Lovers Brook begins in the depths of the Earth and bubbles to the surface at the edge of a sloping coppice of trees near the twelfth tee. From here it meanders lazily and eccentrically across the twelfth fairway and on past the thirteenth tee before finally disappearing into the eerie darkness of Covens Meet.
At first glance there was nothing to distinguish this tract of water from the numerous other streams scattered around the rambling course. For the most part it was about six feet wide and four feet deep with three feet of sparkling clear flowing water.
But Lovers Brook was different. There was a noticeable absence of vegetation along its banks. With other streams there was a twice yearly ritual cleaning to be carried out to remove the plant life that thrived in the clean water and along the cool banks of the streams. Without this clearing the streams would have flooded and spoilt the hallowed grass. But this ritual was not necessary with Lovers Brook. It remained clear of unwanted growth because its water was salty.
There was also another oddity about Lovers Brook. Unlike the other streams which were also fed by underground streams and springs, it never dried up even in the harshest of summer droughts. Over the years this had been a source of frustration to the green keepers of Barndem. While the fairways and greens had been dying through lack of water Lovers Brook continued to taunt with its endless flow of poisonous water. For the salt water of Lovers Brook was deadly to the grass and could not be used to irrigate the precious acres. This was why the thirteenth green had been raised to protect it from the occasional flooding of the stream. Without this precaution the grass would surely have perished as the stream overflowed its banks.
Quite how and why the low lying Covens Meet at the back of the thirteenth green managed to survive the flooding was a mystery best left unsolved. Somehow the thicket not only survived but actually flourished on its poisonous watery supply.
There were various explanations as to why Lovers Brook flowed with salt water. The most plausible was that lying not far from the West coast of England Barndem had once been actually on the coast and there was evidence to suggest that the land could even have been under water. Over the millennium as England tilted on its axis raising the West coast and lowering the East, Barndem had been raised and effectively moved inland. However, underground there were almost certainly rock salt deposits and it was these that polluted the water of Lovers Brook.
What this reasonable and comforting theory failed to explain was why only Lovers Brook was affected and none of the other streams which flowed across the course. Barndem being the cradle of superstition and mystery that it was, there was another explanation. And as with all folklore the story fitted the facts much more accurately than any scientific explanation.
John Brocklebank and Isabel Longbarrow had been childhood sweethearts since, well, since childhood. As they grew and matured so did their mutual affection and it was generally assumed that one day they would marry. Indeed while continuing to observe all proprietaries they effectively lived as man and wife from the age of sixteen. John’s parents had died in the great plague leaving him sole heir to a small cottage on the edge of the Barndem estate. Given the affection they held for each other and their promise to wed it therefore seemed only natural when Isabel moved in to join her betrothed. There she bided her time until they both reached the age of eighteen which was considered by all the correct and appropriate age to marry.
In fact the cottage John inherited was a tied cottage which meant that he was obliged to work on the massive Barndem estate for three days of every week. For the remaining two or three days of each week John earned a comfortable living either by paid work on the estate or on one of the neighbouring estates. This obligation to Barndem was a small price to pay for what was an easy and comfortable life with security of tenure and employment.
Though in the metaphysical sense John was a free man his life was not his own, it was governed by the traditions of being a tied worker. Those traditions governed many things including his choice in marriage. When a tied worker had selected a partner it was customary to obtain permission from the estate owner since the partner would obviously be living in estate property. When the time came for John and Isabel to wed John sought an audition with the then estate owner to obtain permission. This formality was lent a distinctly mercenary appeal since it was customary for the intended couple to receive a significant present from the estate owner usually in the form of some livestock such as a milk cow.
But fortune did not favour John. The estate owner had plans for the cottage which meant that the removal of John was essential. Refusing permission for John to marry was seen as a way of persuading John to leave. An alternative choice of spouse was offered to John in the certain knowledge that he would refuse and in that refusal would go his rights to the tied cottage. The estate owner could not stop John from marrying his choice nor could he evict John without just cause. However it was his peculiar and invidious legal right to refuse permission for John’s wife to live in the cottage.
So it was that John and Isabel had to leave the cottage and roam the countryside homeless and penniless in search of work and accommodation. Such was the persuasive power and influence of the vindictive estate owner that neither John nor Isabela could find employment. Even the neighbouring estates which had gladly employed John before refused to accept him. Destitute and with failing health the couple took to sleeping in the many woods in and around Barndem until they were discovered one day floating in one of the streams that crossed the estate.
To this day Lovers Brook has been bereft of life as the salt tears of the two lovers flow in an eternal stream. And not a drop of water from the brook has been used to sate the thirst of the Barndem estate.