Arthur Bryant
Encyclopedia
Sir Arthur Wynne Morgan Bryant, CH
, CBE
(18 February 1899 - 22 January 1985), was a British historian and a columnist for the Illustrated London News
. His books included studies of Samuel Pepys
, accounts of English eighteenth- and nineteenth-century history, and a life of George V
. Although his reputation has declined somewhat since his death, he continues to be read and to be the subject of detailed historical studies.
Bryant's historiography was based on an English romantic exceptionalism drawn from his nostalgia for an idealized agrarian past. He hated modern commercial and financial capitalism, he emphasized duty over rights, and he equated democracy with the consent of "fools" and "knaves".
, and wife May. His father would later hold a number of offices in the royal secretariat, eventually becoming registrar of the Royal Victorian Order
. Arthur grew up in a house bordering the Buckingham Palace
gardens near the Royal Mews
. There he developed a feel for the trappings of traditional British protocol and a strong attachment to the history of England.
He attended school at Pelham House, Sandgate, and Harrow School
. He expected to join the British Army
, but in 1916 won a scholarship to Pembroke College, Cambridge
. Despite that, he joined the Royal Flying Corps
in 1917 as a pilot officer. While there, he served in the first squadron to bombs the cities of the Rhineland
in World War I
. He was also for a time the only British subject formally attached to an American pilot unit, a unit which had been sent overseas for training.
In 1919 he studied modern history at Queen's College, Oxford, obtaining distinction in the honours courses offered to ex-servicemen in 1920.
, where he developed a strong sense of social justice
and became convinced that education would be an effective way of uniting the people. This conviction led him to become a historian. Tall, dark, and attractive, he was popular at the debutante balls he regularly attended, where he often persuaded his dancing partners to help him teach some of the less fortunate children at a children's library he had established in Charles Dickens
's old house in Somers Town, London
.
He became a barrister
at the Inner Temple
in 1923, but left later that year to take the headmaster position of the Cambridge School of Arts, Crafts, and Technology, becoming the youngest headmaster in England. He proved remarkably successful in enrolling students, growing from three hundred to two thousand students in his three years there. The following year he married Sylvia Mary Shakerley, daughter of Walter Geoffrey Shakerley, the third Baronet Shakerley
, and the following year became a lecturer in history for the Oxford University delegacy for extramural studies, a position he retained until 1936. His marriage was dissolved in 1930. He also served as an advisor at the Bonar Law College at Ashridge
. In 1929, he published his first book, The Spirit of Conservatism, with his former students in mind.
. Yale University
Professor Frank W. Notestein
suggested that he begin the work in medias res
with Charles's escape following the Battle of Worcester
, incorporating details of his earlier life into the narrative thereafter. This dramatic opening led the Book Society chose it as their October, 1931, selection, and it became a bestseller. Bryant's success with this volume encouraged him and he remained in that field. The book has been described as being both readable and a solid scholarship. He also regularly began producing pageants
. These included the Cambridge, Oxford, and Hyde Park
pageants, and the Naval Night Pageant in Greenwich, which was attended by the King, Queen, Prince of Wales, British Cabinet, and members of the World Economic Conference. For the quality of his work in this field, he was acclaimed "the English Reinhardt
".
He helped found the National Book Association, and its subsidiary, the Right Book Club, as an alternative to the Left Book Club
. The new organization was not outstandingly successful, however, although it did publish several of his following books.
In January 1939 the National Book Club published a new English edition of Mein Kampf
, for which Bryant wrote a foreword praising Hitler and comparing him to Benjamin Disraeli.
His next book was a three volume biography of Samuel Pepys
, completed in 1938 and regarded as "one of the great historical biographies in the language" by John Kenyon
.
He also was a frequent contributor to London papers and magazines, and scripted radio broadcasts relating to his historical interests, as well as radio plays for the BBC
. He published a collection of scripts in his book The National Character.
Later in the war Bryant traveled widely, visiting Spain
, Portugal
, Germany
, Italy
, and the West Indies, and he was in France
at the outbreak of World War II
. He married again, in 1941, to Anne Elaine Brooke, daughter of Bertram Willes Dayrell Brooke
, one of the White Rajahs
of Sarawak
. His books during this decade dealt less prominently with the 17th century, and included a collection of Neville Chamberlain
's speeches.
