Wordquest - publications by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sabine Baring-Gould and Henry Williamson
A display of various publications by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sabine Baring-Gould and Henry Williamson
Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924)
Baring-Gould was born at Dix’s Field in Exeter. His family home was at Lew Trenchard, near Okehampton in West Devon. Baring-Gould was a clergyman, author, composer and collector of folksongs. He collected and made famous the song “Widecombe Fair”, and wrote the hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers”. He was a prolific author, whose works included folk songs and local stories and legends from Dartmoor and the surrounding areas. He deposited the music and lyrics he collected in the Free Municipal Library, Plymouth.
Baring-Gould was a founding member of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, and a president of the Devonshire Association. He is buried in the churchyard at Lew Trenchard.
Henry Williamson (1895–1977)
Williamson first moved to Devon in 1921, after an earlier holiday there. He made his home in Georgeham, North Devon. Williamson was a prolific author and writer of articles. “A Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight” alone comprised of fifteen volumes.
Much of his work was based on his personal experiences of life and the countryside. “Tarka the Otter” is Williamson’s best selling novel. It demonstrates Williamson’s knowledge and love of the countryside, in his depiction of the otter’s journey along the Taw and Torridge rivers, featuring many recognisable locations. Williamson used the money “Tarka” earned from winning the Hawthornden prize, to build a hut to write in above Georgeham. After moving to Filleigh, near South Molton, he published “Salar the Salmon” which is similar in style to “Tarka”, being the tale of a salmon’s journey down a river from Exmoor. “Life in a Devon Village” and “Tales of a Devon Village” are Williamson’s accounts of his time in Devon. Williamson is buried in St George’s church, Georgeham.
Source: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930)
Doyle was the creator of one of fiction’s most popular and enduring characters, Sherlock Holmes. His work has prompted many versions and spinoffs in various forms, from films to musicals. The multitude of fanclubs and societies around the world is testament to his character’s continuing appeal.
Doyle’s main career was as a medical practitioner, and he only began writing as a way to fill in the time. Early in his career, Doyle moved to Durnford Street, Plymouth, to set up a medical practice partnership which later failed. Whilst living in Plymouth, he’s believed to have visited Dartmoor with a local friend, and learnt about the legend of Hound Tor near Buckfastleigh. “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is believed to have derived from this visit. The Fox Tor marsh is thought to be the “Grimpen Mire” of the novel, and Doyle is reputed to have seen the name Baskerville on a cart in Princetown.
Source: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Wordquest - publications by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sabine Baring-Gould and Henry Williamson
A display of various publications by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sabine Baring-Gould and Henry Williamson
Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924)
Baring-Gould was born at Dix’s Field in Exeter. His family home was at Lew Trenchard, near Okehampton in West Devon. Baring-Gould was a clergyman, author, composer and collector of folksongs. He collected and made famous the song “Widecombe Fair”, and wrote the hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers”. He was a prolific author, whose works included folk songs and local stories and legends from Dartmoor and the surrounding areas. He deposited the music and lyrics he collected in the Free Municipal Library, Plymouth.
Baring-Gould was a founding member of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, and a president of the Devonshire Association. He is buried in the churchyard at Lew Trenchard.
Henry Williamson (1895–1977)
Williamson first moved to Devon in 1921, after an earlier holiday there. He made his home in Georgeham, North Devon. Williamson was a prolific author and writer of articles. “A Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight” alone comprised of fifteen volumes.
Much of his work was based on his personal experiences of life and the countryside. “Tarka the Otter” is Williamson’s best selling novel. It demonstrates Williamson’s knowledge and love of the countryside, in his depiction of the otter’s journey along the Taw and Torridge rivers, featuring many recognisable locations. Williamson used the money “Tarka” earned from winning the Hawthornden prize, to build a hut to write in above Georgeham. After moving to Filleigh, near South Molton, he published “Salar the Salmon” which is similar in style to “Tarka”, being the tale of a salmon’s journey down a river from Exmoor. “Life in a Devon Village” and “Tales of a Devon Village” are Williamson’s accounts of his time in Devon. Williamson is buried in St George’s church, Georgeham.
Source: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930)
Doyle was the creator of one of fiction’s most popular and enduring characters, Sherlock Holmes. His work has prompted many versions and spinoffs in various forms, from films to musicals. The multitude of fanclubs and societies around the world is testament to his character’s continuing appeal.
Doyle’s main career was as a medical practitioner, and he only began writing as a way to fill in the time. Early in his career, Doyle moved to Durnford Street, Plymouth, to set up a medical practice partnership which later failed. Whilst living in Plymouth, he’s believed to have visited Dartmoor with a local friend, and learnt about the legend of Hound Tor near Buckfastleigh. “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is believed to have derived from this visit. The Fox Tor marsh is thought to be the “Grimpen Mire” of the novel, and Doyle is reputed to have seen the name Baskerville on a cart in Princetown.
Source: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography