Carsely

"*But home was waiting for her in Carsely, down in a fold of the Cotswold Hills.*"
―*Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death*
**Carsely** is a fictional village located in the Cotswolds. The majority of the series is set here.

Carsely has many neighbouring villages where some of the events of the series also take place, including Dembley, Ancombe and Hebberdon. Other towns and villages such as Mircester, Evesham, Cirencester and Winter Parva are also nearby.

In the books, Carsley is described as a large village nestled in a fold of the Cotswolds Hills and is a short drive from Moreton-in-Marsh. (BOOK: *Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death*)

## History and traditions

The village hosts many annual events, such as the village fete, the open garden day and the village duck race. (TV: *Agatha Raisin & the Quiche of Death*, *The Potted Gardener*, *Agatha Raisin & the Curious Curate*)

The Carsely Village Fete has been an annual event in the village since 1908. Some of the competitions that occur at the fete include largest vegetable, best flower arrangements and the Great Quiche Competition. The prize for best quiche was £5 (£10 in the book). Judged by Andy Cummings-Browne, Sarah Bloxby had won the best quiche award three years in a row before Ella Cartwright went on to win this prestigious honour seven years in a row. (BOOK: *Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death*; TV: *Agatha Raisin & the Quiche of Death*)

After the fete, the Green Man Harvest Festival occurs. Originally a pagan event, the festival celebrates fertile fields with Morris dancing. (TV: *Agatha Raisin & the Quiche of Death*)

The village also has an amateur dramatics group, the Carsely Dramatic Society, formerly headed by Jo Cummings-Browne. (BOOK: *Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death*; TV: *Agatha Raisin & the Quiche of Death*)

Mrs. Josephs lead the Carsely Ladies Society. Following Mrs. Josephs' death, however, Sarah took over as head of the society. (TV: *Agatha Raisin & the Quiche of Death*, *Agatha Raisin & the Wizard of Evesham*)

The village has an active horticultural society, formerly led by Bernard Spott. (BOOK: *Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener*)

Carsely has a historical society which remains active despite its low membership. (TV: *Agatha Raisin & the Deadly Dance*)

Carsely organises an annual charity week, with fundraising events such as smooth jazz concerts and auctions. (TV: *Agatha Raisin & the Love from Hell*)

The village prides itself on its traditional Christmas festivities. (BOOK: *Agatha Raisin and the Busy Body*)

Before she was murdered, Amanda Ballard organised the restoration of the church's bells and set up a bell ringing group. The group continued to stay active for at least a short time following her death. (TV: *Hell's Bells*)

## Places in Carsely

* Village hall
* Church of St. Jude
* The Red Lion (books)/The White Horse (television)
* Lilac Lane
* Harveys Local
* Rice & Bladen

### Residences

* Elm Cottage (Agatha Raisin's home)
* New Delhi (Sheila Barr/James Lacey's home)
* Barfield House (Charles Fraith's home)
* Vicarage (Jez and Sarah Bloxby's home)
* Plumtrees Cottage (Andy and Jo Cummings-Browne's home)
* Judd's Cottage (John and Ella Cartwright's home)
* The Farmhouse (Amanda Ballard's home)

## Residents of Carsely

* James Lacey
* Gemma Simpson
* Kyra Simpson
* Bill Wong
* Charles Fraith
* Sarah Bloxby
* Jez Bloxby
* Mrs. Boggle
* Ella Cartwright
* John Cartwright
* Gail Murray
* Gene Harvey
* Mick Hiller
* Berenice Chilton
* Liza Friendly
* Rob Friendly

## Former residents of Carsely

* Andy Cummings-Browne †
* Amanda Ballard †
* Mary Fortune †
* Mrs. Josephs †
* Juliet Comfort
* Deirdra Darry †
* Tristan Delon †
* Liz Jellop †
* Ted Huxley (arrested)

## Trivia

* The real life village of Biddestone is used as the filming location for Carsely.
* London is only an hour and a half away by train. (BOOK: *Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death*)
* Carsely is accessible via the A44, a major real life road in the United Kingdom that runs from southern England to the west of Wales. (BOOK: *Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death*)
* The local newspaper is 'The Cotswold Gazette', which costs one pound and ten pence. (TV: *The Day the Floods Came*, *The Witch of Wyckhadden*, *Agatha Raisin & the Wizard of Evesham*, *Agatha Raisin & the Curious Curate*, *Agatha Raisin & the Haunted House*)
* The Carsely Parish Council Magazine costs sixty pence. (TV: *Agatha Raisin & the Curious Curate*)
* In the television adaptation, Fryfam is said to be an hour's drive from Carsely. (TV: *Agatha Raisin & the Fairies of Fryfam*)
* Carsely is located in the county of Gloucestershire. (BOOK: *Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death*; TV: *Agatha Raisin & the Curious Curate*)
	+ Carsely is therefore likely to be somewhere north of the town of Cirencester, as it is close to Evesham (where many villagers often visit) and Moreton-in-Marsh (where Mr. Boggle's sister lives). (TV: *Agatha Raisin & the Wizard of Evesham*)
* South Gloucestershire Police are responsible for law enforcement in Carsely. (TV: *The Witch of Wyckhadden*)
	+ The real life law enforcement for South Gloucestershire is actually the Avon and Somerset Constabulary.
* Carsely was originally a Saxon settlement during the 7th century. (TV: *The Walkers of Dembley*)