Maxwell Gray
Encyclopedia
Mary Gleed Tuttiett better known by the pen name
Maxwell Gray, was an English
novelist and poet
best known for her 1886 novel The Silence of Dean Maitland
.
, Isle of Wight
, the daughter of the surgeon Frank Bampfylde Tuttiett and his wife Elizabeth née
Gleed.
Largely self-educated, in early adulthood she visited London
, various other parts of England, and Yverdon-les-Bains
in Switzerland
; but for the majority of her working life as a writer suffered constant debilitating illness from asthma and rheumatism —reports described her as "a confirmed invalid"—that left her unable to leave her bed for more than two to three hours a day. She wrote lying on a sofa.
For much of her life she lived and worked confined to her home in Newport, first at Pyle Street (where works up to The Last Sentence were written ) then at Castle Road, only making occasional trips out by carriage or bath-chair. On one such trip she visited the American writer Wolcott Balestier
, whose sister married Rudyard Kipling
, when he and his family were staying at Blackgang
. Her 1893 novel The Last Sentence was dedicated to Balestier after his early death.
She was strongly interested in women's rights, being one of a number of writers who petitioned in support of the Women's Suffrage Bill
, and such themes appear in a number of her novels.
After her father's death in 1895 she moved to West Richmond, remaining in London until her death in 1925, aged 76, at Ealing
.
Her first novel, The Broken Tryst, was published in 1879 to lukewarm reviews, but Tuttiett achieved critical and popular success with the 1886 The Silence of Dean Maitland ("a powerful and impressive story, which was appreciated both by critics and by the public" ). This tells the story of a churchman who gets a young woman pregnant and kills her father in a fight, then allows the wrongful imprisonment of his friend for the manslaughter. On the eve of his accession to bishop, he is forced to face his guilt when that friend returns, released from prison on ticket of leave.
The reader for the publisher Kegan Paul
, Alfred Chenevix Trench, initially thought The Silence of Dean Maitland "a little too unorthodox" for his religious clientele, but on the second reading decided it was "too good to refuse". The release saw a deal of speculation about the authorship, including theories that it has been written by a well-known ecclesiastic or the daughter of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The poet Tennyson
praised the book, driving to Newport to meet Miss Tuttiett as her illness prevented her visiting him at his winter home near Freshwater
.
The Silence of Dean Maitland and a number of Mary Tuttiett's other novels are set in a fictionalised Isle of Wight, in which Newport, Calbourne
, Swainstone
, Brading
and Arreton
appear as "Oldport", "Malbourne", "Swaynestone", "Barling" and "Arden".
She also wrote a number of poetry anthologies.
In 1910, Arthur Mee
and J.A. Hammerton's The World's Greatest Books said of The Silence of Dean Maitland that it had immediately and permanently established her name in the front rank of living novelists. The obituary in The Times
described her works overall as "characterised by a delicate grace and charm, and generally suggested a serious purpose, but she can never be said to have equalled her first success".
The Silence of Dean Maitland became a successful stage play, and was filmed three times: in 1914 by Raymond Longford
, in 1915 (under the title Sealed Lips) by John Ince
, and in 1934 in Australia by Ken G. Hall
. The Reproach of Annesley was filmed in 1915, and The Last Sentence in 1917.
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Maxwell Gray, was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
novelist and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
best known for her 1886 novel The Silence of Dean Maitland
The Silence of Dean Maitland
-Synopsis:The plot concerns a clergyman, Cyril Maitland , living in a small seaside town, who impregnates the beautiful Alma Lee despite being engaged to another woman. When Alma's father Ben finds out about the pregnancy, he attacks Maitland and is killed in a fall...
.
Life
Tuttiett was born and brought up in NewportNewport, Isle of Wight
Newport is a civil parish and a county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census...
, Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, the daughter of the surgeon Frank Bampfylde Tuttiett and his wife Elizabeth née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Gleed.
Largely self-educated, in early adulthood she visited London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, various other parts of England, and Yverdon-les-Bains
Yverdon-les-Bains
Yverdon-les-Bains is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord vaudois of the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is the seat of the district...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
; but for the majority of her working life as a writer suffered constant debilitating illness from asthma and rheumatism —reports described her as "a confirmed invalid"—that left her unable to leave her bed for more than two to three hours a day. She wrote lying on a sofa.
For much of her life she lived and worked confined to her home in Newport, first at Pyle Street (where works up to The Last Sentence were written ) then at Castle Road, only making occasional trips out by carriage or bath-chair. On one such trip she visited the American writer Wolcott Balestier
Wolcott Balestier
Wolcott Balestier was an American writer and editor notable primarily through his connection to Rudyard Kipling....
