Francis Brett Young (29 June 1884 – 28 March 1954) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...
,
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...
,
playwright,
composer, doctor and soldier.
Life
Francis Brett Young was born in
Halesowen
Halesowen ( ) is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the county of West Midlands, England.
Historically an exclave of Shropshire and, from 1844, in Worcestershire, the town is around from Birmingham city centre, and fro ...
,
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...
. He received his early education at Iona, a private school in
Sutton Coldfield. His father, Thomas Brett Young, was a doctor and his mother also came from a medical family, so it was natural that he go to the school for the sons of doctors,
Epsom College
Epsom College is a co-educational independent school on Epsom Downs, Surrey, England, for pupils aged 11 to 18. It was founded in 1853 as a boys' school to provide support for poor members of the medical profession such as pensioners and orph ...
. He was there when, at fourteen, he suffered the death of his beloved mother. He later went on to train at the
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...
to become a qualified physician. He met his future wife, Jessie Hankinson, while he was lodging at
Edgbaston
Edgbaston () is an affluent suburban area of central Birmingham, England, historically in Warwickshire, and curved around the southwest of the city centre.
In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family a ...
in Birmingham and she was training at
Anstey College of Physical Education, then housed in nearby
The Leasowes
The Leasowes is a 57-hectare (around 141 acre) estate in Halesowen, historically in the county of Shropshire, England, comprising house and gardens. The parkland is now listed Grade I on English Heritage's Register of Parks and Gardens and the ...
(the former home of William Shenstone, the author he most admired).
He started medical practice on the steamship SS ''Kintuck'', on a long voyage to the Far East. He returned with the money to purchase his own medical practice at Cleveland House,
Brixham,
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
, in 1907. Established in his first secure job, he was able to be secretly married to Hankinson in December 1908. She was also a singer and he accompanied her, as well as composing two sets of songs for her, published in 1912 and 1913.
His first attempt at a novel, ''
Undergrowth
Undergrowth usually refers to the vegetation in the lower part of a forest, which can obstruct passage through the forest. The height of undergrowth is usually considered to be 0.3 – 3 m (1 – 9 ft.). Undergrowth can also refer to all ...
'', was a collaboration with his younger brother, Eric. Eric subsequently forged a writing career of his own which, while less successful, produced novels such as ''The Murder at Fleet'' and ''The Dancing Beggars''.
During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
he saw service in
German East Africa in the
Royal Army Medical Corps (he was a medical officer of the
2nd Rhodesia Regiment), but was invalided out in 1918, and no longer able to practise medicine. His own account of these wartime events is given in his book ''
Marching on Tanga''; passages censored from that book were later covertly used in his novel ''
Jim Redlake''.
Unable to work as a doctor, he decided to devote himself to his writing, and in 1919 he began the first of his Mercian novels. From 1920 the couple went to live in
Capri until 1929 but also travelled widely, including trips to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
, the United States and summers in the
Lake District of England. They returned to live in England, initially in the Lake District as neighbours of fellow novelist
Hugh Walpole
Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (13 March 18841 June 1941) was an English novelist. He was the son of an Anglican clergyman, intended for a career in the church but drawn instead to writing. Among th ...
. Here they lived in
Esthwaite Lodge, a country house, still standing, south of
Hawkshead
Hawkshead is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, which attracts tourists to the South Lakeland area. The parish includes the hamlets of Hawkshead Hill, to the north west, and Outgate, a similar distance north. Hawkshead contains on ...
on the west side of
Esthwaite Water
Esthwaite Water is one of the smaller and lesser known lakes in the Lake District National Park in northern England. It is situated between the much larger lakes of Windermere and Coniston Water, in the traditional county of Lancashire; since 1 ...
. Then, from 1932, they settled at the dilapidated Craycombe House,
Fladbury
Fladbury is a traditional English village located in rural Worcestershire, England. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book, almost 1,000 years ago. It is sited on the banks of the River Avon, with many interesting and original buildin ...