His works during this period were well-received for their style and readability, although they also tended to be less well-researched, which has caused them to be questioned by younger historians. Several of these works, including English Saga (1940), The Years of Endurance 1793-1802 (1942), and Years of Victory, 1802-1812, drew notable criticism, particularly for his preoccupation with comparing Napoleon and Hitler. The shortcomings of these works, possibly combined with their unusual popularity, helped ensure that he never received the highest academic honors.
's diaries with additional commentary, The Turn of the Tide (1957) and The Triumph in the West (1959). These books created substantial controversy, given their criticism of Winston Churchill
, who was then at the height of his popularity. They are still considered essential reading for understanding the British military during the war.
, and a third volume.
He retained a large readership and was guest-of-honour at the Conservative Monday Club
's 1966 annual dinner. He spoke on "The Preservation of our National Character". The dinner, at the Savoy Hotel
, was sold out.
During the 1960s Bryant was knighted and made a Companion of Honour. J. H. Plumb wrote, "both of his public honours, his Knighthood and his C.H., were given to him by Harold Wilson
, whose favourite historian he had long been."
His second marriage dissolved in 1976. He is buried in Salisbury Cathedral
.
. Also, in collaboration with W. P. Lipscomb, he wrote a play dramatizing Pepys' life which ran for one hundred and fifty performances in London. He was a frequent lecturer, speaking at many of the leading cities and schools in Great Britain, as well as in the United States and fourteen European countries. His public speeches included the 1935 Alfred Watson
lectures sponsored by the Sulgrave Manor Trust. These lectures, on American history, literature, and biography, were later collected into the book The American Ideal.
In 1936, Bryant took over G. K. Chesterton
's "Our Note Book" column for the Illustrated London News
. (Bryant paid tribute to Chesterton in his introduction to Chesterton's posthumously-published essay collection The Glass Walking-Stick.) He continued writing this column until his death, which occurred almost half a century after Chesterton's. Overall, Bryant produced about 2.7 million words for that magazine.
gives this account of how G. M. Trevelyan
passed Tanner's notes to Bryant:
Roberts also claimed that Bryant remained in close contact with the Nazis after the outbreak of World War II and that although these ties were discovered by the British government, Bryant was not prosecuted. Roberts claims that Bryant's production of patriotic books at this time was effectively a smokescreen.
, one of Bryant's detractors, wrote:
Plumb's verdict is that Bryant killed off 'patrician history':
Plumb cites Trevelyan's possible heirs as Wedgwood and A. L. Rowse
.
Another detractor is the British historian Andrew Roberts, who gave this, his personal verdict:
Roberts's polemical essay, prompted by the opening of archive material on Bryant, has been followed by a full academic study by Julia Stapleton. Bryant's first biographer was Pamela Street, a neighbour in Salisbury
and historical collaborator, and daughter of the farmer-author A. G. Street
.
Order of the Companions of Honour
The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V in June 1917, as a reward for outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, music, science, politics, industry or religion....
, CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(18 February 1899 - 22 January 1985), was a British historian and a columnist for the Illustrated London News
Illustrated London News
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper; the first issue appeared on Saturday 14 May 1842. It was published weekly until 1971 and then increasingly less frequently until publication ceased in 2003.-History:...
. His books included studies of Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
, accounts of English eighteenth- and nineteenth-century history, and a life of George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
. Although his reputation has declined somewhat since his death, he continues to be read and to be the subject of detailed historical studies.
Bryant's historiography was based on an English romantic exceptionalism drawn from his nostalgia for an idealized agrarian past. He hated modern commercial and financial capitalism, he emphasized duty over rights, and he equated democracy with the consent of "fools" and "knaves".
Early life
Arthur Bryant was the son of Sir Francis Morgan Bryant, who was the chief clerk to the Prince of WalesPrince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
, and wife May. His father would later hold a number of offices in the royal secretariat, eventually becoming registrar of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
. Arthur grew up in a house bordering the Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
gardens near the Royal Mews
Royal Mews
A Royal Mews is a mews of the British Royal Family. In London the Royal Mews has occupied two main sites, formerly at Charing Cross, and since the 1820s at Buckingham Palace....
. There he developed a feel for the trappings of traditional British protocol and a strong attachment to the history of England.
