Gavin Maxwell

FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...

FZS

FRGS The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

(15 July 19147 September 1969) was a British naturalist and author, best known for his

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

writing and his work with

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

s. He wrote the book ''

Ring of Bright Water ''Ring of Bright Water'' is a book by Gavin Maxwell about his life in a remote house in coastal Scotland where he kept several wild otters as pets. First published in 1960, it became a best seller and is considered a literary masterpiece, event ...

'' (1960) about how he brought an otter back from

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and raised it in Scotland. The otter was of a previously unknown sub-species which was subsequently named after Maxwell. ''Ring of Bright Water'' sold more than a million copies and was made into a film starring

Bill Travers William Inglis Lindon Travers (3 January 1922 – 29 March 1994) was a British actor, screenwriter, director and animal rights activist. Prior to his show business career, he served in the British army with Gurkha and special forces units. E ...

and

Virginia McKenna Dame Virginia Anne McKenna, (born 7 June 1931) is a British stage and screen actress, author and wildlife campaigner. She is best known for the films ''A Town Like Alice'' (1956), '' Carve Her Name with Pride'' (1958), ''Born Free'' (1966), and ...

in 1969.

Biography

Gavin Maxwell was the youngest son of Lieutenant-Colonel Aymer Maxwell and Lady Mary Percy, fifth daughter of the seventh Duke of Northumberland.''The Rocks Remain'', Gavin Maxwell, Longmans, 1963, ASIN: B0000CLY9N His paternal grandfather,

Sir Herbert Maxwell, 7th Baronet Sir Herbert Eustace Maxwell, 7th Baronet, (8 January 1845 – 30 October 1937) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, artist, antiquarian, horticulturalist, prominent salmon angler and author of books on angling and Conservative politician who ...

, was an

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

, politician and natural historian. Maxwell was born at The House of Elrig near the small village of

Elrig Elrig ( gd, An Eileirg, meaning "the deer run") is a clachan or hamlet in the historical county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Located in the Machars peninsula, it is about north of Port William. Elrig is the birthplace ...

, near Port William, in

Wigtownshire Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown (, ) is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Wigtownshire was an administrative county used for local government. Since 1975 the area has f ...

, south-western Scotland. Maxwell's relatives still live in the area and the family's ancient estate and grounds are in nearby

Monreith Monreith ( / 'mon-REETH'; gd, Am Monadh Rèidh) is a small seaside village in the Machars, in the historical county of Wigtownshire, Scotland. A ruined church near Monreith is called "Kirkmaiden-in-Fernis" and was dedicated to St Medan. The chan ...

. Maxwell's education took place at a succession of preparatory and

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

s, including the sporty

Heddon Court School Belmont, originally known as Mount Pleasant, was a house in East Barnet, London, near Cockfosters, that dated back to the sixteenth century. By the end of the nineteenth century it had become Heddon Court and was the home of a preparatory scho ...

East Barnet East Barnet is an area of north London within the London Borough of Barnet bordered by New Barnet, Cockfosters and Southgate. It is a largely residential suburb whose central area contains shops, public houses, restaurants and services, and ...

, St Cyprian's School, where he found encouragement for his interest in natural history, and

Stowe School , motto_translation = I stand firm and I stand first , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent school, day & boarding , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster ...

. In ''The Rocks Remain'', he relates how family pressure led him to take a degree in Estate Management at

Hertford College, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main ga ...

, where he spent his time pursuing sporting and leisure activities instead of studying. He cheated his way through the intermediate exams but passed the

final examination A final examination, annual, exam, final interview, or simply final, is a test given to students at the end of a course of study or training. Although the term can be used in the context of physical training, it most often occurs in the ac ...

s honestly, having crammed the entire three-year course in six weeks. Exterior of 9 Paultons Square, London

During

World War II 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 opposin ...

, Maxwell served as an instructor with the

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...

. He was invalided out with the rank of Major in 1944. After the war, he purchased the Isle of

Soay Soay (pronounced "soy") is the name of several Scottish islands. It is Sòdhaigh (sometimes anglicised "Soaigh") in Scottish Gaelic, and comes from the Old Norse ''so-ey'' meaning "island of sheep". It may refer to: * Soay, Inner Hebrides off sout ...

off

Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated b ...

in the

Inner Hebrides The Inner Hebrides (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Na h-Eileanan a-staigh'', "the inner isles") is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, whic ...

, Scotland. According to his book ''Harpoon at a Venture'' (1952), bad planning and a lack of finance meant his attempt to establish a

basking shark The basking shark (''Cetorhinus maximus'') is the second-largest living shark and fish, after the whale shark, and one of three plankton-eating shark species, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark. Adults typically reach in length. ...

fishery there between 1945 and 1948 proved unsuccessful and the island was sold on to his business partner, Tex Geddes. He became a close friend of

Elias Canetti Elias Canetti (; bg, Елиас Канети; 25 July 1905 – 14 August 1994) was a German-language writer, born in Ruse, Bulgaria to a Sephardic family. They moved to Manchester, England, but his father died in 1912, and his mother took her t ...

. In 1956, Maxwell toured the reed marshes of southern Iraq with explorer

Wilfred Thesiger Sir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger (3 June 1910 – 24 August 2003), also known as Mubarak bin Landan ( ar, مُبَارَك بِن لَنْدَن, ''the blessed one of London'') was a British military officer, explorer, and writer. Thesiger's trav ...

, Maxwell's wife's first cousin once removed. Maxwell's account of their trip appears in ''A Reed Shaken By The Wind'', later published under the title ''People of the Reeds''. It was hailed by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' as "near perfect". Maxwell next moved to Sandaig (which he called ''Camusfeàrna'' in his books), a small community opposite

Isleornsay Isleornsay (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Iarmain) is a village lying off the main Armadale to Sleat road (the A851) on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It overlooks, but is not upon, the island of Ornsay. The island itself shelters one of the best nat ...

on a remote part of the Scottish mainland. This is where his "otter books" are set. After ''Ring of Bright Water'' (1960), his newfound fame did not sit well with him: In ''The Rocks Remain'' (1963), the otters Edal, Teko, Mossy and Monday show great differences in personality. The book demonstrates the difficulty Maxwell was having, possibly as a result of his mental state, in remaining focused on one project and the impact that had on his otters, Sandaig and his own life. In 1966, he travelled to

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

, tracing the dramatic lives of the last rulers of Marrakech under the French. His account of the trip was published as ''Lords of the Atlas: The Rise and Fall of the House of Glaoua 1893–1956''. During the Moroccan Years of Lead, the regime there considered his book subversive and banned its importation. In ''The House of Elrig'' (1965), Maxwell describes his family history and his passion for the calf-country, Galloway, where he was born. It was during this period that he met

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

Peter Scott Sir Peter Markham Scott, (14 September 1909 – 29 August 1989) was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter, naval officer, broadcaster and sportsman. The only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, he took an interest in ...

and the young Terry Nutkins, who later became a children's television presenter. Privately homosexual, Maxwell married Lavinia Renton (daughter of The Right Honourable Sir Alan Lascelles and granddaughter of Viscount Chelmsford, Wilfred Thesiger's uncle) on 1 February 1962. The marriage lasted little more than a year and they divorced in 1964. Maxwell also lived in

Paultons Square Paultons Square is a Georgian terraced garden square in Chelsea, London, SW3. It was built in 1836–40 on the site of a former market garden, land previously owned by Sir Thomas More and Sir John Danvers. The square features a central lawn e ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. In 1968, Maxwell's Sandaig home was destroyed by fire, in which Edal perished,''Britain By Bike'', episode 6 - The Scottish Highlands, BBC, 2010 and he moved to the lighthouse keepers' cottages on Eilean Bàn (White Island), an island between the Isle of Skye and the Scottish mainland by Kyleakin. He invited John Lister-Kaye to join him on Eilean Bàn and help him build a zoo on the island and work on a book about British wild mammals. Lister-Kaye accepted the invitation, but both projects were abandoned when Maxwell died from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

in hospital in Inverness the following year. Eilean Bàn now supports a pier of the

Skye Bridge The Skye Bridge ( gd, Drochaid an Eilein Sgitheanaich) is a road bridge over Loch Alsh, Scotland, connecting the Isle of Skye to the island of Eilean Bàn. The name is also used for the whole Skye Crossing, which further connects Eilean Bàn ...

, built during the 1990s. Despite modern traffic a hundred feet or so above it, the island is a commemorative otter sanctuary and houses a museum dedicated to Maxwell. Another memorial is a bronze otter erected at Monreith near to St Medan's Golf Club. According to

Douglas Botting Douglas Scott Botting (22 February 1934 – 6 February 2018) was an English explorer, author, biographer and TV presenter and producer. He wrote biographies of naturalists Gavin Maxwell and Gerald Durrell (the former also being a personal frien ...

, Maxwell suffered from

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

throughout his life.Douglas Botting, ''Gavin Maxwell, A Life'', HarperCollins 1993 (). Maxwell's literary agent was Peter Janson-Smith, who was also agent for

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

author

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...