,
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...
, which he was able to buy and slowly renovate due to his continuing success as a writer. His income also enabled him to spend the winters in
Capri, which was vital due to his poor health. This changed as Italy became fascist and war approached, and in 1937 he purchased Talland House between
Looe
Looe (; kw, Logh, ) is a coastal town and civil parish in south-east Cornwall, England, with a population of 5,280 at the 2011 census.
Looe is west of Plymouth and south of Liskeard, divided in two by the River Looe, East Looe ( kw, links ...
and
Polperro
Polperro ( kw, Porthpyra, meaning ''Pyra's cove'') is a large village, civil parish, and fishing harbour within the Polperro Heritage Coastline in south Cornwall, England. Its population is around 1,554.
Polperro, through which runs the River ...
as an alternative winter retreat. When war came in 1939, Craycombe House was requisitioned by the Red Cross and turned into a convalescent home for the armed services.
In 1944, near to the war's end, he published his epic poem ''
The Island'', recounting in verse the whole history of Britain from the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
to the
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...
. The entire first edition of 23,500 sold out immediately, even in wartime conditions, and was then reprinted.
The winters and wartime privations in England had taken their toll on his poor health. In October 1944, having seen ''The Island'' through to publication, he had a serious heart attack. At the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
he moved to
Montagu in the
Klein Karoo
The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hardveld") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its ex ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
. The climate suited him, and he was even able to complete the writing of a non-fiction guide book for the South African Tourist Board.
Death
He died in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
on 28 March 1954, aged 69. He was cremated and his ashes were returned to England, and are buried in
Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, in Worcestershire, England, situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. It is the seat of the Bishop of Worcester. Its official name is the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Bles ...
.
Work
Like many authors he used the places and occupations he knew as the backdrops for his work. There is much description of the sea, war and medical practice set in places as far apart as the West Midlands and West Country of England and
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
.
His first published novel ''
Deep Sea
The deep sea is broadly defined as the ocean depth where light begins to fade, at an approximate depth of 200 metres (656 feet) or the point of transition from continental shelves to continental slopes. Conditions within the deep sea are a combin ...
'' (1914) has
Brixham as a background while ''
Portrait of Clare'' (1927) is set in the West Midlands, as are several of his works from this period. ''
The Iron Age'' (1916) is set partly in
Ludlow
Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...
,
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...
.
Mercian novels
The central project of Francis Brett Young's career was a series of linked novels set in a loosely fictionalised version of the English
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
and
Welsh Borders
The Welsh Marches ( cy, Y Mers) is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods.
The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ...
. The Mercian novels were originally inspired by the construction of
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
Corporation's
Elan Valley Reservoirs
The Elan Valley Reservoirs are a chain of man-made lakes created from damming the Elan and Claerwen rivers within the Elan Valley in Mid Wales. The reservoirs, which were built by the Birmingham Corporation Water Department, provide clean drin ...
from 1893–1904, and the country traversed by their associated aqueduct.
[''The Black Diamond''; Preface - Francis Brett Young; Collins, 1921]
''
The Black Diamond'' (1921) tells the story of a labourer working on the aqueduct in the region around
Knighton, while ''
The House Under the Water'' (1932) deals at length with the construction of the reservoirs themselves. The series expanded into a wide-ranging study of Midlands society from the 1890s through to the outbreak of the Second World War. Although linked by recurring characters, each of the Mercian novels can be read as an independent work. They range in style from the atmospheric psychological horror of ''Cold Harbour'' (1924; praised by
H. P. Lovecraft) to the romantic family saga of ''
Portrait of Clare'' (1927), which won that year's
James Tait Black Memorial Prize
The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Uni ...
.
Like
Thomas Hardy's
Wessex
la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons
, common_name = Wessex
, image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg
, map_caption = S ...
novels, the Mercian novels are unified by their setting—a semi-fictionalised realisation of an actual geographical region. While some actual place-names appear unchanged (e.g.,
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a large market and historic minster town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Birmingham and north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2011 census, it ha ...
