Richmal Crompton
Encyclopedia
Richmal Crompton Lamburn (15 November 1890 – 11 January 1969) was a British
writer, most famous for her Just William
humorous short stories and books.
) and his wife Clara (née Crompton). Her brother, John Battersby Crompton Lamburn
, also became a writer, remembered under the name John Lambourne for his fantasy novel The Kingdom That Was (1931) and under the name "John Crompton" for his books on natural history.
Richmal Crompton attended St. Elphin's boarding school for the daughters of the clergy. It was originally based in Warrington (Lancashire); she later moved with the school to a new location near Matlock, Derbyshire in 1904. In order to further her chosen career as a schoolteacher, she won a scholarship to the Royal Holloway College
in London. Crompton graduated in 1914 with a BA Honours degree in Classics
(II class). She also took part in the Women's Suffrage
movement at the time. In 1914, she returned to St Elphin’s as a Classics mistress and later, at age 27, moved to Bromley High School in south-east London where she began her writing in earnest. Cadogan shows that she was an excellent and committed teacher at both schools. Having contracted poliomyelitis
, she was left without the use of her right leg in 1923. She gave up her teaching career and began to write full-time. Later in her forties, she suffered from cancer and had a mastectomy.
She never married and had no children although she was aunt and great-aunt to other members of her family. Her Just William
stories and her other literature were extremely successful and, three years after she retired from teaching, Richmal was able to afford to have a house (The Glebe) built in Bromley Common
for herself and her mother, Clara. In spite of her disabilities, during the Second World War she did voluntary work in the Fire Service. She died in 1969 at her home in Chislehurst
, London Borough of Bromley. She is also the great aunt to actor Jonathan Massey.
radio and television series. Illustrations by Thomas Henry
contributed to their success.
Crompton saw her real work as writing adult fiction. Starting with The Innermost Room (1923), she wrote 41 novels for adults and published nine collections of short-stories. Their focus was generally Edwardian middle-class life; after the Second World War, such literature had an increasingly limited appeal.
Even William was originally created for a grown-up audience, as she saw Just William as a potboiler (Cadogan, 1993). She was pleased by its success, but seemed frustrated that her other novels and short stories did not receive the same recognition. Her first published tale was published in The Girls’ Own Paper in 1918, concerning a little boy named Thomas, a forerunner of William who reacts against authority. Crompton tried several times to reformulate William for other audiences. Jimmy (1949) was aimed at younger children, and Enter - Patricia (1927) at girls. Crompton wrote two more Jimmy books, but no more Patricia, and neither was as successful as William.
According to the actor John Teed, whose family lived next door to Crompton, the model for William was Crompton's nephew Tommy.
Crompton's fiction centres around family and social life, dwelling on the constraints that they place on individuals while also nurturing them. This is best seen in her depiction of children as puzzled onlookers of society's ways. Nevertheless, the children, particularly William and his Outlaws, almost always emerge triumphant.
The William books have been translated into nine languages and have been sold all over the world.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writer, most famous for her Just William
Just William series
The William Brown series, better known as the Just William series, is a series of thirty nine books written by English author Richmal Crompton...
humorous short stories and books.
Life
Richmal Crompton Lamburn was born in Bury, Lancashire, the second child of the Rev. Edward John Sewell Lamburn (Classics teacher at the Bury Grammar SchoolBury Grammar School
Bury Grammar School is an independent grammar school in Bury, Greater Manchester, England, that has existed since Kev Cryer was born, c.1570. The current headmaster is the Reverend Steven Harvey MA. The previous headmaster, Keith Richards MA, retired after sixteen years of headmastership on 7...
) and his wife Clara (née Crompton). Her brother, John Battersby Crompton Lamburn
John Battersby Crompton Lamburn
John Battersby Crompton Lamburn was a British writer, younger brother of Richmal Crompton, who was best known for her "William" books for boys. She was said to have drawn part of her inspiration for the character of William from him....
