Harry Collingwood was the pseudonym of William Joseph Cosens Lancaster (23 May 1843 – 10 June 1922),[1] a British civil engineer and novelist who wrote over 40 boys' adventure books, almost all of them in a nautical setting.
Early life
Collingwood was the eldest son of master mariner Captain William Lancaster (1813 – (1861 – 1871))[2] and Anne, née Cosens (c. 1820 – 9 October 1898).[3] His birth certificate shows that he was born in
Weymouth, Dorset on 23 May 1843 at 9:30am at Concord Place. The
Oxford Dictionary Of National Biography notes that most references, except his birth certificate, give his date of birth as 1851.[4] His application for Associate Membership of the
Institution of Civil Engineers gives his birth date as 23 May 1846.[5]
Collingwood was the first of three children for the couple. He was eight when his sister Ada Louise (c. 1852 – 8 January 1929)[6]
was born and 12 when his sister Sarah Anne (1 June 1853 – 27 December 1941) was born.[7] Both women were shown as drapers assistants in the 1871 census. By then Collingwood's father had died, and his mother continued to live with her daughters until her death. Ada never married and lived with her sister after leaving the paternal home. Sarah Anne married Mathew Smellie in St Michaels, Toxteth, Liverpool, Lancashire on 30 June 1880.[8] The couple had one child, Harold Ernest Smellie (11 April 1881 – 30 April 1961).[9][10] Harold was the nephew who registered Collingwood's death in 1922.[4][note 1] Collingwood's mother died at his home in Norwood on 9 October 1898, with her daughter Ada Louise as the executrix of her effects of £1,308 11s 11d.[3] When Ada Louise died on 8 January 1929, her widowed sister Sarah Ann (with whom she was living) was the executrix for her effects of £1,907 16s 8d.[6] Harold was the executor for the effects (£4,574, 15s 1d) of his mother Sarah Ann when she died on 27 December 1942.[7]
Collingwood joined the
Royal Navy as a
midshipman at 15[4]. However, his severe
near-sightedness forced him to abandon his chosen career. Kitzen states that Collingwood traveled widely in both his short naval and much longer civilian career.[21] Kirk states that it was during his civilian career that Collingwood travelled widely.[16]
Work as an engineer
In September 1860, at age 17, he began working as a pupil in the architectural office of G R Crickmay RIBA in
Dorset.[5] That architectural practice continues today under the name of John Stark and Crickmay.[22] He continued in
Dorset until March 1864 and then moved to
Durban in
South Africa. He worked there in a range of posts until the end of 1870, by which time he was the Government Engineer and Surveyor for the Port District of
Natal.
He returned to the UK in 1871 and worked on an eight-mile section of the
Devon to
LondonRailway for two years (the section of the
London and South Western Railway from
Okehampton to Lydford was under construction at this time). He continued in the UK, working on a range of projects including
harbour works in the
Isle of Man, as well as work at Burntisland on the Firth of Forth, where he lived in 1880, while advertising in Coleraine in Northern Ireland, for accommodation for himself, his wife, and infant son.[23] In 1888 he spent a year on the island of
Trinidad, surveying for a deep-water
port and associated
railway.[5] He also travelled to the
Baltic,
Mediterranean, and the
East Indies.[4] His wide travels provided accurate backgrounds for many of his works.
Returned to England, and now living in Norwood, London, Collingwood applied for associate membership of the
Institution of Civil Engineers on 31 July 1889 and was elected on 3 December 1889. Associated membership is the grade of membership open to engineers who are not academically qualified Civil Engineers,[24] but have learned engineering by another route.
In 1893 Collingwood was one of the three short-listed candidates from the 89 applicants for Resident Engineer at
Llanelli Harbour, Carmarthenshire[25] but was unsuccessful.[26] From 1894 to 1896 he was the engineer, working out of London, for works on the
River Bann for the
Coleraine Harbour Commissioners.[27] In 1906, Collingwood moved to
Mutley in
Plymouth. By 1908 he was back in London, at New
Bushey in
Watford, London.