He attended school at Pelham House, Sandgate, and Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
. He expected to join the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, but in 1916 won a scholarship to Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
. Despite that, he joined the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
in 1917 as a pilot officer. While there, he served in the first squadron to bombs the cities of the Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was also for a time the only British subject formally attached to an American pilot unit, a unit which had been sent overseas for training.
In 1919 he studied modern history at Queen's College, Oxford, obtaining distinction in the honours courses offered to ex-servicemen in 1920.
Early adult life
Bryant started work at a school operated by the London County CouncilLondon County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
, where he developed a strong sense of social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
and became convinced that education would be an effective way of uniting the people. This conviction led him to become a historian. Tall, dark, and attractive, he was popular at the debutante balls he regularly attended, where he often persuaded his dancing partners to help him teach some of the less fortunate children at a children's library he had established in Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
's old house in Somers Town, London
Somers Town, London
Somers Town, was named for Charles Cocks, 1st Baron Somers. The area in St Pancras, London, was originally granted by William III to John Somers, Lord Chancellor and Baron Somers of Evesham. It was to be strongly influenced by the three mainline north London railway termini: Euston , St...
.
He became a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
at the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1923, but left later that year to take the headmaster position of the Cambridge School of Arts, Crafts, and Technology, becoming the youngest headmaster in England. He proved remarkably successful in enrolling students, growing from three hundred to two thousand students in his three years there. The following year he married Sylvia Mary Shakerley, daughter of Walter Geoffrey Shakerley, the third Baronet Shakerley
Shakerley Baronets
The Shakerley Baronetcy, of Somerford Park in the County of Chester, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 30 July 1838 for Charles Shakerley, High Sheriff of Cheshire in 1837.-Shakerley Baronets, of Somerford Park :...
, and the following year became a lecturer in history for the Oxford University delegacy for extramural studies, a position he retained until 1936. His marriage was dissolved in 1930. He also served as an advisor at the Bonar Law College at Ashridge
Ashridge Business School
Ashridge Business School is an independent, non-profit making organisation, near Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, England. Its activities include open and tailored executive education programmes, MBA, MSc and Diploma qualifications, organisation consulting, applied research and online learning....
. In 1929, he published his first book, The Spirit of Conservatism, with his former students in mind.
1930s
In 1929, after cataloging the Shakerley family library, he was asked by a friend in publishing to produce a new biography of Charles II of EnglandCharles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
. Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
Professor Frank W. Notestein
Frank W. Notestein
Frank Wallace Notestein was an American demographer who contributed significantly to the development of the science. He was the founding director of the Office of Population Research at Princeton University, and later president of the Population Council...
suggested that he begin the work in medias res
In medias res
In medias res or medias in res is a Latin phrase denoting the literary and artistic narrative technique wherein the relation of a story begins either at the mid-point or at the conclusion, rather than at the beginning In medias res or medias in res (into the middle of things) is a Latin phrase...
with Charles's escape following the Battle of Worcester
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...
, incorporating details of his earlier life into the narrative thereafter. This dramatic opening led the Book Society chose it as their October, 1931, selection, and it became a bestseller. Bryant's success with this volume encouraged him and he remained in that field. The book has been described as being both readable and a solid scholarship. He also regularly began producing pageants
Ceremony
A ceremony is an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin.-Ceremonial occasions:A ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a human life, marking the significance of, for example:* birth...
. These included the Cambridge, Oxford, and Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
pageants, and the Naval Night Pageant in Greenwich, which was attended by the King, Queen, Prince of Wales, British Cabinet, and members of the World Economic Conference. For the quality of his work in this field, he was acclaimed "the English Reinhardt
Max Reinhardt
----Max Reinhardt was an Austrian theater and film director and actor.-Biography:...
".
He helped found the National Book Association, and its subsidiary, the Right Book Club, as an alternative to the Left Book Club
Left Book Club
The Left Book Club, founded in 1936, was a key left-wing institution of the late 1930s and 1940s in the United Kingdom set up by Stafford Cripps, Victor Gollancz and John Strachey to revitalise and educate the British Left. The Club's aim was to "help in the struggle For world peace and against...
. The new organization was not outstandingly successful, however, although it did publish several of his following books.
In January 1939 the National Book Club published a new English edition of Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf is a book written by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. It combines elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's political ideology. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was published in 1925 and Volume 2 in 1926...
