Jonathan Gathorne-Hardy (17 May 1933 – 16 July 2019) was a British author, known for

biographies A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

, including one of

Alfred Kinsey Alfred Charles Kinsey (; June 23, 1894 – August 25, 1956) was an American sexologist, biologist, and professor of entomology and zoology who, in 1947, founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University, now known as the Kinsey Insti ...

, and books of social history on the British

nanny A nanny is a person who provides child care. Typically, this care is given within the children's family setting. Throughout history, nannies were usually servants in large households and reported directly to the lady of the house. Today, modern ...

and public school system. For his autobiography, ''Half an Arch'', he received the J. R. Ackerley Prize for Autobiography in 2005. He also wrote novels and

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

. He subsequently worked in advertising and publishing.

Early life

Born in Edinburgh, he was brought up in London, and educated at Port Regis School,

Bryanston School Bryanston School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) located next to the village of Bryanston, and near the town of Blandford Forum, in Dorset in South West England. It was founded in 1928. ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, where he received a major scholarship to read history. As a boy, he was one of

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

's favourites and he and his family provided the names for the characters in ''

The Little Sweep ''The Little Sweep'', Op. 45, is an opera for children in three scenes by the English composer Benjamin Britten, with a libretto by Eric Crozier. ''Let's Make an Opera!'' ''The Little Sweep'' is the second part of a stage production entitled ' ...

''. His involvement with Britten is described in John Bridcut's '' Britten's Children''. His grandfather was Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 3rd

Earl of Cranbrook Earl of Cranbrook, in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1892 for Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, Baron Medway. The family seat is Great Glemham House, near Saxmundham, Suffolk. The title remains held by t ...

. His father was Surgeon-Commander Honorable Antony Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, fourth child of the third Earl. His mother was Ruth Elizabeth Thorowgood.

Edward Gathorne-Hardy Hon. Ralph Edward Gathorne-Hardy (4 June 190118 June 1978) was a British antiquarian, traveler and socialite. Early life The second child of Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 3rd Earl of Cranbrook - grandson of Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Earl of Cranb ...

and Robert Gathorne-Hardy were his uncles, and his aunt was Lady Anne Hill, wife of George Heywood Hill, who together founded the

Heywood Hill Heywood Hill is a bookshop at 10 Curzon Street in the Mayfair district of London. History The shop was opened by George Heywood Hill on 3 August 1936, with the help of Lady Anne Gathorne-Hardy, who would later become his wife. For the last ...

bookshop in Mayfair. His cousin, born just a month after him, was the zoologist Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook, who attended Cambridge at the same time as he did.

Death

He died at his home in

Aldeburgh Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town in the county of Suffolk, England. Located to the north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the composer Benjamin Britten and remains the centre of the international Alde ...

on 16 July 2019 at the age of 86.Gathorne-Hardy
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Works

*''Chameleon'' (1967) *''The Office'' (1970) *''The Rise and Fall of the British Nanny'' (1972, reissued 1993) as ''The Unnatural History of the Nanny'' (USA) *''Jane's Adventures in and out of the Book'' (1966) *''Jane's Adventures on the Island of Peeg'' (1972) *''Jane's Adventures in a Balloon'' (1975) *''The Airship Ladyship Adventure'' (1975) *''The Public School Phenomenon, 597–1977'' (1977), as ''Old School Tie – Phenomenon of English Public School'' (USA) *''Cyril Bonhamy v. Madam Big'' (1981) *''Love, Sex, Marriage and Divorce'' (1981) *''Cyril Bonhamy and the Great Drain Robbery'' (1983) *''Doctors: the Lives and Work of GPs'' (1984) (non-fiction) *''The Centre Of The Universe is 18 Baedekerstrasse'' (1985) *''Cyril Bonhamy and Operation Ping'' (1985) *''The City Beneath The Skin'' (1986) *''Cyril of the Apes'' (1987) *''The Munros' New House'' (1987) *''The Interior Castle: a life of

Gerald Brenan Edward FitzGerald "Gerald" Brenan, CBE, MC (7 April 1894 – 19 January 1987) was a British writer and hispanist who spent much of his life in Spain. Brenan is best known for ''The Spanish Labyrinth'', a historical work on the background t ...

'' (1994) *''The Twin Detectives'' (1995) *''Particle Theory: a novel'' (1996) *''A Bookseller's War: Heywood and Anne Hill'' (1997) (letters, editor) *''

Alfred C. Kinsey Alfred Charles Kinsey (; June 23, 1894 – August 25, 1956) was an American sexologist, biologist, and professor of entomology and zoology who, in 1947, founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana University, ...

. Sex the Measure of All Things: a biography'' (1998) *''Half An Arch'' (2004) (autobiography)

References

External links

* 1933 births 2019 deaths English biographers English non-fiction writers English children's writers Scottish biographers Scottish non-fiction writers Scottish children's writers People educated at Bryanston School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge People educated at Port Regis School Writers from Edinburgh English male non-fiction writers Gathorne-Hardy family {{UK-child-writer-stub