Marriage and son
On 10 July 1878, at
Conisborough near
Doncaster,[28] Collingwood married Kezia Hannah Rice Oxley (1848 – 18 April 1928),[29] the fourth child of George Oxley, a provisions dealer, and Mary Rice.[30] Like Collingwood's two sister, Kezia worked as a draper's assistant in Liverpool. The Oxley's were a large family and Kezia had two sisters and seven brothers. One of her brothers, Sir Alfred James Rice-Oxley (25 January 1856 – 10 August 1941) was a physician to members of the Royal Family.[31]
Her nephew
Alan Rice-Oxley was a flying ace in World War I,[32] and Alan's sister married Kezia's only son (her first-cousin) in 1906. Kezia's family were close and both the 1891 and 1901 census show relatives staying with her. The couple had a son William Arthur Percy Lancaster, generally known as
Percival Lancaster, (1880-1937) born at Park House in
Burntisland,
Scotland, on 24 February 1880 at 8:30am.[28] He followed his father's example, not only becoming a
Civil Engineer but also a novelist.[33]
Death
Collingwood died suddenly at his sister Sarah's house at 40 Liverpool Road,
Chester on 10 June 1922,[34], only five days after the death of Sarah's husband. Collingwood left the relatively modest sum of £866 11s. 8d. to his widow.[35] Kezia died in
London on 18 April 1928, leaving £1,028 18s. 7d. to her son William Arthur Percy, then described as a Surveyor rather than a Civil Engineer.[29]
Alleged inspiration for Swallows and Amazon
Sutherland states of Collingwood that "His most enduring monument is that his yacht Swallow inspired his friend
Arthur Ransome's children's book Swallows and Amazons."[14] However, Ransome did not write the book until 1929 - seven years after Collingwood's death. The Swallow that served as Ransome's inspiration was the sailboat belonging to
W. G. Collingwood, who was no relation.
Ransome learned to sail, at age 12, in W. G. Collingwood's boat Swallow at Coniston in 1896.[36] He then repaid the favour by teaching W. G. Collingwood's grandchildren, the five Altouyans, to sail in "Swallow II" in 1928.[37]
Collingwood's first
novel in 1878, the year of his marriage, was The Secret of the Sands, a tale of the sea with
piracy and
buried treasure thrown in. The hero and pseudonymous author of this tale was “Harry Collingwood”. This pseudonym was chosen by the author in homage to
Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood (whom
Thackeray described as a virtuous Christian knight). This was clearly intended as an adult book. At the time, adult books were typically produced in three volumes, whereas books for the juvenile market were typically produced in a single volume with illustrations.[38]
In the preface to his first novel, Collingwood stated that ". . . my purpose has simply been to combine a little information with, I hope, a great deal of interest and amusement; and if my book serves but to while pleasantly away an idle hour or two for the general reader, or conveys a scrap of useful information to the young yachtsman, that purpose will be fully accomplished." Collingwood was well considered as a story teller, and especially as a teller of sea stories. Reviewers at the time wrote:
"As a story-teller Mr Collingwood is not surpassed. — Spectator[39]
"Mr. Harry Collingwood, we need hardly say, does know how to tell a story..." — Academy[40]
"...well known as the writer of tales of adventure by sea..." — Athenaeum[41]
"Mr. Collingwood writes of the sea with a sympathy and understanding which are all too rare in writers of boys’ books, and his hero is a fine character, well drawn." — The Academy[42]
"His descriptions of adventure at sea are not surpassed by those of any other writer for boys, while his plots are of an exciting nature" — Morning Post[43]
"In sea stories this talented author excels, and this is one of his best. It is full of wonderful adventure told in a style which holds the reader spell-bound" — Practical Teacher[44]
"... in our opinion the author is superior in some respects as a marine novelist to the better-known
Mr. Clark Russell" — The Times[45]
"Another excellent yarn-spinner, and one who rivals Mr. Clark Russell in his ability to get the “whiff of the briny” into his pages, is Mr. Harry Collingwood" — St. James's Gazette[46]
Collingwood was popular, and his novels remained in print for a long time. In 1913, Blackie was still offering 18 novels by Collingwood they had published over the previous two decades, and only one, An Ocean Chase was not included.[47] Ellis noted that in the 1920's, adventures stories were represented by the work of Harry Collingwood,