, also became a writer, remembered under the name John Lambourne for his fantasy novel The Kingdom That Was (1931) and under the name "John Crompton" for his books on natural history.
Richmal Crompton attended St. Elphin's boarding school for the daughters of the clergy. It was originally based in Warrington (Lancashire); she later moved with the school to a new location near Matlock, Derbyshire in 1904. In order to further her chosen career as a schoolteacher, she won a scholarship to the Royal Holloway College
Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London is a constituent college of the University of London. The college has three faculties, 18 academic departments, and about 8,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students from over 130 different countries...
in London. Crompton graduated in 1914 with a BA Honours degree in Classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
(II class). She also took part in the Women's Suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
movement at the time. In 1914, she returned to St Elphin’s as a Classics mistress and later, at age 27, moved to Bromley High School in south-east London where she began her writing in earnest. Cadogan shows that she was an excellent and committed teacher at both schools. Having contracted poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route...
, she was left without the use of her right leg in 1923. She gave up her teaching career and began to write full-time. Later in her forties, she suffered from cancer and had a mastectomy.
She never married and had no children although she was aunt and great-aunt to other members of her family. Her Just William
Just William
Just William is the first book of children's short stories about the young school boy William Brown, written by Richmal Crompton, and published in 1922. The book was the first in the series of William Brown books which was the basis for numerous television series, films and radio adaptations...
stories and her other literature were extremely successful and, three years after she retired from teaching, Richmal was able to afford to have a house (The Glebe) built in Bromley Common
Bromley Common
Bromley Common is the area centered around the road of the same name, stretching between Masons Hill at the south end of Bromley and Hastings Road, Locksbottom. Part of the A21...
for herself and her mother, Clara. In spite of her disabilities, during the Second World War she did voluntary work in the Fire Service. She died in 1969 at her home in Chislehurst
Chislehurst
Chislehurst is a suburban district in south-east London, England, and an electoral ward of the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
, London Borough of Bromley. She is also the great aunt to actor Jonathan Massey.
Work
Crompton's best known books are the William stories, about a mischievous 11-year-old schoolboy and his band of friends, known as the Outlaws. Her first short story featuring William to be published was "Rice Mould", published in Home Magazine in 1919. (She had written "The Outlaws" in 1917, but it was not published until later.) In 1922, the first collection, entitled Just William, was published. She wrote 38 other William books throughout her life. The last, William the Lawless, was published posthumously in 1970. The William books sold over twelve million copies in the United Kingdom alone. They have been adapted for films, stage-plays, and BBCBBC
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...
radio and television series. Illustrations by Thomas Henry
Thomas Henry
Thomas Henry was an English illustrator, best remembered for his illustrations of Richmal Crompton's William books.-Biography:...
contributed to their success.
Crompton saw her real work as writing adult fiction. Starting with The Innermost Room (1923), she wrote 41 novels for adults and published nine collections of short-stories. Their focus was generally Edwardian middle-class life; after the Second World War, such literature had an increasingly limited appeal.
Even William was originally created for a grown-up audience, as she saw Just William as a potboiler (Cadogan, 1993). She was pleased by its success, but seemed frustrated that her other novels and short stories did not receive the same recognition. Her first published tale was published in The Girls’ Own Paper in 1918, concerning a little boy named Thomas, a forerunner of William who reacts against authority. Crompton tried several times to reformulate William for other audiences. Jimmy (1949) was aimed at younger children, and Enter - Patricia (1927) at girls. Crompton wrote two more Jimmy books, but no more Patricia, and neither was as successful as William.
According to the actor John Teed, whose family lived next door to Crompton, the model for William was Crompton's nephew Tommy.
As a boy I knew Miss Richmal Crompton Lamburn well. She lived quietly with her mother in Cherry Orchard Road, Bromley Common. My family lived next door. In those days it was a small rural village.
