Joyce Reason (December 1894 - 18 September 1974) was a British author of missionary biographies and historical fiction for young readers.''Who Was Who Among English and European Authors, 1931-1949'', Vol. 3, Gale Research Co., Detroit, 1978, p.1177

Life and Works

Joyce Reason was born in

Canning Town Canning Town is a district in the London Borough of Newham, East London. The district is located to the north of the Royal Victoria Dock, and has been described as the "Child of the Victoria Docks" as the timing and nature of its urbanisation ...

, London. Her father, Will Reason, was a

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

minister who campaigned and wrote around themes of social justice and poverty (books such as ''Poverty'', ''Drink and the Community'', ''Homes and Housing'', ''Christianity and Social Renewal''). Both her parents were university graduates. She was educated at Milton Mount College For Girls in

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...

, an educational institution for the daughters of congregational ministers, although other pupils could attend. She was a prolific author of popular missionary biographies and accounts of the work of the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational miss ...

. She also wrote fiction and plays for young people. Reason wrote missionary biographies of Mary Aldersey of China, James Chalmers of Papua, Albert Cook of Uganda, William Kendall Gale of Madagascar,

Wilfred Grenfell Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell (28 February 1865 – 9 October 1940) was a British medical missionary to Newfoundland, who wrote books on his work and other topics. Early life and education He was born at Parkgate, Cheshire, England, on 28 Febr ...

of Labrador,

James Hannington James Hannington (3 September 1847 – 29 October 1885) was an English Anglican missionary and martyr. He was the first Anglican bishop of East Africa. Early life Hannington was born on 3 September 1847 at Hurstpierpoint in Sussex, England, ...

of Uganda,

Griffith John Griffith John ( zh, t=楊格非, p=Yáng Géfēi; 14 December 1831 – 25 July 1912) was a Welsh Christian missionary and translator in China. A member of the Congregational church, he was a pioneer evangelist with the London Missionary Society ...

of China, David Jones of Madagascar,

Liang Fa Liang Fa (1789–1855), also known by other names, was the second Chinese Protestant convert and the first Chinese Protestant minister and evangelist. He was ordained by Robert Morrison, the first Protestant missionary in the Qing Empire. H ...

of China,

Henry Nott Henry Nott (1774–1844) was a British Protestant Christian missionary who lived and worked in Tahiti, in the Society Islands in Polynesia. Life Nott was one of the first missionaries sent out by the London Missionary Society, arriving in Tahiti a ...

of the South Seas,

Ruatoka Ruatoka (1846? – 12 September 1903) was a Protestant Christian missionary in British New Guinea (now Papua New Guinea). The son of Christian converts, he was born in Tamarua, Mangaia Island, Cook Islands. In about 1868 he attended Takamoa Theologi ...

of Papua,

Bishop Selwyn George Augustus Selwyn (5 April 1809 – 11 April 1878) was the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand. He was Bishop of New Zealand (which included Melanesia) from 1841 to 1869. His diocese was then subdivided and Selwyn was Metropolitan (late ...

of New Zealand,

Howard Somervell Theodore Howard Somervell OBE, FRCS (16 April 1890 – 23 January 1975) was an English surgeon, mountaineer, painter and missionary who was a member of two expeditions to Mount Everest in the 1920s, and then spent nearly 40 years workin ...

of India, and others. She also wrote popular biographies of

John Bunyan John Bunyan (; baptised 30 November 162831 August 1688) was an English writer and Puritan preacher best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress,'' which also became an influential literary model. In addition ...

, Robert Browne,

Henry Barrowe Henry Barrow (or Barrowe) ( – 6 April 1593) was an English Separatist Puritan, or Brownist, executed for his views. He led the London Underground Church from 1587 to 1593, spending most of that time in prison, and wrote numerous works of Bro ...

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

Isobel Kuhn Isobel Selina Miller Kuhn, born Isobel Selina Miller, aka, "Belle" (December 17, 1901 – March 20, 1957), known as Isobel Kuhn, was a Canadian Christian missionary to the Lisu people of Yunnan Province, China, and northern Thailand. She served wi ...

and

Sadhu Sundar Singh Sadhu Sundar Singh (3 September 1889 — ?) was an Indian Christian missionary. He is believed to have died in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929. Biography Early years Sundar Singh was born into a Sikh family in the village of Rampur (ne ...

of India. In September 1951, Joyce Reason joined the headquarters staff of the

Leprosy Mission Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respira ...

as Editorial Secretary for a five-year term. She visited

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

and

Tanganyika Tanganyika may refer to: Places * Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state * Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania * Tanzania Main ...

