Violet Elizabeth Bott

The ''Just William'' series is a sequence of thirty-eight books written by English author Richmal Crompton. The books chronicle the adventures of the unruly schoolboy William Brown.

The books were published over a period of almost fifty years, between 1922 and 1970. Throughout the series, the protagonist remains at the same eleven years of age, despite each book being set in the era in which it was written. The first book was ''Just William'', and often the entire series is named after this book. Each book, with the exception of the novel '' Just William's Luck'', is a collection of short stories.

The series has spawned various television, film, theatre and radio adaptations. It also has a large fan following, with such groups as the Just William Society.

Synopsis of the series

Setting

William Brown is a middle-class schoolboy of 11, who lives in a country village in Southern England. A number of guesses have been made about where the stories are set. In ''Pensions for Boys'' in '' Sweet William'' (1936), it is suggested that the village is about 50 miles from London. It has also been suggested (in Margarey Disher's book ''Growing Up with Just William'') that it is situated somewhere around Bromley, Kent. A road sign shown in a Thomas Henry illustration from "William Gets A Move On" in " William Does His Bit" reads "London A1", which would place the village north of London.

William is the leader of his band of friends, who call themselves the Outlaws, with his best friend Ginger and his other friends Henry and Douglas. His scruffy mongrel is called Jumble.

A William story often starts when William or the Outlaws set out to do something, such as putting on a play, collecting scrap metal for the war effort or looking after Violet Elizabeth Bott. William always manages to get into trouble with his parents, although he can never see why. His well-meaning efforts often result in unfortunate outcomes.

Sometimes William can be very moral – he is inspired to tell the truth for the duration of Christmas Day in '' William's Truthful Christmas'' ('' Still William'', 1925) with unhappy results:

illiam has just received a geometry set and a book on church history for Christmas.
"Did you like the book and instruments that Uncle and I gave you?" said Aunt Emma brightly.

"No," said William gloomily and truthfully. "I'm not int'rested in Church History an' I've got something like those at school. Not that I'd want 'em," he added hastily, "if I hadn't em."

"William!" screamed Mrs. Brown in horror. "How can you be so ungrateful!"

"I'm not ungrateful," explained William wearily. "I'm only being truthful..."

Current events

The books within this series often reflected current events within the 20th century. ''William the Conqueror'' (1926) for example reflects pre-World War I imperialism, while 1930s books like ''William The Dictator'' (1938) dealt with Fascism and 1940s books like ''William and the Evacuees'' (1940) were set against the backdrop of World War II. Later on, ''William and the Moon Rocket'' (1954) and ''William and the Space Animal'' (1956) were written during the space race. Despite the changing events, William and other characters do not age.

