BILLED as “not for the faint-hearted”, a murder mystery is to be at the heart of a meeting of Forest of Dean historians.

The death of a woman known as ‘Kymin Bet’ is at the centre of an intriguing true tale of events surrounding her murder in 1828. Speaker Peter Strong will reveal details of the police investigation, legal procedures and newspaper reporting of the day, but warns that the information is not for the faint-hearted.

Mr Strong’s ‘evidence’ will be presented at a first ever meeting in Blakeney for members of the Forest of Dean Local History Society on Friday, March 24 2017. And they return to the Village Hall for a further meeting on Wednesday, September 20 2017, when the talk will be by Dr Mark Lewis on the ‘Romans in the Lower Severn Valley’ — a timely venue as Blakeney is known to have Roman remains.

The shift to Blakeney is part of the society’s ambition to reach out to as many local villages as possible.

Chairman Simon Moore explained: “There is an ever-growing interest in local history. We hold most of our meetings at the West Dean Centre in Bream but for some time we have successfully held talks in other locations such as Drybrook and St Briavels.

“Next year it is the turn of Blakeney. The hope is that it will encourage more people to join the society and enjoy our range of indoor and outdoor activities.”

The outdoor activities include a walk around the mines that once flourished in the neighbourhood of Parkend, a guided tour of the Church Hill Inclosure to study the age and types of trees there, a self-drive tour to Bath, and the annual coach tour of the Forest to examine a particular aspect local history.

The full indoor programme is: December 3, West Dean Centre, Bream. The Lost Lake, Steve Clarke; January 14, West Dean Centre, Bream. Custom, Work and Market Capitalism (Forest of Dean Colliers, 1788-1888) Ian Wright and Rich Daniels; February 11, West Dean Centre, Bream. The Rise of Education in the Forest of Dean, Averil Kear; March 11, West Dean Centre, Bream. As Sure as God’s in Gloucestershire (Pilgrims and their destinations) John Putley; March 24, Blakeney Village Hall. The Murder of Kymin Bet, Peter Strong; April 8, West Dean Centre, Bream. Voices from the Forest, Roger Deeks.

May 7, A Walk around the Mines of Parkend, Ron Beard; June 10, A Self-drive Tour to Bath, Cecile Hunt; July 9, Church Hilll Inclosure, Ian Standing; August 12, Coach Tour.

September 3, West Dean Centre, Bream. How 6,500 sheep and 100 Badgers Changed the Forest, Eric Warden-Heggie; September 20, Blakeney Village Hall. Romans in the Lower Severn Valle, Dr Mark Lewis; October 7, West Dean Centre, Bream. AGM followed by VAD Hospitals, Geoff North; November 11, West Dean Centre, Bream. Carved headstones of the Vale and Severnside Churchyards, Nick Herbert.