Susan Pleydell
Encyclopedia
Susan Pleydell was the nom de plume of the Scottish
-born novelist Susan Senior, née Susan Syme (1907-1986). She was a schoolmistress
by profession and published a number of novels between 1959 and 1977.
, near Kinross
. In her teens the family moved to Dollar
in Clackmannanshire and thence a few miles east to Rumbling Bridge
.
Syme studied piano at the Royal College of Music
. While teaching at a girls’ school at Bexhill-on-Sea
, Sussex, she met John Robert Murray Senior, head of history at Shrewsbury School
from 1932-51, whom she married in 1935. She taught the piano at Shrewsbury for some years. In the 1950s her husband became headmaster of a grammar school near Manchester
and then of Monmouth School
from 1956-9.
in the north of England
, and recounted love and intrigue among its adult residents following the simultaneous arrival of a Scottish rugby international
as a new mathematics
master and the headmaster’s niece, a beautiful twenty-year old sophisticate from London
. The impact of the latter had some similarities to that at Oxford of Max Beerbohm
's Zuleika Dobson
(1911).
was a crucial part of the plot,, providing an opening for her eldest daughter and visiting niece to demonstrate their organisational capabilities. However, in the sequel, she was very much in evidence, attending to all manner of domestic matters, acting supportively as a hostess and confidante, and making, at times, subtly cutting observations on questions of tradition and etiquette (as when the temporary secretary and her mother failed to occupy pews reserved in the chapel for visitors).
Pleydell died in 1986. New editions of Summer Term and A Young Man's Fancy, long out of print, were published in 2010-11 by Greyladies Books of Edinburgh
, the former containing a biographical note by her son.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
-born novelist Susan Senior, née Susan Syme (1907-1986). She was a schoolmistress
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
by profession and published a number of novels between 1959 and 1977.
Background
Susan Syme was born into a farming family at MilnathortMilnathort
Milnathort is a small village in the Perth & Kinross region of central Scotland.The smaller neighbour of nearby Kinross, Milnathort has a small population of roughly 1000 people. It is situated amidst picturesque countryside at the foot of the Ochil Hills, and near the north shore of Loch Leven...
, near Kinross
Kinross
Kinross is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It was formerly the county town of Kinross-shire.Kinross is a fairly small town, with some attractive buildings...
. In her teens the family moved to Dollar
Dollar, Clackmannanshire
Dollar is a small town in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. It is one of the Hillfoots Villages, situated between the Ochil Hills range to the north and the River Devon to the south. Dollar is on the A91 road, which runs from Stirling to St. Andrews. The town is around 3 miles east of Tillicoultry...
in Clackmannanshire and thence a few miles east to Rumbling Bridge
Rumbling Bridge
Rumbling Bridge is a tiny village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, nestling under the Ochil Hills, where the A823 leaves the A977, perched on the edge of the River Devon gorge. It lies between Muckhart and Crook of Devon with Powmill half a mile to its south...
.
Syme studied piano at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
. While teaching at a girls’ school at Bexhill-on-Sea
Bexhill-on-Sea
Bexhill-on-Sea is a town and seaside resort in the county of East Sussex, in the south of England, within the District of Rother. It has a population of approximately 40,000...
, Sussex, she met John Robert Murray Senior, head of history at Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
from 1932-51, whom she married in 1935. She taught the piano at Shrewsbury for some years. In the 1950s her husband became headmaster of a grammar school near Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and then of Monmouth School
Monmouth School
Monmouth School is an HMC boys' boarding and day school in Monmouth, Monmouthshire in south east Wales. It was founded in 1614 by William Jones. It is run as a trust, the William Jones's Schools Foundation, by the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, one of the Livery Companies...
from 1956-9.
Summer Term
Playdell’s first novel, Summer Term, which appeared in 1959, was described half a century later by bookseller and publisher Shirley Neilson as “a sort of school story”. It was set at Ledenham, a boys’ public school in the fictional county of LedshireLedshire
Ledshire was a fictional county in the north of England in two novels by Susan Pleydell, Summer Term and A Young Man's Fancy . It was also the name of a county in the Miss Silver novels of Patricia Wentworth....
in the north of England
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...
, and recounted love and intrigue among its adult residents following the simultaneous arrival of a Scottish rugby international
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
as a new mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
master and the headmaster’s niece, a beautiful twenty-year old sophisticate from 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...
. The impact of the latter had some similarities to that at Oxford of Max Beerbohm
Max Beerbohm
Sir Henry Maximilian "Max" Beerbohm was an English essayist, parodist and caricaturist best known today for his 1911 novel Zuleika Dobson.-Early life:...
's Zuleika Dobson
Zuleika Dobson
Zuleika Dobson, full title Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story, is a 1911 novel by Max Beerbohm, a satire of undergraduate life at Oxford. It was his only novel, but was nonetheless very successful...
(1911).
A Young Man's Fancy
A sequel, A Young Man’s Fancy (1962), reintroduced a number of characters from the earlier novel. Set in the habitually morose spring term - "for which there is nothing to be said at all" - and against the backdrop of persistent snowfalls, the book revolved around various additional difficulties that threatened to inhibit the smooth running of Ledenham. These included the headmaster's engagement of an untrustworthy local girl as his temporary secretary; misunderstandings about matters of the heart affecting, among others, his youngest daughter and some of his junior masters; the nomination of an egocentric industrial magnate to a vacancy on the school's governing body; and melodramatic allegations by the prospective governor that threatened the careers of the headmaster and one of his colleagues.Model for Mrs. Fielding?
According to her son, Alan Senior, Pleydell deployed her own experience to the writing of these stories., although it is unclear to what extent she was the model for Hester Fielding, the wife of Ledenham's headmaster (or "Beak"), Hugh Fielding. In Summer Term, Mrs. Fielding's absence in ItalyItaly
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...
was a crucial part of the plot,, providing an opening for her eldest daughter and visiting niece to demonstrate their organisational capabilities. However, in the sequel, she was very much in evidence, attending to all manner of domestic matters, acting supportively as a hostess and confidante, and making, at times, subtly cutting observations on questions of tradition and etiquette (as when the temporary secretary and her mother failed to occupy pews reserved in the chapel for visitors).
Other works
Pleydell wrote a further eight novels, A Festival for Gilbert and The Glenvarroch Gathering (both 1960), Good Red Herring (1962), Griselda (1964), The Road to the Harbour (1966), Jethro’s Mill (1974), Pung of Dragons (1975) and Brighouse Hotel (1977).Pleydell died in 1986. New editions of Summer Term and A Young Man's Fancy, long out of print, were published in 2010-11 by Greyladies Books of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, the former containing a biographical note by her son.