Characters

*William Brown – The main character in the series, an eleven-year-old schoolboy in a village in England. Leader of the Outlaws, William is unique in schoolboy literature – confident, strong-willed, independent-minded with original world-views, a born leader who is keen to be chief in any undertaking of the Outlaws. He cares little for his clothes or appearance, wears a scowl as his best "company manners" and hates small talk. He loves to play Red Indians and pirates, and readily embarks on any project, from catching wartime spies or making a "moon rocket", to editing a "newspaper" or organising a "circus" or "show", often featuring his pet dog Jumble as reluctant star. William usually has a withering contempt for girls and women (except his mother) though there are notable exceptions and he can even be chivalrous on occasion. He has a soft spot for a neighbour, Joan who admires him enormously. A rebel and die-hard optimist, William often shows a strong sense of responsibility when the situation demands, an unwillingness to back out of challenges and a bulldog-like determination to overcome hurdles. His imagination and predilection for adventure constantly get him into difficult situations. William and the outlaws often engage in elaborate schemes to earn money with mixed results. He is frequently inspired to “help” others he deems in need but runs into unforeseen complications in his efforts but as fortune favours the brave, William often comes out on top though is sometimes reprimanded and punished by his parents for his misdeeds. His 'motto' is: Doin' good, rightin' wrongs, spreadin' happiness and walking down the narrow path of virtue.
*Ginger Flowerdew/Merridew – William's best friend and member of the Outlaws. "Ginger" is a nickname derived from the colour of his hair: We never learn his real first name, though his surname is either Flowerdew or Merridew (one of the author's many inconsistencies). He has an elder brother called Hector, who is Robert's friend. He is notoriously optimistic. The ''Just William'' stories often involve only William and Ginger, leaving out the other Outlaws.
*Henry – One of William's friends and the oldest member of the Outlaws. He is considered well-read and well-informed. He has an elder brother, John, and also an unnamed baby sister, with whom he is perpetually warring. In the earliest stories, he is said to be William's rival for leadership of the Outlaws.
*Douglas – One of William's friends and a member of the Outlaws. He is the most prudent and discreet of the group; unoptomistic and usually the voice of objection when William reveals his 'Plans'. He has an elder brother, George, Robert's friend.
*Jumble – William's scruffy mongrel, a mixture of many breeds.
*Margaret or Mary Brown – William's long-suffering mother. Despite innumerable disappointments, she never loses faith in William, saying often to the other Brown family members when they object of him that, 'He means well'. Mrs Brown's first name is Margaret in ''William Again'', 2, but Mary in ''Just William's Luck'', 17, ''William – the Explorer'', 5, and ''William's Treasure Trove'', 5.
*John Brown – William's sardonic father, often vexed by William's troublesome behaviour, but at times giving subtle hints that he agrees with his son by rewarding him with money. Some of the stories also suggest that Mr Brown was very much like William in his youth, where he was friends with Ginger, Douglas and Henry's fathers. He works in an office, and frequently takes time off due to his 'liver' (i.e., drinking). He is a Conservative, according to William.Just William: Home for the Holidays.
*Ethel Brown – William's elder sister, a pretty redhead who is incredibly popular among the local adolescent males in the village, with ''The most persistent'' being Jimmy Moore. Ethel is variously aged in the stories between 17 and 21. William himself can never understand why people are attracted to her because she is usually quite mean to him. Ethel does, however, have quite a soft spot for William; she is genuinely distressed when she believes him to be sick, though William is often faking it.
*Robert Brown – William's grown-up brother who is infatuated by a succession of girls, each of whom he swears is "the most beautiful girl in the world" until he moves on to the next. Robert's age (like Ethel's) varies between stories: he is sometimes as young as 17 and sometimes as old as 22 (though in the novel ''Just William's Luck'' he confirms his age as 21). He is a hopeless romantic whose world view is coloured by the heroic novels he reads. He is also something of a "social climber", eager to impress his friends and family with his worldly knowledge and important acquaintances. Several of the stories involve Robert attempting to impress a girl, but irritated and embarrassed by William in the process. He is a Liberal, only William dismisses this as "Just Swank".