,
Ludlow
Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...
,
Malvern,
Shrewsbury,
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
), most locations appear under a fictional name (
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
= North Bromwich,
Halesowen
Halesowen ( ) is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the county of West Midlands, England.
Historically an exclave of Shropshire and, from 1844, in Worcestershire, the town is around from Birmingham city centre, and fro ...
= Halesby;
Dudley
Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
= Dulston; River
Elan = River Garon). Other locations appear to be fictional conflations of various real-world places; e.g., the
Black Country town of Wednesford; resembling in many respects the actual town of
Wednesbury
Wednesbury () is a market town in Sandwell in the county of West Midlands, England. It is located near the source of the River Tame. Historically part of Staffordshire in the Hundred of Offlow, at the 2011 Census the town had a population of 3 ...
but located by the author in the Stour Valley (and seemingly unrelated to
Hednesford
Hednesford (pronounced ) is a historic market town in the Cannock Chase district of Staffordshire, England. Cannock Chase is to the north, the town of Cannock to the south and Rugeley to the southwest.The population at the 2011 census was 1 ...
, near Cannock), and the hamlet of Cold Harbour; modelled on Wassell Grove near
Hagley
Hagley is a large village and civil parish in Worcestershire, England. It is on the boundary of the West Midlands and Worcestershire counties between the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley and Kidderminster. Its estimated population was 7,162 in 2 ...
but described by him as overlooking the
Black Country.
Main works
* ''
Undergrowth
Undergrowth usually refers to the vegetation in the lower part of a forest, which can obstruct passage through the forest. The height of undergrowth is usually considered to be 0.3 – 3 m (1 – 9 ft.). Undergrowth can also refer to all ...
'' (with Eric Brett Young) (1913)
* ''
Deep Sea
The deep sea is broadly defined as the ocean depth where light begins to fade, at an approximate depth of 200 metres (656 feet) or the point of transition from continental shelves to continental slopes. Conditions within the deep sea are a combin ...
'' (1914)
* ''
The Iron Age'' (1916)
* ''
Marching on Tanga (With General Smuts in East Africa)'' (1917), war memoir
* ''
The Crescent Moon'' (1918)
* ''
The Young Physician'' (1919)
* ''Poems, 1916-1918'' (1919)
* ''
The Tragic Bride'' (1920)
* ''
The Black Diamond'' (1921)
* ''
The Red Knight'' (1921) Collins, Londo
* ''
Pilgrim's Rest (novel), Pilgrim's Rest'' (1922)
* ''
Cold Harbour'' (1924)
* ''
Woodsmoke'' (1924)
* ''
Sea Horses
A seahorse (also written ''sea-horse'' and ''sea horse'') is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meaning "sea monster" or ...
'' (1925)
* ''
Portrait of Clare'' (1927)
* ''
The Key of Life'' (1928)
* ''
My Brother Jonathan
''My Brother Jonathan'' is a 1948 British drama film directed by Harold French and starring Michael Denison, Dulcie Gray, Ronald Howard and Beatrice Campbell. It is adapted from the 1930 novel '' My Brother Jonathan'' by Francis Brett Young, ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Black Roses'' (1929)
* ''
Jim Redlake'' (1930)
* ''
Mr. and Mrs. Pennington'' (1931)
* ''
The House Under the Water'' (1932)
* ''
This Little World'' (1934)
* ''
White Ladies'' (1935)
* ''
Far Forest
Far Forest is a small village in north Worcestershire, England, approximately west of Bewdley, and next to the border with Shropshire.
It is on the A4117 road, on the edge of the Wyre Forest near Fingerpost, Worcestershire, Fingerpost.
Far For ...
