R. D. Blackmore

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R. D. Blackmore

R. D. Blackmore was one of the most famous English novelists of his generation.
Born:	7 June, 1825 Longworth, Oxfordshire, England
Died:	20 January 1900 Teddington, Gloucestershire, England
Occupation(s):	novelist, horticulturist
Literary movement:	Romantic
Influences:	Jane Austen, Sir Walter Scott
Influenced:	Thomas Hardy, Robert Louis Stevenson, F. Scott Fitzgerald

"Blackmore" redirects here. For other uses, see Blackmore (disambiguation).

Richard Doddridge Blackmore (June 7, 1825 - January 20, 1900), referred to most commonly as R. D. Blackmore, was one of the most famous English novelists of his generation. In the course of his career, he also achieved a close following around the world, especially in the United States, where he met and befriended novelist Thomas Hardy, winning much literary merit and acclaim in his vivid descriptions and personification of the countryside. Noted for his marvellous eye for, and sympathy with, nature, critics of the time described this as one of the most striking features of his writings.

Considered to be among the greatest novelists of the second half of the nineteenth century, Blackmore acted as the pioneer of the new romantic movement in fiction which Robert Louis Stevenson and other brilliant writers afterwards carried on. He may be said to have done for Devonshire what Scott did for the Highlands. He has been described as "proud, shy, reticent, strong-willed, sweet-tempered, and self-centred."

Though very popular in his day, Blackmore's work has been largely ignored by the generations current and recently passed, and the whole of his body of work, save his magnum opus Lorna Doone, has gone out of publication. Thus his reputation rests chiefly upon this romantic work, despite its not being his favourite.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Scholarly career 1.2 Marriage 1.3 Move to the country 1.3.1 Fruit-growing business 1.3.2 Fight for environment 1.4 His works, his reputation, and death 1.5 After Death 2 Bibliography 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External links

[edit] Biography

Richard Doddridge Blackmore was born on June 7, 1825 in Longworth, Oxfordshire, where his father, John Blackmore, was Curate-in-charge of the parish. Only a few months after his birth his mother died - the victim of an outbreak of typhus which occurred in the village. After this loss John Blackmore moved to his native West Country, first to Culmstock, Devon, and later to Ashford in the same county. Richard, however, was taken by his aunt, Mary Frances Knight, and after her marriage to the Rev. Richard Gordon, moved with her to Elsfield rectory near Oxford. His father married again in 1831, whereupon Richard returned to live with him in Devon. Here he grew to know and love the countryside which was to play a prominent role in his most famous novel.

[edit] Scholarly career

In 1837, Blackmore entered Blundell’s School in Tiverton. Here he excelled in classical studies and later won a scholarship to Oxford University, where he took his degree in 1847. During a university vacation he made his first attempt at writing a novel. This was the beginning of The Maid of Sker – not, in fact, completed until many years later, and eventually published in 1872.

After leaving Oxford and spending some time as a private tutor, Blackmore decided on a career in law. He entered the Middle Temple in 1849 and was called to the Bar in 1852. Ill-health, however, prevented him from continuing legal work as a full-time occupation and in 1854, he took the post of classics master at Wellesley House Grammar School, Hampton Road, Twickenham. Inlater years this became the Metropolitan and City of London Police Orphanage and then Fortescue House School. Soon after accepting this position, he moved from London to No. 25 Lower Teddington Road, Hampton Wick – where he lived until he moved to his new home in Teddington.

[edit] Marriage

Blackmore was married on November 8, 1853 at Trinity Church, Holborn to Lucy Maguire. She was 26, a Roman Catholic and somewhat delicate; for which reason it is assumed that they never had any children. They were both fond of her sister Agnes’ four children and often had them to stay. As well as helping with their education, the Blackmores seem to have adopted Eva when she was 7. Theirs was described by Blackmore's sister as a "happy marriage."

[edit] Move to the country

In September 1875, Blackmore’s uncle, the Rev. H.H. Knight, Rector of Neath, died and left his nephew a sum of money which enabled him to realise a long-held ambition of possessing a house in the country encompassed by a large garden. Blackmore’s father encouraged him in the scheme and helped him to carry it into effect.

