Notes on the Settings and Characters in “The Land of Leys” by L. P. Davies (1979)

Time Setting: This book opens in June 1979.

Place Setting:
Set in Buckinghamshire. Aylesbury → ‘Harbridge’ → ‘Borgate’ → Banbury. It took an hour to drive from ‘Harbridge’ to ‘Borgate’. - p 33
The area around ‘Borgate’, ‘Cuppold’ and ‘Rubery’ had local traditions/superstitions about witchcraft. - pp 36, 42
The Bicester road. - p 124 Buckingham - p 125 and Banbury. The Leighton Buzzard road. - p 134

Characters:
Andrew Leigh, a 32 year-old realtor, woke up in Lower Stratford Hospital after wandering dazedly on the A5 motorway, north of Towcester. - p 127
His home since he bought the business in 1975 was above his real estate office (Smaller & Tayne - pp 26, 85 - 86) at no. 23 High Street in ‘Harbridge’, Buckinghamshire, about 20 miles from Aylesbury. He had been leading a double life (p 35), mysteriously absenting himself, Monday to Wednesday, for the past 7 months. - pp 27 - 32
Andrew’s two assistants were the widowed Mrs. Joan Cregg, and young George.
Andrew’s bachelor younger brother, Jeremy Leigh, who had died 9 months previously, had owned an antique/junk shop in 'Borgate’. Jeremy had also owned a second place, Blake’s Yard, bought from the estate of a deceased rag-and-bone merchant (William Blake, Henry’s father) for £5 000, out ‘Cuppold' way. - pp 52 - 63
Jeremy’s sort-of girl-friend, had been Marion Seesby.

Harley Street Consultant Psychiatrist John Harvester, late 30s, lived in a glass and steel mansion on the ‘millionaire’s mile’ at ‘Rubery’, in the centre of the triangle formed by Aylesbury, Banbury, and Buckingham. A secret stair in Harvester's house (pp 9 - 10) led down into an old barrow with a temple. - pp 144 - 145
Henry Blake, early 40s, was Harvester’s one and only servant.

Publisher, Paul McKinsey, lived at ‘The Mile’ in ‘Rubery’, with his father, his Uncle Winton, and his ex-headmistress (ie school owner) Aunt Caroline, a game old bird in her late 60s.

Retired Nanny but reputed Witch, old Martha Flixton, lived in a local cottage near Rubery.

Dr. Peter Bell, 40ish, and his wife Meg (Margaret) lived in the small market town of ‘Borgate’. “His practice reaches from below Cuppold to just north of Rubery, and from this side of Banbury to...Harbridge." - p 42
Miss Althea Fairley, Meg’s sister, lived in the Bell household at ‘Borgate’.

Man-hater, Betty Hitchin, had bought the late Jeremy Leigh’s antique shop from his estate for £?.

Resourceful German-born Jew, Dr. Kale Manfred, an authority on the occult (pp 73, 82 -83), joins with Andrew Leigh to investigate John Harvester’s house. - pp 143 - 149

An Occult Witches' Brew:
Talking of witches, who has possession of the sought-after Grimoire? - p 147
And what was Dr. Bell feeling so guilty about?

(Page references are to the Crime Club edition, with the starkly evocative dust jacket front, published by Doubleday in 1979.) ( )