*Violet-Elizabeth Bott – The lisping spoiled daughter of the local nouveau riche millionaire, Mr. Bott, who forces the reluctant Outlaws to allow her to join them on their adventures with her effective threat: "I'll and and till I'm ". She was introduced in the fifth book ''Still William'' (1928) in which she featured in three stories, but she did not appear again until several years later. In most stories her lisp is on the "s" (dogs → ) but in some books it changes to the " r" (princess → ).
*Mr. & Mrs. Bott – Introduced early in the series as new inhabitants to the village, Mr. and Mrs. Bott are a nouveau riche millionaire couple who spoil their daughter Violet Elizabeth. Mr. Bott made his millions by patenting and selling "Bott's Digestive Sauce" (allegedly made from squashed beetles). While Mr. Bott is fairly easy-going, his wife is a social climber, eager to impress high-society people with her wealth. Despite being figures of fun, the Botts are often represented sympathetically. Perhaps because of their lower-class origins, they take William and his friends more seriously than do most adults.
*Joan Clive/Crewe/Parfitt – The girl next door. Younger than William, she is his uncritical admirer, whom he will go to some efforts to impress. She is sometimes described a member of the Outlaws, and sometimes an "Outlaw-ally". Joan has three surnames throughout the series; first Clive, then Crewe, then Parfitt, before reverting to Clive. She also changes in physical appearance; Joan Clive has blue eyes and bright golden curls, whereas Joans Crewe and Parfitt have dark eyes, dark curly hair and a dimpled complexion. Crewe turns to Parfitt after Joan's absence then subsequent return to the village after her London home is bombed, so it is possible her mother has been widowed (or, rather unlikely, divorced) and remarried. However, ''in William Meets the Professor (William and the Tramp)'' she has inexplicably reverted to Clive. Her birthday is on the same day as Hubert Lane's.
*Hubert Lane – William's chief rival in the village for popularity among boys. He is opposite in character to William, being greedy, underhand, vindictive and spoiled. He is obese and loves to eat. His gang (the "Hubert Laneites") remain loyal to him mostly on account of his excessive pocket money, which he uses to buy cream cakes and other luxuries for his supporters. He almost always comes off worse in confrontations with William. His birthday is on the same day as Joan's.
*Bertie Franks – A leading member of the Hubert Laneites, usually Hubert's lieutenant, though in ''William the Gangster'' he sets up as a gang leader in his own right. Like Hubert, he is fat and spoiled.
*Oswald Franks – Bertie Franks's elder brother, friend of Robert's. He is pretty much like Bertie.
*Mrs. Lane – Hubert Lane's mother. She likes to imagine that William and Hubert are best friends, and whenever she is forced to accept that they are not, goes to great extents to end the feud between them. She also spoils and supports Hubert to a ridiculous extent.
*Mr. Marks/Markson – The headmaster of William's school, known to William and his friends as "Ole Markie". He is early middle-aged, and has a sensitive personality which he does his best not to show when he is at work. He gets on well with his older pupils, but dislikes younger and more disruptive ones like William.
*Ole Stinks – William's chemistry teacher. He frequently punishes William for his misbehaviour in the laboratory, but actually rather enjoys his company.
*Mr. French – The most frequently mentioned of William's teachers, he is usually an antagonist.
*Victor Jameson – The leader of another gang of boys. Victor's gang generally supports William's, though they occasionally argue with them. Victor is often involved in fights against the Laneites and in audiences of Outlaw productions.
*Jameson Jameson - Elder brother of Victor Jameson and a contemporary of Robert (though in some stories it is Victor who is the older brother). In the story "The Weak Spot" he founds the "Society of Reformed Bolshevists" which Robert and William both join. William's "junior branch" soon reveals a fatal flaw in socialism which their elders had missed.
*Jimmy Moore – A solid, dependable youth of Ethel's peer group. Her fall back beau when more glamorous suitors let her down. In William and The Badminton Racquet, William helps restore him to Ethel's favour. Jimmy is so impressed that he gives William a new badminton racquet.
*Arabella Simpkin – A strong-willed, witty girl who acts as an antagonist for the Outlaws, generally disrupting their activities by disputing their leadership. She always attends the Outlaws' shows and always demands her money back.
*Archie Mannister – An absent-minded young artist, besotted with Ethel and on more-or-less friendly terms with William. He appears more in the later books. He also loves Eleanor, Colonel Fortescue's niece. Colonel Fortescue is the friend of his father.
*Dorinda Lane – Another of William's love interests. She adores William, and is a big fan of "Funny things", including William's appearance in a production of Hamlet. She is a relative of Hubert's. Her aunt lives in William's village.

