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The Poacher is a tale of several generations of an ordinary family, striving to make ends meet, surviving on their wits. In spite of the cruelty and greed of the Lord of the Manor, love blossoms between young Fred and Rose enduring throughout the trials and tribulations of life in rural England between the great wars. Fred did not choose this life, but it was forced upon him through the actions of the landed gentry. Will Fred and his friends manage to overcome their wrong doing.

The story opens in 1927 with Fred Hocking an experienced poacher, with his apprentice, young Jimmy Dyer, out in the woods about their business. Fred is showing Jimmy a trap system to watch out for and Jimmy listens intently to his every word not daring to question the more mature and experienced Fred Hocking. As they move through the forest Jimmy almost falls on a wire trap and Fred manages to push him out of the way but in doing so get’s his leg trapped in a powerful animal trap which almost severs his leg. Jimmy is dispatched by Fred to get help after Jimmy transfers the contents of Fred’s bag into his to avoid detection. After they apply a tourniquet to Fred’s leg Jimmy sets off to the village to get help leaving Fred in agony bleeding profusely from the injury which has severed an artery leaving him vulnerable to be found by his nemesis the Gamekeeper Ben. While Fred is laying in agony, just breathing we see the story unfold through Fred’s memory as he drifts in and out of consciousness.

We are now back in the late 1800’s Fred as a young boy. is out in the same woods with his father when they are confronted with the Gamekeeper a stern no nonsense individual. The Gamekeeper raises his shotgun and they are forced to stop in their tracks, they are caught holding a dead bird that they have picked up as they walked through the woods. Fred’s father attempts to explain that the bird was already dead but is hit on the head with the butt of the gun by the over zealous Gamekeeper. The Gamekeeper marches them both to The Lord of the Manor’s lavish home and he in turn calls for the local police to arrest young Fred and his father. After a short court hearing the Lord who is also the local Magistrate confers sentence on Fred’s father, and to everyone’s dismay hands down a three month hard labour sentence to young Fred, while serving the sentence the father dies. Fred is denied the chance to attend his father’s funeral. The Gamekeeper and Lord of the Manor are central to the story and become the arch nemesis to Fred as a young man and later when he becomes a man.

The Lord of the Manor has hatched a plan in conjunction with the new local Church Minister, to deprive the population of the villagers of the Norfolk area of housing covenants handed down through the years, allowing the villagers to live in subsidised housing in perpetuity. This insidious act has a profound effect on the locals culminating in people being evicted and the suicides of one of the older residents. We are back to 1892 and we see the grown up Fred 30ish still poaching but making sure that the people of the village benefit from his work by giving them a share of the food that he gathers. Fred has also found a young woman Rose who he saw as a child but has now fallen in love with, and they begin a close relationship. Fred has not forgotten that his father died as a result of being imprisoned but goes about his business with great stealth and cunning. Fred has also made friends with the local Doctor and farmer and together they conspire to get justice for the local people. Fred is continually looking for evidence of his father’s death and the land grabbing that has taken place. After discovering the existence of the covenants, and the way the Lord of the Manor and Vicar have manipulated the situation for their own greed Fred sets out to prove their guilt. The Gamekeeper and his now grown up son Ben are hell bent on catching Fred, and are instructed by the the Lord of the Manor to bring him dead or alive and they do his bidding whatever the circumstances. Fred,the Doctor and farmer set out a plan to rid the village of the Gamekeeper his son and the Lord of the Manor. In the end the knowledge of what they have done becomes too much for the Vicar, who attempts to absolve himself before dying. Will the efforts of Fred and the villagers be enough to overcome the Lord of the Manor or will he finish off Fred before the evidence is found.

Status

In Development