, for which Bryant wrote a foreword praising Hitler and comparing him to Benjamin Disraeli.
His next book was a three volume biography of Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
, completed in 1938 and regarded as "one of the great historical biographies in the language" by John Kenyon
John Phillipps Kenyon
John Philipps Kenyon was an English historian. He was one of the foremost historians of 17th-century England, a prolific writer and reviewer, and a Fellow of the British Academy.-Life:...
.
He also was a frequent contributor to London papers and magazines, and scripted radio broadcasts relating to his historical interests, as well as radio plays for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. He published a collection of scripts in his book The National Character.
1940s
Bryant produced Unfinished Victory in January 1940; this book dealt with recent German history, and explained sympathetically how Germany had rebuilt herself after World War I. Bryant asserted that German Jews had benefited from the economic crises and controlled the national wealth, and although he criticised the destruction of Jewish shops and synagogues, he declared that the Third Reich might produce "a newer and happier Germany in the future". Initially most reviewers received the book positively, but after the 'phoney war' ended, Bryant realized his mistake and tried to buy up unsold copies.Later in the war Bryant traveled widely, visiting Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and the West Indies, and he was in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He married again, in 1941, to Anne Elaine Brooke, daughter of Bertram Willes Dayrell Brooke
Bertram Willes Dayrell Brooke
Captain Bertram Willes Dayrell Brooke, Tuan Muda of Sarawak was a member of the family of White Rajahs who ruled Sarawak for a hundred years. He was the son of Charles, the second of these rajahs, and brother to Vyner of Sarawak, the third and final ruler of that family...
, one of the White Rajahs
White Rajahs
White Rajahs refers to a dynasty that founded and ruled the Kingdom of Sarawak from 1841 to 1946, namely the Brookes, who came originally from England. A Rajah is a monarch in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.-Rulers:...
of Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
. His books during this decade dealt less prominently with the 17th century, and included a collection of Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
's speeches.
His works during this period were well-received for their style and readability, although they also tended to be less well-researched, which has caused them to be questioned by younger historians. Several of these works, including English Saga (1940), The Years of Endurance 1793-1802 (1942), and Years of Victory, 1802-1812, drew notable criticism, particularly for his preoccupation with comparing Napoleon and Hitler. The shortcomings of these works, possibly combined with their unusual popularity, helped ensure that he never received the highest academic honors.
1950s
His single major work in the decade was a two-volume collection of Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount AlanbrookeAlan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke
Field Marshal The Rt. Hon. Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, KG, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO & Bar , was a senior commander in the British Army. He was the Chief of the Imperial General Staff during the Second World War, and was promoted to Field Marshal in 1944...
's diaries with additional commentary, The Turn of the Tide (1957) and The Triumph in the West (1959). These books created substantial controversy, given their criticism of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, who was then at the height of his popularity. They are still considered essential reading for understanding the British military during the war.
Later years
The books he wrote during his later years included several volumes of broad English histories. They include Set in a Silver Sea (1984), Freedom's Own Island (1986, edited posthumously by John KenyonJohn Kenyon
John Kenyon may refer to:*John Robert Kenyon , British lawyer and academic*John Samuel Kenyon , American linguist*John Philipps Kenyon , English historian...
, and a third volume.
He retained a large readership and was guest-of-honour at the Conservative Monday Club
Conservative Monday Club
The Conservative Monday Club is a British pressure group "on the right-wing" of the Conservative Party.-Overview:...
's 1966 annual dinner. He spoke on "The Preservation of our National Character". The dinner, at the Savoy Hotel
Savoy Hotel
The Savoy Hotel is a hotel located on the Strand, in the City of Westminster in central London. Built by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas, the hotel opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by...
, was sold out.
During the 1960s Bryant was knighted and made a Companion of Honour. J. H. Plumb wrote, "both of his public honours, his Knighthood and his C.H., were given to him by Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
, whose favourite historian he had long been."
His second marriage dissolved in 1976. He is buried in Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....
.