to write an account of the Mission's work in East Africa, and also visited the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

settlement at Chogoria in

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. Joyce Reason was a noted advocate of Christian books and in 1950 was a featured speaker at the Christianity in Books Exhibition at Memorial Hall, Farringdon Street, together with the

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

. She believed there was empirical evidence for the existence of the human soul. In response to a letter by a Professor Crew about life-termination by the individual, she suggested that the professor had not investigated evidence from

ESP ESP most commonly refers to: * Extrasensory perception, a paranormal ability ESP may also refer to: Arts, entertainment Music * ESP Guitars, a manufacturer of electric guitars * E.S. Posthumus, an independent music group formed in 2000, ...

and

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

for regarding our lives as a part of something "much larger and more enduring". She was a keen

hiker Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

and her article 'A Lone Woman's Hike from

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury ...

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

' appeared in the first issue of the ''Hiker and Camper'' (February 1931). She was considered an authority on the

Kibbo Kift The Kindred of the Kibbo Kift was a camping, hiking and handicraft group with ambitions to bring world peace. It was the first of three movements in England associated with the charismatic artist and writer John Hargrave (1894–1982). The Kindred ...

movement. Joyce Reason was noted as an author of historical fiction for young people. Reviewers praised her books for their well-researched historical backgrounds, strong stories and colourful personalities. Her novel ''The Mad Miller of Wareham'' is set in King John's time in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

and concerns a plot to put

Arthur of Brittany Arthur I ( br, Arzhur 1añ; french: link=no, Arthur 1er de Bretagne) (29 March 1187 – presumably 1203) was 4th Earl of Richmond and Duke of Brittany between 1196 and 1203. He was the posthumous son of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, and Constan ...

on the throne. The towns, villages, abbeys and priories of

, where the tale is set, are creditably brought to light and more than one of the characters is drawn in the round and exists as a person. The novel ''To Capture the King'', concerns a Jacobite plot and smuggling on the

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

coast, with incidental glimpses of

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

and

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

.The texture of history is less closely woven in this but the story is exciting. ''Bran the Bronze-Smith: A Tale of 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 pri ...

in the British Isles'' is a story a boy in prehistoric Britain who becomes a travelling smith and eventually a master smith. ''Swords of Iron'' is set in Pre-Roman Britain. ''The Secret Fortress'' deals in traditional style with the last age of

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

rule in

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

. ''The Queen's Champions'' is a story of a plot against

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

and how a young boy plays an important part in averting disaster. ''Red Pennons Flying'' is a tale set during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

. She also wrote ''Dwifa's Curse: A Tale of the Stone Age'' under the nom-de-plume "Blue Wolf". It is set in Stone Age Britain, just at the time the earlier

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

people are coming into contact with later Stone Age people armed with the bow and more advanced in civilisation. She produced a number of works for the Sunday School "rewards" market which are still occasionally reprinted.Principally: ''Three Secret Seeds'' (1964), ''The Fire Escape'' (1965), ''Mrs Townsend and a Puppy'' (1967), ''Jim All Alone'' (1969), ''Josephine Jane'' (1970), and ''The Black and White Twins'' (1970). The copyrights of these and many of her other works are now held by

Lutterworth Press The Lutterworth Press, one of the oldest independent British publishing houses, has traded since the late eighteenth century - initially as the Religious Tract Society (RTS). The Lutterworth imprint, named after the small English town of Lutte ...

. For the last 20 years of her life at least, Joyce Reason, a Congregationalist by denomination, lived at 102 Addison Rd,

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

. She was not married and for much of her life lived with her younger sister, the chemist and teacher Hazel Alden Reason, who was also unmarried. A number of her books have been translated into French, German and Swedish.

References

Selected Juvenile Fiction

*''Bran the Bronze-Smith''. Illustrated by the author. (1930, repr.1939,1961) *''Prentices and Clubs! A Tudor Tale''. (1947) *''The Secret Fortress''. (1949) *''Swords of Iron''. (1956) *''The Mad Miller of Wareham''. Illustrated by S. Van Abbé. (1949, repr.1954) *''The Queen's Champions''. Illustrated by

Trevor Stubley __NOTOC__ Trevor Stubley RP RBA RSW RWS (27 March 1932 – 8 January 2010) was a Yorkshire portrait and landscape painter, and illustrator. Stubley was born in Leeds and received art training at Leeds College of Art, and in 1953 at Edinb ...

. (1966) *''To Capture the King: The Story of a Jacobite Plot''. (1956)

External links

WorldCat Identities: Joyce Reaso

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reason, Joyce English children's writers People from West Ham 1894 births 1974 deaths English biographers