Mark Carlile

The Disappearance of Richard Swann Mark Carlile

It was an idyllic childhood for two children growing up on a farm in the quiet, picturesque East Devon countryside. But the sudden disappearance in 1947 of a neighbour, wealthy tea merchant and property owner Richard Swann, created intrigue for the small community of Stockland. Where was Richard Swann? That was the question Scotland Yard tried to answer. Had he simply left his family for some other life? Or had something more sinister occurred? Mark Carlile looks back at the past and the mystery that surrounded an isolated cottage.