Legacy
Bryant's total output was remarkable. He wrote over forty books overall, which collectively sold over two million copies. Most were published by William Collins, Sons and Co. LtdHarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
. Also, in collaboration with W. P. Lipscomb, he wrote a play dramatizing Pepys' life which ran for one hundred and fifty performances in London. He was a frequent lecturer, speaking at many of the leading cities and schools in Great Britain, as well as in the United States and fourteen European countries. His public speeches included the 1935 Alfred Watson
Alfred Watson
Alfred "Alf" Watson is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1930s who at representative level has played for England, and at club level for Leeds.-International honours:Alf Watson won a cap for England while at Leeds in 1938 against....
lectures sponsored by the Sulgrave Manor Trust. These lectures, on American history, literature, and biography, were later collected into the book The American Ideal.
In 1936, Bryant took over G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, KC*SG was an English writer. His prolific and diverse output included philosophy, ontology, poetry, plays, journalism, public lectures and debates, literary and art criticism, biography, Christian apologetics, and fiction, including fantasy and detective fiction....
's "Our Note Book" column for the Illustrated London News
Illustrated London News
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper; the first issue appeared on Saturday 14 May 1842. It was published weekly until 1971 and then increasingly less frequently until publication ceased in 2003.-History:...
. (Bryant paid tribute to Chesterton in his introduction to Chesterton's posthumously-published essay collection The Glass Walking-Stick.) He continued writing this column until his death, which occurred almost half a century after Chesterton's. Overall, Bryant produced about 2.7 million words for that magazine.
Controversy
Andrew Roberts claims that Bryant's work on Samuel Pepys gave insufficient credit to the scholarly work of Joseph Robson Tanner (1860–1931). J. H. PlumbJ. H. Plumb
Sir John Harold Plumb, FBA , known as Jack, was a British historian, known for his books on British 18th century history. He wrote over thirty books.-Biography:...
gives this account of how G. M. Trevelyan
G. M. Trevelyan
George Macaulay Trevelyan, OM, CBE, FRS, FBA , was a British historian. Trevelyan was the third son of Sir George Otto Trevelyan, 2nd Baronet, and great-nephew of Thomas Babington Macaulay, whose staunch liberal Whig principles he espoused in accessible works of literate narrative avoiding a...
passed Tanner's notes to Bryant:
- ... he found Bryant's book [on Charles II] convincing and, equally exciting for Trevelyan, beautifully written. [...] Trevelyan thought Arthur Bryant ideal for the job (he quickly accepted the task) and the notes were handed over. The notes reached 1689 and so did Bryant's biography; the last decade of Pepys's life went unrecorded.
Roberts also claimed that Bryant remained in close contact with the Nazis after the outbreak of World War II and that although these ties were discovered by the British government, Bryant was not prosecuted. Roberts claims that Bryant's production of patriotic books at this time was effectively a smokescreen.
Critical reception
J. H. PlumbJ. H. Plumb
Sir John Harold Plumb, FBA , known as Jack, was a British historian, known for his books on British 18th century history. He wrote over thirty books.-Biography:...
, one of Bryant's detractors, wrote:
- What Bryant longed for, his one abiding disappointment of life, was professional recognition. He would have given anything for an Hon. D. Litt at Cambridge, perhaps more for a Fellowship of the British AcademyBritish AcademyThe British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
. He never had the slightest chance of either. [...] Bryant of course had gifts. He wrote far better than nearly all professional historians. [...] He over-wrote certainly, and there was often a note of falsity, even of vulgarity, but largely his failure was of intellect.
Plumb's verdict is that Bryant killed off 'patrician history':
- Like Churchill, but unlike Trevelyan, Bryant inflated patrician history so much that he destroyed it. Indeed he vulgarised it to a degree that made it incredible.
Plumb cites Trevelyan's possible heirs as Wedgwood and A. L. Rowse
A. L. Rowse
Alfred Leslie Rowse, CH, FBA , known professionally as A. L. Rowse and to friends and family as Leslie, was a British historian from Cornwall. He is perhaps best known for his work on Elizabethan England and his poetry about Cornwall. He was also a Shakespearean scholar and biographer...
.
Another detractor is the British historian Andrew Roberts, who gave this, his personal verdict:
- Bryant was in fact a Nazi sympathiser and fascist fellow-traveller, who only narrowly escaped internment as a potential traitor in 1940. He was also, incidentally, a supreme toady, fraudulent scholar and humbug.