Miss Lamburn was a delightful unassuming young woman and I used to play with her young nephew Tommy. He used to get up to all sorts of tricks and he was always presumed to be the inspiration for William by all of us.
Having contracted polio she was severely crippled and confined to a wheelchair. Owing to her restricted movements she took her setting from her immediate surroundings which contained many of the features described, such as unspoilt woods and wide streams and Biggin Hill Aerodrome, very active in the Twenties."
Crompton's fiction centres around family and social life, dwelling on the constraints that they place on individuals while also nurturing them. This is best seen in her depiction of children as puzzled onlookers of society's ways. Nevertheless, the children, particularly William and his Outlaws, almost always emerge triumphant.
The William books have been translated into nine languages and have been sold all over the world.
Just William series
- ((william le hors-la-loi,1909
- Just WilliamJust WilliamJust William is the first book of children's short stories about the young school boy William Brown, written by Richmal Crompton, and published in 1922. The book was the first in the series of William Brown books which was the basis for numerous television series, films and radio adaptations...
, 1919 - More WilliamMore WilliamMore William is the second William collection in the much acclaimed Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It is a sequel to the book Just William...
, 1922 - William Again, 1923
- William the Fourth, 1924
- Still WilliamStill WilliamStill - William is the fifth book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1925.-The Stories:*The Bishop's Handkerchief There is a craze for silk handkerchiefs in the village, and William will stop at nothing to get one.*Henri Learns the Language A young Frenchman...
, 1925 - William The Conqueror, 1926
- William the OutlawWilliam the OutlawWilliam - The Outlaw is the seventh book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1927.-The Stories:*William - The Outlaw The Outlaws receive an unwanted lecture on geology....
, 1927 - William in TroubleWilliam In TroubleWilliam In Trouble is a book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. The book contains 10 short stories. It was first published in 1927.-William and the Early Romans:...
, 1927 - William the Good, 1928
- William, 1929
- William the Bad, 1930
- William's Happy Days, 1930
- William's Crowded HoursWilliam's Crowded HoursWilliam's Crowded Hours is the thirteenth book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1931.-The Stories:*William and the Spy*The Plan That Failed*William and the Young Man...
, 1931 - William the PirateWilliam the PirateWilliam the Pirate is the fourteenth book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1932. It contains eleven short-stories, one of which features the odious "Anthony Martin" who is often cited as a parody of A.A...
, 1932 - William the Rebel, 1933
- William the Gangster, 1934
- William the DetectiveWilliam The DetectiveWilliam - The Detective is a book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton published in 1935. The book contains ten short stories, though it originally contained eleven: The eleventh, entitled William and the Nasties was removed from the book later on because, though ultimately anti-Nazi, it...
, 1935 - Sweet William, 1936
- William the Showman, 1937
- William the DictatorWilliam the DictatorWilliam — The Dictator is the 20th book of children's short stories in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton.This book contains 10 stories...
, 1938 - William and Air Raid PrecautionsWilliam and Air Raid PrecautionsWilliam and Air Raid Precautions is the 21st book of children's short stories in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton.-Short stories:#William and A.R.P.#William's Good-Bye Present#William's Day Off#Portrait of William#William the Dog Trainer...
, 1939 (also published as William's Bad Resolution, 1956) - William and the Evacuees, 1940 (also published as William and the Film Star, 1956)
- William Does His BitWilliam Does His BitWilliam Does His Bit is the 23rd book of children's short stories in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton.This book contains 10 stories...
, 1941 - William Carries OnWilliam Carries OnWilliam Carries On is the twenty-fourth book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1942.-The Stories:*Too Many Cooks*William And The Bomb*William's Midsummer Eve...
, 1942 - William and the Brains Trust, 1945
- Just William's LuckJust William's LuckThis page is about the novel. For the film see Just William's Luck .Just William's Luck was a novel in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was the only novel in the series, the rest being books of short stories...
