A Publication of
THE JOHN MEADE FALKNER SOCIETY
Founded 8th May 1999
NEWSLETTER No. 1
22nd. of July, 1999. The Feast of St. Mary Magdalene
John Meade Falkner died sixty-seven years ago today. He had been physically declining for
some years. 'Bronchitic colds', 'an abcess on his head', 'bothered with boils', the previous
August he had written to his friend, Canon Wordsworth, "Physically, I am old, and very weak;
but I am given grace to hold the faith ever more surely..." Over Christmas, as Kenneth Warren
remarks, he 'passed from the state of chronic invalid to that of grave illness'. In late June 1932,
Falkner went home to Durham from Weymouth. Bishop Henson, was painfully impressed when
he visited Divinity House on 30 June: "He is a complete wreck and has a moribund manner."
The business world, Burford and Oxford and, by and large, the literary world paid little
attention to his death.
Thanks to his friends - Arthur Cochrane, Charles Lynam, Canon Wordsworth and others; to
later appreciations in print - V. S. Pritchett in his 1946 'The Living Novel', Geoffrey Grigson in
1948, G.M. Young and Sir Edmund Craster in the 1954 Oxford World's Classics volume, and
William Haley in his 1977 review of A Midsummer Night's Marriage; to Kenneth Warren's
thoughtful biography of 1994; to shorter analytical essays by Edward Wilson, Christopher
Hawtree and Peter Davey; but, above all, to Falkner's own superb gift for story-telling:
attention has been paid ever since to his life and works, his novel Moonfleet
has never been out
of print and there is presently a critical respect for his other writings.
Kenneth Warren sub-titled his biography of Falkner A Paradoxical Life and ended his appraisal
with these words:
"He was a man of fascinating complexity who managed to keep
incompatibles in insulated compartments. To some extent his
experience was the epitome of that of his age. He was a
classicist, a churchman, a medievalist, but, in that respect
at least, John Meade Falkner was a thoroughly modern man".
He is, indeed, worthy of further assessment and of his own Society!
Enclosed with this Newsletter is an article by Christopher Hawtree on, perhaps, a lesser known
area of JMF's activities - sport. For a man well over six feet, JMF could be imagined as a fast
bowler, a server of aces or a member of a USA basketball team. Christopher draws attention to
his passion - however short-lived - for golf and his prowess at rowing. It is hoped that other
members will feel the call to produce short articles - on any aspect of JMF's life, works and
times - so that we can produce an annual Journal or Bulletin, commencing in May 2000 (to
coincide with his, and the Society's, birthdate). I look forward to hearing from you!
Also enclosed is a list of my JMF holdings, which was originally spurred on by Graham
Pollard's 1960 bibliography. If anyone knows of additional material, apart from the many
editions of Moonfleet, please let me know, so I can keep a comprehensive and updated
bibliography at all times.
A few years ago, I was contacted by a bookdealer friend, who had a copy of Henry James
Poole's 'The Antiphonal Chant Book' (1898) bound in with other offerings of the same ilk.
There was also a letter, pasted on the front end-paper and dated November 29, 1911 from 'The
Divinity House, Durham'. JMF's well known calligraphy ensured my purchase of the book!
Dear Sir, (to C.W. Pearce, Esq.)
I am writing to ask if you will give me permission to print, in a collection of chants, a chant of
yours. It is a chant that I admire exceedingly, and I should be very grateful indeed, if you
would let me use it.
The collection is for the Psalter only, with no Venites. I have practically eliminated Single
chants, and there are very few minors. If you allow it I propose using your chant for "By the
waters of Babylon" I have tried to only use chants with real melody and power, not musical
exercises in invertebrate compositions. I am quite sure that among the great number of
"chant-books" there is still ample room for something of this kind. I am publishing with
Messrs. Novello - but at my own cost, and not for profit. The book will be well 'got up'. I will
send you a copy; or as many copies, as you care to have. If you permit me to print, I will print
with the chant that it is printed by your permission, as I have arranged to do so with all
copyright and private chants..
Yours very faithfully
J Meade Falkner
Perhaps I ought to say that I am a business man, and a director of Sir W. G. Armstrong
Whitworth & Co.
A 'Paradoxical Life'?! I do not suppose anyone knows of the whereabouts of a copy of JMF's
subsequent collection? The copyright manager of Novello (in 1995) could not trace it, but was
willing to grant permission for its reproduction, if it could be found.
Members List so far: (in order of joining)
Kenneth Hillier (Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire)
Christopher Hawtree (Hove, Sussex)
Edward Wilson (Worcester College, Oxford)
Victor Brown (Louth, Lincolnshire)
Alan Bell (London)
Peter Davey (Wimbome, Dorset)
John Noble (Ardkinglas, Argyll)
Kenneth Warren (Hexham, Northumberland)
Roger Norris (Crossgate Peth, Durham)
Nicholas Aldridge (Summer Fields, Oxford)
Hamish Guthrie (Oakville, Ontario, Canada)
If each of us tries to get at least one more member, we will be in to the twenties before we
know it! Any ideas for publicity? The internet; leaflets in Burford church/museum, Durham
cathedral, Fleet old church? As I understand it, from several of you in correspondence, you
want a group which concentrates on the study of JMF and brings to the attention of as many
people as possible this remarkable man and his works. Spread the word!
Kenneth Hillier
Return to the JMF Main Page