubble, St. Mary's Church still stands alone on the ridge
at Penterry. St. Mary's fell into disrepair before being
restored in Victorian days, and was again at risk of
closure until a number of local residents formed a
committee in 2001 to raise funds to breathe new life into
the church.
As a result of their efforts and the generous support of
numerous individuals and organisations, St. Mary's is
once again able to provide a focal point to the scattered
community of Penterry, both through monthly
communion
services
and
through
continuing
fundraising activities – such as tonight’s performance –
aimed at completing the restoration of the fabric of the
church building and churchyard so that it can fulfil its
intended role as a hub for the community.
2009 saw exciting developments at Penterry thanks to
grants received from Rural Community Action
Monmouthshire and the Welsh Assembly Government.
The grants supported our efforts to raise funds through
the second Penterry Photography Competition, and
helped us to strengthen our community through the
launch of a website – www.penterry.org.uk .
We hope you enjoy the website, and we look forward to
hearing from you. If you would like us to keep you upto-date with Penterry events and news, please register
your e-mail address on the website or speak to any of us
tonight.