The Reverend Charles Watts Whistler MRCS, LSA, (14 November 1856 – 10 June 1913) was an English writer of historical fiction, who set his work between 600 and 1100 CE, usually based on early

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

chronicle A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and ...

s, Norse or Danish sagas and archaeological discoveries.

Life

Charles Watts Whistler was the oldest son of the Rev. Rose Fuller Whistler, Vicar of Ashburnham in Sussex, a Vice President of the Sussex Archaeological Society, and later Rector of Elton, Huntingdonshire, to which cure Charles Watts Whistler would succeed. The family descended from the Sussex branch of the Thames Valley family of Whistler, as did

Rex Whistler Reginald John "Rex" Whistler (24 June 190518 July 1944) was a British artist, who painted murals and society portraits, and designed theatrical costumes. He was killed in action in Normandy in World War II. Whistler was the brother of poet and ...

and his brother the glass engraver Sir

Laurence Whistler Sir Alan Charles Laurence Whistler (21 January 1912 – 19 December 2000) was a British glass engraver and poet. He was both the first President of the British Guild of Glass Engravers and the first recipient of the Queen's Gold Medal for Po ...

. Whistler was educated at Merchant Taylors School, London and Emmanuel College, Cambridge, before studying medicine at St Thomas's Hospital, London, and becoming a member of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ...

and a licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries. After practising as a surgeon (like his maternal grandfather James Watts, MRCS, of Battle, Sussex), he was ordained deacon in 1884 and priest in 1885. He then served successively as curate of

Woolton Woolton (; ) is an affluent suburb of Liverpool, England. It is located southeast of the city and is bordered by Allerton, Gateacre, Halewood, and Hunt's Cross. At the 2011 Census, the population was 12,921. Overview Originally a standalone ...

, Liverpool (1884–1885), Chaplain of the Fishermen's Chapel,

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

(1885–1888), Vicar of All Saints' Church, Theddlethorpe, Lincolnshire (1888–1894), Rector of

Elton Elton may refer to: Places England * Elton, Cambridgeshire (formerly Huntingdonshire), a village ** Elton Hall, a baronial hall * Elton, Cheshire, a village and civil parish * Elton, County Durham, a village and civil parish * Elton, Derbyshire ...

, Huntingdonshire (1894–1895), Vicar of

Stockland Bristol Stockland Bristol (formerly Stockland Gaunts) is a village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, between Bridgwater and the Steart Peninsula. History It was recorded in the Domesday book as Stocheland meaning 'A stockade wi ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

(1895–1909), and finally Rector of

Cheselbourne Cheselbourne (sometimes spelled Chesilborne or Cheselborne) is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated in the Dorset Downs, north-east of Dorchester. The parish is at an altitude of 75 to 245 metres (approximately 250 to 800 fe ...

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. Covering an area of , ...

(1909–1913). Whistler was married on 3 March 1886 to Georgiana Rosalie Shapter Strange, daughter of William James Stevenson Strange, a master wool-dyer by then retired. His brother Alfred James Whistler married Georgiana's sister Mary Maud Strange. The two women's brother, W. R. P. Strange, had been Vicar of Stockland before Whistler. Whistler's interest in the history of England before the Norman Conquest appears in his prolific work as a historical novelist. His works were popular in their day, but the archaism of language he adopted makes them less accessible to modern readers.

Works

*''A Thane of Wessex'' (1896) *''Wulfric the Weapon Thane'' (1897) *''King Olaf’s Kinsman'' (1898), a story of the Last Saxon Struggle against the

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

in the Days of Ironside and

Cnut Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway ...

(set c. 1000 CE) *''King Alfred's Viking'' (1899), a story of the First English Fleet *'' Havelok the Dane'' (1900), a legend of Old

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of L ...

and

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

(set c. 580 CE) *''For King or Empress?'' (1903) *''A Prince of Cornwall'' (1904), a story of

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. Glastonbur ...

and the West in the Days of Ina of Wessex (set 690-710 CE) *''A King’s Comrade'' (1905), a story of Old

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester, England, Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. ...

(set c. 790 CE) *''Gerald the Sheriff'' (1906) *''A Sea Queen Sailing'' (1906, set c. 935 CE) *''A Prince Errant'' (1908) *''Early Wars of Wessex'' (1913) *''Dragon Osmund'' (1914) *''A Son of Odin'' (1914)

Summaries

*''Havelok'' plays around 580–600 CE in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, one or two generations after mythical

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as ...

(and his people's struggle with the Saxons) and shows early relations between the Danes and Saxons (now well-established in England with their own kingdoms) and the already Christianized

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

in England. It also introduces dislike between the Danes/

Jutes The Jutes (), Iuti, or Iutæ ( da, Jyder, non, Jótar, ang, Ēotas) were one of the Germanic tribes who settled in Great Britain after the departure of the Romans. According to Bede, they were one of the three most powerful Germanic nation ...

(cousins of the Saxons) and the Norse. It is based one of the most popular pre-

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personific ...

sagas of the British Isles, which shares traits with the classic Nordic sagas. *''Prince of Cornwall'' takes place about a hundred years or four generations later – c. 690–710 CE – and deals much with the relations between Welsh and Saxons, and some resident Danes in the country. *''King's Comrade'' is again three generations later, c. 790 CE. It is mainly focused on inter-Saxon conflict ( King Ethelbert, King Offa), and problems with the Welsh, who still would like to get their lost estates back. Introduces Norse campaigns on the Frankish coast, founding the Norse state of Normandy. *''Wulfric the Weapon Thane'' shows how the Danes invade the English realm and found kingdoms, turning from fun-loving plunderers to competitive conquerors. *''

Thane Thane (; also known as Thana, the official name until 1996) is a metropolitan city in Maharashtra, India. It is situated in the north-eastern portion of the Salsette Island. Thane city is entirely within Thane taluka, one of the seven taluk ...

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 ...

'' takes place shortly before King Alfred's rule. The hero is robbed of land and title through bitter intrigues, and banned from the realm. But as he tries to leave the kingdom, he is followed by pursuers who are after his life. Soon Whistler has one or two tasty conflicts of interest, and we have a man in a mess – how to do the right thing if you have no rights or honour in the eyes of your former peers? *''

King Alfred Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who ...

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 ...

'' tells more of the battles between the English (united at last) and the Danes. It tells of the first

navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

of England, built by Alfred with help from Norse friends. *c. 935 CE: ''A Sea Queen's Sailing'' (1906) *c. 1000 CE: ''King Olaf's Kinsman'' (1896) – A Story of the Last Saxon Struggle against the

in the Days of Ironside and

Sources

*''Alumni Cantabrigenses'' (Venn) Part II vol 6 p 428 (1954)

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Whistler, Charles Watts 1856 births 1913 deaths People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood English writers People from Ashburnham, East Sussex