Captain W.E. Johns, and
Percy Westerman.[48] Sternlicht list him as one of the four standard boys' novelists of
C. S. Forester's childhood.[49][note 2] Collingwood was one of the authors of children's fiction that
D. H. Lawrence recommended for translation into Russian.[50] Sampson Low were still advertising all 6 titles by Harry Collingwood that they had published in an advertisement published in the late 1930s.[51] Dizer notes that Collingwood's books were being re-issued in England through at least 1939.[52]: 131
Dizer notes that apart from the three science fictions stories about the Flying Fish Collingwood's books are mainly sea stories of young English heroes.[52]: 142 Unlike
G. A. Henty, whose heroes are often public schoolboys,[53] Collingwoods heroes are usually from the Merchant Navy or Royal Navy, and public schools are rarely referred to. Unlike G. A. Henty who has occasional Scottish and Irish heroes, Collingwood's heroes, with very few exceptions, are English.[note 3]
Collingwood's professional background occasionally appears in the novels. The hero in Harry Escombe; a tale of adventure in Peru (1910) was an engineering surveyor. The eponymous hero of Geoffrey Harrington's Adventures was a manager of an engineering company, and the hero of The Cruise of the Thetis was the head of a marine engineering and shipbuilding enterprise.
Engineers also appear as strong secondary characters in such stories as The Pirate Island (1884) and The Missing Merchantman (1888).
Ferreira examines some of the underlying prejudices displayed by Collingwood in Harry Escombe; a tale of adventure in
Peru.[54] In With
Airship and
Submarine (1908) he describes anarchists as "enemies of society and of the human race".[55]
Almost all of Lancaster's novels have a predominantly nautical theme. Even those that don't often include a long sea-voyage. Three, featuring a flying
submarine, are frank
science fiction. Several of the works, most especially Geoffrey Harrington's Adventure (1907), include a lost white tribe in the story. Other recurrent themes in Lancaster's novels include storms,
shipwreck, being
castaway,
piracy,
slavery,
buried treasure, long voyages in open boats, disasters at sea, derelict ships, and
pearl fishing. Lancaster excelled at
swimming, rifle-shooting, and
horse-riding and these skills can sometime be found among the heroes of his novels. Lancaster was a keen
yachtsman and
yacht designer and the design of small craft to escape from isolated islands is a recurring theme in the novels.
Sample illustrations from a Collingwood book
The following illustrations by
C. J. Staniland[note 4] and J. R. Wells[note 5] were for The Pirate Island, a story of the South Pacific (1884, Blackie, London) by Collingwood. The illustrations cover common themes in Collingwood's works: personal bravery, swimming, mutiny, fires at sea, piracy, treasure, voyages in open boats, and fighting sharks.
Page 20
Page 97
Page 113
Page 126
Page 175
Page 222
Page 247
Page 328
Background to the books
Nield, speaking of historical fiction, says that among the most deservedly popular of recent imaginative writers ... Of those who cater for young people, ... Harry Collingwood ... may be mentioned as having come well to the fore.[61] However, The Athenaeum noted that of The Log of a Privateersman, that The book, as such a book has a right to do, sets history, chronology, and law at defiance ; but the story is told with life and vigour which carry it swimmingly over the most absolute impossibilities.[41].
The novels set in a particular historical context include:
The three novels set in the late 16th Century are set in the context of the
Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) with one The Cruise of the 'Nonsuch' Buccaneer set in the context of the aftermath of the
Battle of San Juan (1595).
The four books and one short story set in the
West Africa Squadron deal with the
blockade of Africa for the suppression of the
Atlantic Slave Trade. However, Kitzan stated that: The slaves are but a vehicle to provide a rationale for a series of rousing and deadly adventures.[62]
Under the Chilian Flag (1909) is set in the context of the
War of the Pacific of 1879-1884 between Chile and a Bolivian-Peruvian alliance.
Under the Ensign of the Rising Sun was set in the context of the
Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1908.