Maxwell's otter

Maxwell's book ''

'' describes how, in 1956, he brought a

smooth-coated otter The smooth-coated otter (''Lutrogale perspicillata'') is an otter species occurring in most of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with a disjunct population in Iraq. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996 and is thre ...

back from

and raised it in "Camusfearna" at Sandaig Bay on the west coast of Scotland. He took the otter, called Mijbil, to the

London Zoological Society The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...

, where it was decided that this was a previously unknown

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of smooth-coated otter. It was therefore named ''Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli'' (or,

colloquially Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the style (sociolinguistics), linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom norm ...

, "Maxwell's otter") after him. While it was thought to have become extinct in the alluvial salt marshes of Iraq as a result of the large-scale drainage of the area that started in the 1960s, newer surveys suggest large populations remain throughout its range. Gavin Maxwell's Memorial - Sandaig (geograph 4113346)

Gavin Maxwell's Memorial - Sandaig (geograph 4113346)

In his book ''The Marsh Arabs'',

wrote: The otter became woven into the fabric of Maxwell's life. The title of his book ''Ring of Bright Water'' was taken from the poem "The Marriage of Psyche" by

Kathleen Raine Kathleen Jessie Raine CBE (14 June 1908 – 6 July 2003) was a British poet, critic, and scholar, writing in particular on William Blake, W. B. Yeats and Thomas Taylor. Known for her interest in various forms of spirituality, most prominently P ...

, who said in her autobiography that Maxwell had been the love of her life. Raine's relationship with Maxwell deteriorated after 1956 when she indirectly caused the death of Mijbil. Raine held herself responsible not only for losing Mijbil but for a curse she had uttered shortly beforehand, frustrated by Maxwell's homosexuality: "Let Gavin suffer in this place as I am suffering now." Raine blamed herself thereafter for all Maxwell's misfortunes, beginning with Mijbil's death and ending with the cancer that took his 55-year-old life on 7 September 1969. Maxwell's ashes were placed beneath a boulder at the former site of his house ''Camusfeàrna''. The boulder marks the position of his writing desk.

Bibliography

*''Harpoon at a Venture'' Rupert Hart-Davis (1952) ** Paperback reissue (1984): ** Paperback reissue (1998): ** Paperback reissue (2013): *''God Protect Me from My Friends''

Longmans Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publishing company founded in London, England, in 1724 and is owned by Pearson PLC. Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman brand is also ...

(1956) ** Paperback reissue (1972): *''A Reed Shaken By The Wind - a Journey Through the Unexplored Marshlands of Iraq'' Longmans (1959) ** Paperback reissue (1983): ** Paperback reissue (

Eland Books Eland Books is an independent London-based publishing house founded in 1982 with the aim of republishing and reviving classic travel books that have fallen out of print over time. Its list currently runs to around 160 titles and is highly regar ...

, 2003) *''The Ten Pains of Death'' (1959) ** Paperback reissue (1986): *''

'' (illustrated by

) Longmans (1960) ** Paperback reissue: *** ''Ein Ring aus hellem Wasser - Meine Jahre an Schottlands wilder Westküste'', ins Deutsche übersetzt von Iris Hansen, München : Blessing, 2021, *''The Otters' Tale'' Longmans (1962; a children's version of ''Ring of Bright Water'') *''The Rocks Remain'' Longmans (1963) *''The House of Elrig'' Longmans (1965) *''Lords of the Atlas: Morocco, the rise and fall of the House of Glaoua'' Longmans (1966) ** Reissue, (

) (2000) *''Seals of the World'' (1967) *''Raven Seek The Brother'' Longmans (1969) *''The Ring of Bright Water Trilogy'' Penguin (2001; abridged)

Biography

* ''Island of Dreams: Stalking Gavin Maxwell's Ghost'' by Dan Boothby, Cork Street Books (2014) ** republished as ''Island of Dreams: A Personal History of a Remarkable Place'', Picador (2015) * ''The White Island'' by John Lister-Kaye (about the author's time working with Maxwell) Longman (1972) * ''Maxwell's Ghost - An Epilogue to Gavin Maxwell's Camusfearna'' by Richard Frere,

Victor Gollancz Sir Victor Gollancz (; 9 April 1893 – 8 February 1967) was a British publisher and humanitarian. Gollancz was known as a supporter of left-wing causes. His loyalties shifted between liberalism and communism, but he defined himself as a Christ ...

(1976) ** reissued (1999) ** reissued (2011) * ''Gavin Maxwell, A Life'' by

, HarperCollins (1993) (authorized biography) ** republished as ''The Saga of Ring of Bright Water - The Enigma of Gavin Maxwell'' Neil Wilson Publishing (2000)

References

External links

Biography by Maxwell's nephewEilean BànIUCN listing for Maxwell's OtterVisit Camusfearna (Sandaig)

Biography

Maxwell's otter

Bibliography

Biography

References

External links

Further reading