E. G. Swain
Encyclopedia
Edmund Gill Swain was an English cleric and author. As a chaplain of King's College, Cambridge
, he was a colleague and contemporary of the scholar and author M. R. James
, and a regular member of the select group to whom James delivered his famous annual Christmas Eve reading of a ghost story composed specially for the occasion. Swain collaborated with James on topical skits for amateur performance in Cambridge, but he is best known for the collection of ghost stories he published in 1912, entitled The Stoneground Ghost Tales. He also wrote a history of Peterborough Cathedral
.
, Cheshire
, and educated at Manchester Grammar School
and Emmanuel College, Cambridge
, where he read Natural Sciences. He was ordained deacon in 1885 and priest in 1886 at Rochester. After six years as a curate
in Camberwell
, he was appointed chaplain
of King's College, where M. R. James was already the Dean and a renowned scholar. Swain, like James, lived in rooms in the college during his time there, and his duties included teaching younger boys at the college's choir school.
A number of James' circle went on to publish ghost stories in the Jamesian style, notably E. F. Benson and his brother A. C. Benson
, and R. H. Malden, whose first such story was written in 1909. Swain himself lived and worked in Cambridge until 1905, when he accepted the living
of Stanground
, near Peterborough, which was in the gift of his old college, Emmanuel. As "Stoneground", the parish and Swain's own church of St. John the Baptist became the setting for his volume of ghostly stories published in 1912. He and Malden have been described as the first two important followers of James. Swain was vicar of Stanground from 1905 to 1916, followed by a seven-year ministry in the rural parish of Greenford, Middlesex
, and ended his church career at Peterborough Cathedral
, where he served in a variety of roles including Honorary Canon, Librarian and Precentor. He died in Peterborough on 29 January 1938. A door in Peterborough Cathedral and awards to cathedral choristers are named in his honour.
. The protagonist, the Rector of Stoneground, the Reverend Roland Batchel, is a kindly, humane bachelor and amateur antiquarian
, not unlike Swain himself. The stories' style emulates that of James, although they have been described as lacking "the unsettling, anarchic malevolence" of James' own supernatural stories, and the book itself was dedicated to James. Some of the stories have made regular appearances in anthologies since their first publication, but the whole collection was republished in 1989 as Bone to His Bone: The Stoneground Ghost Tales of E.G.Swain by Equation, with an additional six stories about Stoneground and Mr. Batchel by the author David G. Rowlands, and again in 1996 by Ash-Tree Press.
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
, he was a colleague and contemporary of the scholar and author M. R. James
M. R. James
Montague Rhodes James, OM, MA, , who used the publication name M. R. James, was an English mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge and of Eton College . He is best remembered for his ghost stories, which are regarded as among the best in the genre...
, and a regular member of the select group to whom James delivered his famous annual Christmas Eve reading of a ghost story composed specially for the occasion. Swain collaborated with James on topical skits for amateur performance in Cambridge, but he is best known for the collection of ghost stories he published in 1912, entitled The Stoneground Ghost Tales. He also wrote a history of Peterborough Cathedral
Peterborough Cathedral
Peterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, whose statues look down from the...
.
Biography
Swain was born in StockportStockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, and educated at Manchester Grammar School
Manchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...
and Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
, where he read Natural Sciences. He was ordained deacon in 1885 and priest in 1886 at Rochester. After six years as a curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
in Camberwell
Camberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
, he was appointed chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of King's College, where M. R. James was already the Dean and a renowned scholar. Swain, like James, lived in rooms in the college during his time there, and his duties included teaching younger boys at the college's choir school.
A number of James' circle went on to publish ghost stories in the Jamesian style, notably E. F. Benson and his brother A. C. Benson
A. C. Benson
Arthur Christopher Benson was an English essayist, poet, and author and the 28th Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge....
, and R. H. Malden, whose first such story was written in 1909. Swain himself lived and worked in Cambridge until 1905, when he accepted the living
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
of Stanground
Stanground
Stanground is a residential area of the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. For electoral purposes it comprises Stanground Central and Stanground East wards in North West Cambridgeshire constituency...
, near Peterborough, which was in the gift of his old college, Emmanuel. As "Stoneground", the parish and Swain's own church of St. John the Baptist became the setting for his volume of ghostly stories published in 1912. He and Malden have been described as the first two important followers of James. Swain was vicar of Stanground from 1905 to 1916, followed by a seven-year ministry in the rural parish of Greenford, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, and ended his church career at Peterborough Cathedral
Peterborough Cathedral
Peterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, whose statues look down from the...
, where he served in a variety of roles including Honorary Canon, Librarian and Precentor. He died in Peterborough on 29 January 1938. A door in Peterborough Cathedral and awards to cathedral choristers are named in his honour.
The Stoneground Ghost Tales
The Stoneground Ghost Tales (W. Heffer & Sons Ltd, Cambridge, 1912) is a collection of nine short stories set in and around a church and parish on the edge of England's fen countryThe Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
. The protagonist, the Rector of Stoneground, the Reverend Roland Batchel, is a kindly, humane bachelor and amateur antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
, not unlike Swain himself. The stories' style emulates that of James, although they have been described as lacking "the unsettling, anarchic malevolence" of James' own supernatural stories, and the book itself was dedicated to James. Some of the stories have made regular appearances in anthologies since their first publication, but the whole collection was republished in 1989 as Bone to His Bone: The Stoneground Ghost Tales of E.G.Swain by Equation, with an additional six stories about Stoneground and Mr. Batchel by the author David G. Rowlands, and again in 1996 by Ash-Tree Press.