'' (1936)
* ''
Portrait of a Village'' (1937)
* ''
They Seek a Country'' (1937)
* ''
Dr. Bradley Remembers'' (1938)
* ''
The City of Gold'' (1939)
* ''
Mr. Lucton's Freedom'' (1940)
* ''
A Man About the House
''A Man About the House'' is a British drama film directed by Leslie Arliss and released in 1947. The film is a melodrama, adapted for the screen by J. B. Williams from the 1942 novel of the same name by Francis Brett Young. A theatrical ada ...
'' (1942), play and film both 1947
* ''
The Island'' (1944) (written in epic verse)
* ''In South Africa'' (1952)
* ''
Wistanslow'' (1956 - published posthumously)
Archives
Archives of Francis Brett Young are held at the Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham. The archive collection includes a large number of letters, many of which are from prominent figures of the twentieth century, as well as typescript copies of his poems.
Film and television adaptations
Several of his books were adapted for film and television, including ''
My Brother Jonathan
''My Brother Jonathan'' is a 1948 British drama film directed by Harold French and starring Michael Denison, Dulcie Gray, Ronald Howard and Beatrice Campbell. It is adapted from the 1930 novel '' My Brother Jonathan'' by Francis Brett Young, ...
'' (1948) starring
Michael Denison,
Dulcie Gray
Dulcie Winifred Catherine Savage Denison, (''née'' Bailey; 20 November 1915 – 15 November 2011), known professionally as Dulcie Gray, was a British actress, mystery writer and lepidopterist.
While at drama school in the late 1930s she met ...
and
James Robertson Justice
James Robertson Justice (15 June 1907 – 2 July 1975) was a British actor. He is best remembered for portraying pompous authority figures in comedies including each of the seven films in the '' Doctor'' series. He also co-starred with Greg ...
; and ''
Portrait of Clare'' (1950) starring
Margaret Johnston
Margaret Johnston (10 August 1914 – 19 June 2002) was an Australian actress. Johnston was best known for her stage performances, but also appeared in 12 films and a handful of TV productions before retiring from acting in 1968 to devote herse ...
,
Richard Todd
Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd (11 June 19193 December 2009) was an Irish-British actor known for his leading man roles of the 1950s. He received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, and an Academy Award for Best Actor n ...
and
Robin Bailey
William Henry Mettam "Robin" Bailey (5 October 1919 – 14 January 1999) was an English actor. He was born in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire.
Often cast in upper class and tradition-bound roles such as Mr Justice Graves in Thames Television's '' ...
. Both films used
Aston Rowant railway station in
Oxfordshire as a filming location.
In 1985 ''My Brother Jonathan'' was adapted into a
British television series
This is a list of television series that have been aired in the United Kingdom.
British programming
Universal Channel
* '' House''
* ''Royal Pains''
* ''Chance''
* ''Condor''
* '' Major Crimes''
* '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' ...
starring
Daniel Day-Lewis
Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is an English retired actor. Often described as one of the preeminent actors of his generation, he received numerous accolades throughout his career which spanned over four decades, incl ...
and
Barbara Kellerman
Barbara Rose Kellerman (originally spelt Kellermann; born 30 December 1949) is an English actress, known for her film and television roles. She trained at Rose Bruford College.
Kellerman was born in Manchester, Lancashire. Her Jewish fath ...
.
Notes
Further reading
* Michael Hall. ''Francis Brett Young'' (1997).
* Jessica Brett Young. ''Francis Brett Young: A Biography'' (1962).
*
David Cannadine. ''This Little World: The Value of the Novels of Francis Brett Young as a Guide to the State of Midland Society, 1870-1925'' (1982).
External links
The Francis Brett Young SocietyMars op TangaDutch translation of ''Marching on Tanga'', Bibliotheek van de Eerste Wereldoorlog, at Dulce et Decorum. Accessed 11 October 2013.
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Francis Brett
1884 births
1954 deaths
People from Halesowen
Alumni of the University of Birmingham
British Army personnel of World War I
James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients
English male poets
20th-century English poets
20th-century English male writers
Royal Army Medical Corps officers
People from Hawkshead