However, the novels should not be taken as accurate portrayals of historical fact, as Lancaster changes event to suit the plot. In The Cruise of the 'Nonsuch' Buccaneer for example, Drake's
attack on San Juan is presented as Spanish treachery in violation of a truce rather than the blatant attempt to sack the city. In Warship International, Sturton, commenting about the description of the
Battle of Yalu in A Chinese Command, said: The book's account of the battle is not factual; only three Chinese and three Japanese ships are named correctly and certain lurid episodes are entirely fictional.[63]
Books with son
As well as his solo writing Lancaster wrote one published work In the Power of the Enemy (1925) together with his son. This was originally published as a serial in an English magazine in 1912.[64]
Collingwood and his son wrote another unpublished manuscript: The Fourth Temptation. The Love Story of Mary Magdalene.[65] This may have been the manuscript that
Percival referred to as being taken to England by the Managing Director of Sampson Low in 1912. Collingwood was in Toronto with his son at the time.[64]
Percival wrote two book himself, Captain Jack O'Hara R.N. (1908) and Chaloner of the Bengal Cavalry: a Tale of the Indian Mutiny (1915). The Serpent, was set in New Zealand and was due for publication in 1913[33]. The Ship of Silence is referenced on the title page of In the Power of the Enemy[66] – Percival wrote a short story under this name for MacLeans.[67]
^Collingwood died at the house of Harold's parents, so it is not surprising that Harold rather than Collingwood's son
Percival registered the death. Additionally, Harold must have been familiar with the procedure as his own father had died only five days before.[11]
^The hero of Blue and Grey about the American Civil War is American, and the hero of The Rover's Secret had an Italian mother.
^Charles Joseph Staniland RIROI (19 June 1838 – 16 June 1916) was a marine painter and illustrator, and a frequent contributor to first the Illustrated London News and then The Graphic.[56]: 44 Van Gogh was an admirer of Staniland's Work.[57] Staniland was a prolific illustrator of
juvenile fiction,[58]: 462-267 in some cases working with J. R. Wells.
^Josiah Robert Wells (1849–1897) was an artist and illustrator specialising in maritime topics. He was the Special Artist for marine subject for the Illustrated London News.[59] He boarded in
London with C. J. Staniland, for whose family his sister Rosa acted as governess.[60]
References
^"Wrote Boys' Stories; W. J. C. Lancaster (Harry Collingwood) Dead", The Gazette (Montreal), 4 July 1922 p. 4
^
abcLancaster, William Joseph Cosens (31 July 1889). Summary of experience in application for Associate Membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Ancestry.com. UK, Civil Engineer Records, 1820-1930 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, US: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.: Institution of Civil Engineers.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (
link)
^Liverpool Record Office (30 June 1880). "Liverpool Record Office; Liverpool, England; Reference Number: 283 HAM/3/15". Liverpool, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932. Liverpool: Liverpool Records Office. p. 27.
^Liverpool Record Office (30 June 1880). "Liverpool Record Office; Liverpool, England; Reference Number: 283 AND/2/2". Liverpool, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1917. Liverpool: Liverpool Records Office. p. 39.
^Lancaster, W. J. C. (4 September 1880). "Apartments, Comfortably, Wanted in Coleraine". Coleraine Chronicle (Saturday 04 September 1880): 5.
^Institution of Civil Engineers.
"Grades of ICE membership". ICE Institution of Civil Engineers.
Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
^"Llanelly Harbour Commission: The Post of Resident Engineer". Western Mail (Saturday 12 August 1893): 7. 15 August 1893.
^"Llanelly's New Harbour Master". South Wales Daily News (Thursday 24 August 1893): 4. 24 August 1893.
^The Harbour Commissioners of the Port of Coleraine (18 June 1994). "Bann Navigation (call for Tenders for the construction of a Training Bank)". Northern Whig (Monday 18 June 1894).
^
abDizer, John (1997). Tom Swift, the Bobbsey Twins, and Other Heroes of American Juvenile Literature: Studied in American Literature Vol. 25. New York: The Edwin Mellen Press.
ISBN0-7734-8641-0.
^Kirkpatrick, Robert J. The Men Who Drew For Boys (And Girls): 101 Forgotten Illustrators of Children's Books: 1844-1970. London: Robert J. Kirkpatrick.