Publication and illustrations

The short stories were first serialised in a magazine called ''Home'' (beginning in February 1919), then in one called ''Happy''. Following that, collections of stories were printed as books.

All the William books until '' William and the Witch'' published in 1964 were illustrated by Thomas Henry in ink, with water colour illustrations for the front covers. After Henry's death in 1962, Henry Ford and Lunt Roberts (who had previously illustrated her '' Jimmy'' books) continued in his style.

List of books

Books in the series

Crompton continued to write ''William'' books right up until her death in 1969 with the last, '' William the Lawless'', being published posthumously in 1970.

The publication dates are for the UK.

Note that although George Newnes continued to issue reprints of the series until the late 1960s, from 1963 Newnes began to abridge their editions, typically omitting between two and four stories. Abridged editions became the standard versions of the books through the reprints by other publishers in the 1960s and 1970s, until the Macmillan reprints of the 1980s and 1990s restored the full texts, with the exception of ''William the Detective''. Editions highlighted in are complete, while editions highlighted in are abridged.

Play

Crompton wrote a one-act play featuring the character:
* '' William and the Artist's Model'' (J. Garnett Miller, London, 1956).

Plays by writers other than Crompton

* Alick Hayes, ''Just William: A Play in Three Acts, Based on the Character "William" Created by Richmal Crompton'' (Macdonald and Young, London, 1947).
* _________, ''More Just William'' (Macdonald and Young, London, 1947).
* Ireland Wood, ''William's Half Holiday: A Play in One Act, from a Story by Richmal Crompton'' (Macdonald and Young, London, 1960).
* Matthew Barnes, Jonathan Massey '' Just William's Luck'' (Unpublished, 2018).

Radio play scripts

Crompton wrote 55 play scripts for the BBC, broadcast from 1946. These were first collected for publication in 6 volumes from 2008 to 10, including several unbroadcast scripts. Nearly half of the plays were original stories, not derived from the books:
* 1. ''William - the Terrible'' (David Schutte, West Sussex, 2008).
* 2. ''William - the Lionheart'' (David Schutte, West Sussex, 2008).
* 3. ''William - the Peacemaker'' (David Schutte, West Sussex, 2009).
* 4. ''William - the Avenger'' (David Schutte, West Sussex, 2009).
* 5. ''William - the Smuggler'' (David Schutte, West Sussex, 2010).
* 6. ''William's Secret Society'' (David Schutte, West Sussex, 2010).

Film tie-ins

Though credited to Crompton, this was merely authorised by her, but not written by her. It presented the script of the first William film:
* ''Just William: The Book of the Film'' (George Newnes, London, 1940).
A further tie-in was published for the second film, without any involvement from Crompton:
* ''Just William's Luck: The Story of the Film in the Making'' (D. McKenzie, London, 1947).

Further compilations

These are out of the 'regular' series, and entirely feature stories already published across the main series of books.
* ''William - the Ancient Briton'' (Armada, London, 1965).
* ''William - the Globetrotter'' (Armada, London, 1965).
* ''William the Cannibal'' (Armada, London, 1965).
* ''William and the Monster'' (Armada, London, 1965).
* ''Just William and Other Stories'' (BCA, London, 1977).
* ''The Just William Collection'' (W. H. Smith's, London, 1991).
* ''Just William - As Seen on TV'' (Macmillan, London, 1994) - TV tie-in to the first series of the 1990s TV series.
* ''More Just William - As Seen on TV'' (Macmillan, London, 1995) - TV tie-in to the second series of the 1990s TV series.
* ''William at War'' (Macmillan, London, 1995).
* ''Just William at Christmas'' (Macmillan, London, 1995).
* ''Just William on Holiday'' (Macmillan, London, 1996).
* ''Just William at School'' (Macmillan, London, 1997).
* ''Just William - and Other Animals'' (Macmillan, London, 1998).
* ''Just William and Girls'' (Macmillan, London, 2000).

Books about the series

* Mary Cadogan, ''Richmal Crompton: The Woman Behind William'' (Allen & Unwin, London, 1986).
* ____________, ''The William Companion'' (Macmillan, London, 1990).
* ____________, ''Just William Through the Ages'' (Macmillan, London, 1995).
* Gillian Clements and Kenneth Waller, ''Just William's World: A Pictorial Map'' (Macmillan, London, 1990).
* Margaret Disher, ''Growing Up With Just William'' (Outlaws Publishing Company, London, 1990).
* W. O. G. Lofts and Derek Adley, ''William: A Bibliography'' (Privately published, Middlesex, 1980).

