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The New Forest University of Southampton Research Repository Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis and, where applicable, any accompanying data are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non- commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis and the accompanying data cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content of the thesis and accompanying research data (where applicable) must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holder/s. When referring to this thesis and any accompanying data, full bibliographic details must be given, e.g. Thesis: Author (Year of Submission) "Full thesis title", University of Southampton, name of the University Faculty or School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. Page 1 of 216 The New Forest UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON FACULTY OF ENGLISH Creative Writing Volume 1 of 1 The New Forest: Setting, Sanctuary & the Supernatural by Kathryn Wendy Barton Thesis for the degree of Master of Philosophy October 2017 Page 3 of 216 The New Forest UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON ABSTRACT FACULTY OF ENGLISH Creative Writing Thesis for the degree of Master of Philosophy THE NEW FOREST: SETTING, SANCTUARY & THE SUPERNATURAL Kathryn Wendy Barton This project began with a love for the New Forest and a wish to understand the ways in which writers utilise it as location. It was asked how writers capture, convey and utilise this particular place and whether intimate knowledge of it can enhance their work. An analysis was made of the impression of the New Forest given by writers, whether as a setting, as sanctuary, or by utilising its supernatural effects. The knowledge gained from such research enabled the production of 23 short stories of varying lengths, entitled Haunts & Shades, with the New Forest as their linking location. Research was conducted into both fiction and non-fiction writing featuring the New Forest, ranging from Daniel Defoe in 1724 to writers of the 21st century. Specific writers were then chosen and analysed in more depth. The effect of location on a writer was evaluated. Professional writers’ advice on the use of location was studied. The New Forest itself was explored, historically and physically. Residents of the Forest, some of whom can trace their ancestry for several hundred years, were used as character studies in the story collection. Analysis revealed the advantages of a ‘total immersion’ approach and showed the pitfalls of relying on research alone for details of location. The short stories benefitted from the application of knowledge gained from such research. Each use of location in Haunts & Shades was influenced by awareness of its particular ambience, gained by the writer in a unique way. A first-hand knowledge of a location helps to provide a particular literary effect, an intimacy to the work. The thesis acknowledges that a writer, by meticulous research, can produce a valid and popular work. However, in order to convey a sense of a chosen location, a writer benefits from being immersed in its sights and sounds, myths and facts. Page 5 of 216 The New Forest Table of Contents Page ABSTRACT 5 ACADEMIC THESIS: DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP 9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 11 SECTION 1 – COMMENTARY: The New Forest: Setting, Sanctuary & the Supernatural. 13 Section 1 Contents 15 Map of the New Forest 17 Commentary 19 Appendix 1 55 Appendix 2 61 Bibliography. 65 SECTION 2 - SHORT STORIES: Haunts & Shades. 75 Section 2 Contents 77 Stories. 79 Page 7 of 216 The New Forest Academic Thesis: Declaration Of Authorship I, Kathryn Wendy Barton declare that this thesis and the work presented in it are my own and has been generated by me as the result of my own original research. The New Forest: Setting, Sanctuary & the Supernatural I confirm that: 1. This work was done wholly or mainly while in candidature for a research degree at this University; 2. Where any part of this thesis has previously been submitted for a degree or any other qualification at this University or any other institution, this has been clearly stated; 3. Where I have consulted the published work of others, this is always clearly attributed; 4. Where I have quoted from the work of others, the source is always given. With the exception of such quotations, this thesis is entirely my own work; 5. I have acknowledged all main sources of help; 6. Where the thesis is based on work done by myself jointly with others, I have made clear exactly what was done by others and what I have contributed myself; 7. None of this work has been published before submission Signed: ................................................................................................ Date: ................................................................................................ Page 9 of 216 The New Forest ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincere gratitude and respect go to those who have helped me to travel a long and (sometimes) rocky road. Firstly, to Rebecca Smith, Teaching Fellow in English/Creative Writing and Clare Hanson, Professor of Twentieth Century Literature at the University of Southampton: supervisors extraordinaire. Their knowledge, expertise and patience were invaluable. Mary Dharmachandran, Project Librarian at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, who allowed me (flinchingly) to examine Victorian obstetrical instruments. Elizabeth Velluet, Hon. Sec. of the Richmond Historical Society, who helped me to track down an elusive magazine for Mental Asylum staff. William Horwood (author of Skallagrigg) who kindly sent me a ‘beginners’ list of reference books on mental asylums. Suzie Moore, Education Development Officer at the New Forest Centre, who allowed me free rein in their wonderful reference library. The Green Man from Jennifairy Designs, who patiently posed for photographs. And, of course, the New Forest and its ponies, who are always photogenic. Tessa Davis, who can trace her Forest family back to 1599. She is an exemplar of a Forest woman: sturdy, pragmatic and incredibly courageous. Members of the Waterside Writers Group, always ready with advice, encouragement, tea and biscuits. Finally, thank you to family and friends who tolerated tears and tantrums. Page 11 of 216 The New Forest SECTION 1 – COMMENTARY: The New Forest: Setting, Sanctuary & the Supernatural Page 13 of 216 The New Forest SECTION 1 CONTENTS Page MAP OF THE NEW FOREST 17 INTRODUCTION 19 THE NEW FOREST 1. Introduction 21 2. The Forest’s People 24 3. The Forest’s Language 25 4. Writers and the New Forest 26 a) The New Forest as Setting I C R Tubbs 27 II C A Brebbia 29 III Elizabeth George 30 IV Edward Rutherfurd 32 b) The New Forest as Sanctuary I Philip Klitz 33 II Radclyffe Hall 35 III Captain Marryat 36 IV Philip Hoare 37 c) The Supernatural New Forest I Introduction 38 II Sonia Smith 40 III Thomas Brown 40 IV Michael O’Leary 42 d) Writing with the New Forest as Location 44 AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL PRECIS 1. Introduction 50 2. Short Stories 50 CONCLUSION 53 Page 15 of 216 The New Forest Page 17 of 216 The New Forest INTRODUCTION I cannot claim to be born and bred in the New Forest, which is a drawback: I shall always be considered an incomer. However, my love and respect for the Forest are such that I hope it will consider me an honorary child. I think of it as a sentient being, influencing those within its jurisdiction. Jolley says, when speaking of a writer’s use of location as an integral part of their work: ‘The landscape has to be seen with the poet’s eyes. The special quality is often in the loyalty and love that the writer feels towards a particular landscape.’1 I knew I possessed the loyalty and love; my challenge was to convey them, by the medium of short stories, to a reader. I asked whether a writer can, by portraying a well-loved location, engender a reader’s interest in that place. I researched the work of other authors, analyzing how the Forest, its history and its inhabitants, affected their writing. I wanted to learn how writers may convey their own sense of place to entrance the reader. Having decided to study various aspects of the Forest, I wanted to portray them in a way that reflected my own feelings. I chose the area within and around Lyndhurst. When it came to the ‘Winterbourn’ series of stories, I based my setting on two of the ‘big houses’ in the Lyndhurst area. There is no record of a Victorian Mental Asylum within the forest; afflicted residents were sent into nearby Wiltshire. However, my setting for the Asylum, confirmed by Tubbs’ work, is accurate.2 There are such bleak areas of the Forest. In my writing, I like to explore interaction between people, especially non-communication within marriage. I prefer my characters and their predicaments to show ordinary people. I am fascinated by the diversity of characters and the effect a setting may have on their lives and attitudes. I decided that short stories, with their precise focus, would be the best vehicle for a multiplicity of views. I appreciate the words of Victoria Hislop, 1 Elizabeth Jolley, ‘Literary Landscapes’, in The Agony and the Ego: Art and Strategy of Fiction Explored, ed. by Clare Boylan (London, Penguin Books Ltd: 1993), pp. 165– 175 (p. 168). Further references will be given in the main text 2 Colin R Tubbs, The New Forest. (Lyndhurst, New Forest Ninth Centenary Trust: 1986). Further references will be given in the main text. Page 19 of 216 The New Forest who says ‘I discovered that it is possible for a short story (unlike a novel) to attain something close to perfection.