, 1948 - William the Bold, 1950
- William and the Tramp, 1952
- William and the Moon Rocket, 1954
- William and the Artist's Model, 1956
- William and the Space Animal, 1956
- William's Television ShowWilliam's Television ShowWilliam's Television Show was a book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1958, and contained six short stories, far fewer than most books in the series.-The Stories:*William on the Trail...
, 1958 - William the Explorer, 1960
- William's Treasure Trove, 1962
- William and the Witch, 1964
- William and the Pop Singers, 1965
- William and the Masked RangerWilliam and the Masked RangerWilliam and the Masked Ranger is a book of short stories in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1966.-The Stories:*William and the Masked Ranger*William's Summer Holiday...
, 1966 - William the Superman, 1968
- William the LawlessWilliam the LawlessWilliam the Lawless was the last story collection in the William Books series. It was published posthumously in 1970 following the death of the author, Richmal Crompton, in 1969....
, 1970 - William the Terrible, BBC Radio Plays volume 1, 2008, published by David Schutte
- William the Lionheart, BBC Radio Plays volume 2, 2008, published by David Schutte
- William the Peacemaker, BBC Radio Plays volume 3, 2009, published by David Schutte
- William the Avenger, BBC Radio Plays volume 4, 2009, published by David Schutte
- William the Smuggler, BBC Radio Plays volume 5, 2010, published by David Schutte
- William's Secret Society, BBC Radio Plays volume 6, 2010, published by David Schutte
William-like books
- Enter - Patricia, 1927
- Jimmy, 1949
- Jimmy Again, 1951
- Jimmy the Third, 1965
Others
- The Innermost Room, 1923
- The Hidden Light, 1924
- Anne Morrison, 1925
- The Wildings, 1925
- David Wilding, 1926
- The House, 1926 (also published as Dread Dwelling)
- Kathleen and I, and, of Course, Veronica, 1926 (short stories)
- Millicent Dorrington, 1927
- A Monstrous Regiment, 1927 (short stories)
- Leadon Hill, 1927
- The Thorn Bush, 1928
- Roofs Off!, 1928
- The Middle Things, 1928 (short stories)
- Felicity Stands By, 1928 (short stories)
- Sugar and Spice and Other Stories, 1928 (short stories)
- Mist and Other Stories, 1928 (short stories)
- The Four Graces, 1929
- Abbot's End, 1929
- Ladies First, 1929 (short stories)
- Blue Flames, 1930
- Naomi Godstone, 1930
- The Silver Birch and Other Stories, 1931 (short stories)
- Portrait of a Family, 1932
- The Odyssey of Euphemia Tracy, 1932
- Marriage of Hermione, 1932
- The Holiday, 1933
- Chedsy Place, 1934
- The Old Man's Birthday, 1934
- Quartet, 1935
- Caroline, 1936
- The First Morning, 1936 (short stories)
- There Are Four Seasons, 1937
- Journeying Wave, 1938
- Merlin Bay, 1939
- Steffan Green, 1940
- Narcissa, 1941
- Mrs. Frensham Describes a Circle, 1942
- Weatherly Parade, 1944
- Westover, 1946
- The Ridleys, 1947
- Family Roundabout, 1948, republished in 2001 by Persephone BooksPersephone BooksPersephone Books is an independent publisher based in Bloomsbury, London. Founded in 1999 by Nicola Beauman, Persephone has a catalogue of 93 "neglected novels, diaries, poetry, short stories, non-fiction, biography and cookery books, mostly by women and mostly dating from the early to...
- Frost at Morning, 1950
- Linden Rise, 1952
- The Gypsy's Baby, 1954
- Four In Exile, 1954
- Matty and the Dearingroydes, 1956
- Blind Man's Buff, 1957
- Wiseman's Folly, 1959
- The Inheritor, 1960
External links
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1339811/Just-Williams-women-Be-nice--theyll-scream-scream-till-theyre-sick.html