, whose sister married Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
, when he and his family were staying at Blackgang
Blackgang
Blackgang is a village on the south coast of the Isle of Wight. It is best known as the location of the Blackgang Chine amusement park which sits to the south of St Catherine's Down....
. Her 1893 novel The Last Sentence was dedicated to Balestier after his early death.
She was strongly interested in women's rights, being one of a number of writers who petitioned in support of the Women's Suffrage Bill
Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom
Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom as a national movement began in 1872. Women were not prohibited from voting in the United Kingdom until the 1832 Reform Act and the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act...
, and such themes appear in a number of her novels.
After her father's death in 1895 she moved to West Richmond, remaining in London until her death in 1925, aged 76, at Ealing
Ealing
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
.
Works
Mary Tuttiett began her literary career by contributing essays, poems, articles, and short stories to various periodicals.Her first novel, The Broken Tryst, was published in 1879 to lukewarm reviews, but Tuttiett achieved critical and popular success with the 1886 The Silence of Dean Maitland ("a powerful and impressive story, which was appreciated both by critics and by the public" ). This tells the story of a churchman who gets a young woman pregnant and kills her father in a fight, then allows the wrongful imprisonment of his friend for the manslaughter. On the eve of his accession to bishop, he is forced to face his guilt when that friend returns, released from prison on ticket of leave.
The reader for the publisher Kegan Paul
Routledge
Routledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
, Alfred Chenevix Trench, initially thought The Silence of Dean Maitland "a little too unorthodox" for his religious clientele, but on the second reading decided it was "too good to refuse". The release saw a deal of speculation about the authorship, including theories that it has been written by a well-known ecclesiastic or the daughter of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The poet Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language....
praised the book, driving to Newport to meet Miss Tuttiett as her illness prevented her visiting him at his winter home near Freshwater
Freshwater, Isle of Wight
Freshwater is a large village and civil parish at the western end of the Isle of Wight, England. Freshwater Bay is a small cove on the south coast of the Island which also gives its name to the nearby part of Freshwater....
.
The Silence of Dean Maitland and a number of Mary Tuttiett's other novels are set in a fictionalised Isle of Wight, in which Newport, Calbourne
Calbourne
Calbourne is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. It is located eight kilometres from Newport in the west of the island.The village takes its name from the stream that passes through town, the Caul Bourne...
, Swainstone
Swainston Manor
Swainston Manor lies to the east of Calbourne, Isle of Wight, England. Now a hotel, Swainston Manor was originally a manor house on a site dating back to 735 CE. Eight hundred years ago it became the location of a palace built by the Bishops of Winchester. It has a 12th century chapel on its...
, Brading
Brading
The ancient 'Kynges Towne' of Brading is the main town of the civil parish of the same name. The ecclesiastical parish of Brading used to cover about a tenth of the Isle of Wight. The current civil parish now includes the town itself and Adgestone, Morton, Nunwell and other outlying areas between...
and Arreton
Arreton
Arreton is a village and civil parish in the central eastern part of the Isle of Wight, England. It is about 3 miles south east of Newport.-Name:The settlement has had different names and different spellings over the years...
appear as "Oldport", "Malbourne", "Swaynestone", "Barling" and "Arden".
She also wrote a number of poetry anthologies.
In 1910, Arthur Mee
Arthur Mee
Arthur Henry Mee was a British writer, journalist and educator. He is best known for The Harmsworth Self-Educator, The Children's Encyclopaedia, The Children's Newspaper, and The King's England...
and J.A. Hammerton's The World's Greatest Books said of The Silence of Dean Maitland that it had immediately and permanently established her name in the front rank of living novelists. The obituary in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
described her works overall as "characterised by a delicate grace and charm, and generally suggested a serious purpose, but she can never be said to have equalled her first success".
The Silence of Dean Maitland became a successful stage play, and was filmed three times: in 1914 by Raymond Longford
Raymond Longford
Raymond Longford was a prolific Australian film director, writer, producer and actor during the silent era. Longford was a major director of the silent film era of the Australian cinema. He formed a production team with Lottie Lyell...
, in 1915 (under the title Sealed Lips) by John Ince
John Ince (actor)
thumb|John Ince in 1915John Ince, also known as John E. Ince, was an American stage and motion pictures actor, a film director, and the eldest brother of Thomas and Ralph Ince. A leading man from the early 1910s, he also directed and scripted several of his own vehicles...
, and in 1934 in Australia by Ken G. Hall
Ken G. Hall
Kenneth George Hall, AO OBE , better known as Ken G. Hall, was an Australian film director, considered one of the most important figures in the history of the Australian film industry.-Early years:...
. The Reproach of Annesley was filmed in 1915, and The Last Sentence in 1917.