Roberts's polemical essay, prompted by the opening of archive material on Bryant, has been followed by a full academic study by Julia Stapleton. Bryant's first biographer was Pamela Street, a neighbour in Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
and historical collaborator, and daughter of the farmer-author A. G. Street
A. G. Street
Arthur George Street , who wrote under the name of A. G. Street, was an English farmer, writer and broadcaster. His books were published by the literary publishing house of Faber and Faber...
.
Works
- Robert Buxton. A Memoir (Privately printed, Cambridge 1925)
- The Spirit of Conservatism (1929)
- King Charles the Second (1931)
- Macaulay (1932)
- Life of Samuel Pepys in three volumes: The Man in the Making, The Years of Peril, The Saviour of the Navy (1933)
- The Man and the Hour (1934)
- The Letters Speeches and Declarations of King Charles II (1935), editor
- The England of Charles II (1935), later Restoration England
- Postman's Horn, An Anthology of the Letters of Latter Seventeenth Century England (1936), editor
- The American Ideal (1936)
- George V (1936)
- Stanley Baldwin: A Tribute (1937)
- Unfinished Victory (1940)
- English Saga 1840–1940 (1940)
- The Years of Endurance 1793–1802 (1942)
- Dunkirk (A memorial) (1943), pamphlet
- Years of Victory 1802–1812 (1944)
- The Battle of Britain. The Few (1944), with Edward ShanksEdward ShanksEdward Richard Buxton Shanks was an English writer, known as a war poet of World War I, then as an academic and journalist, and literary critic and biographer. He also wrote some science fiction....
- Historian's Holiday (1946), Dropmore Press
- Trafalgar and Alamein (1948), with Edward ShanksEdward ShanksEdward Richard Buxton Shanks was an English writer, known as a war poet of World War I, then as an academic and journalist, and literary critic and biographer. He also wrote some science fiction....
and Field Marshal The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein - The Summer of Dunkirk and The Great Miracle (1948), with Edward ShanksEdward ShanksEdward Richard Buxton Shanks was an English writer, known as a war poet of World War I, then as an academic and journalist, and literary critic and biographer. He also wrote some science fiction....
- The Age of Elegance 1812–1822 (1950)
- The Story of England: Makers of the Realm (1953)
- The Turn of the Tide 1939–1943 (1957), Alanbrooke diaries
- Triumph In The West 1943–1946 (1959), Alanbrooke diaries
- Liquid History (1960), fifty years of the Port of London AuthorityPort of London AuthorityThe Port of London Authority is a self-funding public trust established in 1908 by the Port of London Act to govern the Port of London. Its responsibility extends over the Tideway of the River Thames and the authority is responsible for the public right of navigation and for conservancy of the...
- Jimmy, the Dog of My Life (1960)
- The Age of Chivalry (1963)
- The Medieval Foundation of England (1965)
- The Fire and the Rose: Dramatic Moments in British History (1966)
- The Lion and the Unicorn: Historian's Testament (1969)
- The Great Duke: A biography of the Duke of Wellington (1971) ISBN 0-00-211936-6
- Jackets of Green. A Study of the History, Philosophy and Character of the Rifle Brigade (1972)
- A Thousand Years of British Monarchy (1973)
- Leeds Castle — a Brief History (1980), Leeds CastleLeeds CastleLeeds Castle, southeast of Maidstone, Kent, England, dates back to 1119, though a Saxon fort stood on the same site from the 9th century. The castle is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of the village of Leeds....
Foundation. - Set in a Silver Sea: A History of Britain and the British People, Vol 1
- Freedom's Own Island: A History of Britain and the British People, Vol 2
- The Elizabethan Deliverance, Collins, London, 1980, ISBN 0-00-216207-5
Further reading
- Maurice CowlingMaurice CowlingMaurice John Cowling was a British historian and a Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge.-Life:Cowling was born in Norwood, South London, to a lower middle-class family. His family then moved to Streatham, where Cowling attended an LCC elementary school, and from 1937 the Battersea Grammar School...
(1975) The Impact of Hitler - British Politics and Policy 1933 - 1940, Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, p. 403, ISBN 0-521-20582-4 - Reba N. Soffer. History, Historians, and Conservatism in Britain and America: From the Great War to Thatcher and Reagan (2009), chapter on Bryant
- Pamela Street (1979) Arthur Bryant: Portrait of a Historian
- Julia Stapleton (2005) Sir Arthur Bryant and National History in Twentieth-Century Britain