Assorted tie-ins

* ''Just William's Cookin' Book'' (Armada, London, 1977).
* ''Just William Annual 1978'' (World Distributors, London, 1977) - tie-in to the 1970s TV series.
* ''Just William Annual 1979'' (World Distributors, London, 1978) - tie-in to the 1970s TV series.
* ''The William Diary 1995'' (Macmillan, London, 1994).
* ''The William Diary 1996'' (Macmillan, London, 1995).
* ''Just William's Codes: An Outlaws Club Book'' (Macmillan, London, 1994).
* ''Just William's Plays: An Outlaws Club Book'' (Macmillan, London, 1994).
* ''Just William's Puzzles: An Outlaws Club Book'' (Macmillan, London, 1994).
* ''Just William's Tricks: An Outlaws Club Book'' (Macmillan, London, 1994).
* ''Just William Bumper Joke and Activity Book'' (Macmillan, London, 1995) - tie-in to the 1990s TV series.

Media adaptations

Films

Several films were made based on the books. The first of these is ''Just William'' (1940). Directed by Graham Cutts, and written by Doreen Montgomery and Ireland Wood, it starred Richard Lupino as William Brown and featured Fred Emney as Mr. Brown, Basil Radford as Mr. Sidway, Amy Veness as Mrs. Bott, Iris Hoey as Mrs. Brown, Roddy McDowall as Ginger, Norman Robinson as Douglas, Peter Miles as Henry, David Tree as Marmaduke Bott, Jenny Laird as Ethel Brown, Simon Lack as Robert Brown, and Aubrey Mather as Fletcher.
'Just William' 1946 film featuring Tony Stockman as 'Ginger'.
''Just William's Luck'' and ''William at the Circus'' were both released in 1948 and were written and directed by Val Guest. They starred William Graham as William Brown and featured Garry Marsh as Mr. Brown, Jane Welsh as Mrs. Brown, Hugh Cross as Robert Brown, Kathleen Stuart as Ethel Brown, A. E. Matthews as The Tramp in Just William's Luck and as Minister in William at the Circus, Muriel Aked as Emily, Maid, Brian Roper as Ginger, Brian Weske as Henry, James Crabbe as Douglas, Michael Balfour as Jenks in JWL, uncredited in WatC, John Powe as Policeman in JWL, uncredited in WatC.

''Just William's Luck'' also featured Audrey Manning as Violet Elizabeth, Leslie Bradley as The Boss, Hy Hazell as Gloria Gail, Patricia Cutts as Gloria's Secretary, Ivan Hyde as Glazier, Joan Hickson as Hubert's Mother, Anne Marie as Masseur, Leslie Hazell as Hubert's Gang, Peter Davis as Hubert's Gang, John O'Hara as Hubert's Gang, Michael Medwin as The Boss's Gang, John Martel as Johnnie, Ivan Craig as The Boss's Gang.

''William at the Circus'' also featured Michael Medwin as Reporter, Jon Pertwee as Superintendent, Peter Butterworth as Postman and John Martel as Johnnie.

Radio

Alick Hayes, the BBC radio producer of '' The Will Hay Programme'', decided to put together a cast for the first ''Just William'' radio series, which ran for 2 years on the BBC Light Programme (as a sitcom), beginning in 1946. He found his William in John Clark, the young actor who had played D'arcy Minor, and Charles Hawtrey, also from the Will Hay Programme, became Hubert Lane. Gordon McLeod was Mr. Brown, Betty Bowden Mrs. Brown, Harry Locke (later, Michael Allinson) played Robert and Ethel was Rosamund Barnes. Violet Elizabeth was played by Jacqueline Boyer, who replaced the original, and Ginger by Tony Stockman.

Later, for radio, there was a play, '' William and the Artist's Model'', written in 1956.

The BBC
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