[edit] Fruit-growing business

The land selected was a 16-acre plot at Teddington which Blackmore had seen and admired for some time. Here he built his new house – completed in 1860 – in which he lived for the rest of his life. He called it ‘Gomer House’ after one of his favourite dogs, a Gordon Spaniel. In the extensive grounds he created an 11-acre market garden specialising in the cultivation of fruit. The grounds were surrounded by high walls which served to keep out thieves and to aid the ripening of tender fruit. His knowledge of horticulture was extensive, but because he lacked the necessary business sense, the garden was not a very lucrative enterprise.

[edit] Fight for environment

At the time Blackmore came to Teddington, the railway had not yet disturbed its quiet rural atmosphere. Before long, however, plans were in hand for the purchase of land and the construction of lines. In 1868, Blackmore won a fight against the claims made on his property by the London and South West Railway Company, but he was unable to prevent the building of the railway station almost directly opposite his house.

[edit] His works, his reputation, and death

Blackmore’s best known and most successful novel, Lorna Doone (1869), established him in the front rank of British novelists of that time. With it, he pioneered a new romantic movement in English fiction. The novel’s overwhelming success with the public was achieved when it appeared in a popular one-volume edition as distinct from the three-volume form in which it was originally published. Some local residents in Teddington apparently regarded Blackmore as somewhat unsociable, if not misanthropic. Charles Deayton, a Teddington merchant, is recorded as stating to a visitor -

"He is not a social man, and seems wedded to his garden in summer and his book writing in winter. That is all I know about him; except that he keeps the most vicious dogs to protect his fruit, and I would advise you to avoid the risk [of visiting him]." This statement gives a rather distorted picture of Blackmore’s character. Although Blackmore was a man of a retiring disposition, pre-occupied with the demands of writing and fruit growing, he did, in fact, have a number of very intimate friends whom he met regularly. His works had a wide following in the United States and during his life he formed many friendships with Americans.

His wife’s health began to deteriorate and became critical by the beginning of January 1888 and she died at the end of that month. The funeral was held on February 3, 1888 in Teddington Parish Church and she was buried in Teddington cemetery. After her death, Blackmore was looked after by her nieces, Eva and Adalgisa Pinto-Leite. Blackmore died at Teddington on January 20, 1900 after a long and painful illness and was buried next to his wife, per his request.

[edit] After Death

The two nieces continued to live in Gomer House – Eva died in 1911 and was also buried in the Blackmore grave. Then in October 1938 there was an auction of all its contents, which included Blackmore’s own library containing first editions of his works. The house itself was later demolished and Doone Close, Blackmore’s Grove and Gomer Gardens were built, reminding us of the novelist’s associations with Teddington. The end of Doone Close marks the approximate site of Gomer House. Blackmore’s market garden covered the area between the present Station Road and Field Lane.

[edit] Bibliography

* Poems by Melanter (1854)

• Epullia (1854)
• The Bugle of the Black Sea (1855)
• The Fate of Franklin (1860)
• Farm and Fruit of Old (1862)
• Clara Vaughan (1864)
• Craddock Nowell (1866)
• Lorna Doone (1869)
• The Maid of Sker (1872)
• Alice Lorraine (1875)
• Cripps the Carrier (1876)
• Erema (1877)
• Mary Anerley (1880)
• Christowbell (1882)
• Sir Thomas Upmore (1884)
• Springhaven (1887)
• Kit and Kitty (1890)
• Perlycross (1894)
• Fringilla (1895)
• Tales from a Telling House (1896)
• Dariel (1897)

[edit] See also

• Victorian Era
• Romantic movement
• Charles Dickens
• Robert Louis Stevenson
• Thomas Hardy

[edit] References

• This article incorporates public domain text from: Cousin, John William (1910). A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London, J.M. Dent & sons; New York, E.P. Dutton.

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

• Works by R. D. Blackmore at Project Gutenberg