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Robert Leighton (author)

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This article is about the author of boys' adventure books. For other people with the same name, see Robert Leighton (disambiguation).
Robert Leighton
Born(1858-06-05)5 June 1858
Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland
Died11 May 1934(1934-05-11) (aged 75)
Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England
NationalityScottish
Occupations
  • Author
  • journalist
  • editor
Years active1880–1922
Known forWriting adventure books for boys
Notable workThe Complete Book of the Dog

Robert Leighton (5 June 1858 – 11 May 1934) was a Scottish journalist, editor, and writer of boys' fiction. He was an editor of juvenile magazines, and through his work at Young Folks he met his future wife Marie Connor, a prolific author in her own right. Leighton became an expert on dogs and their care and produced many works on this topic.

Early life

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Leighton was born in the town of Ayr in Scotland on 5 June 1858 to Robert Leighton, a Scottish poet (20 February 1822 – 10 May 1869),[1] and Elizabeth Jane Campbell (1820–1914). Some sources, such as the British Library give his year of birth as 1859. Others, including Sutherland, give it at 1858.[2]: 370  However, his father only worked in Ayr from 1854 to 1858 for a Liverpool seed merchant,[1] and the only male Leighton born in the District of Ayr from 1854 to 1864 was an unnamed son to Leighton's parents on 5 June 1858.[3][4]

In the 1861 Census, Leighton was living in Liverpool, where his father was employed by a seed and agricultural supplies merchant.[1] He was educated in the school attached to the Hope Street Unitarian Chapel in Liverpool.[5] He began work as a journalist at age 14, working first for the Liverpool Porcupine, a social and satirical journal.

Moving to London

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Leighton moved to London in 1879 and began working for Young Folks magazine as an assistant editor. Young Folks accepted Treasure Island from Robert Louis Stevenson and ran it as a serial from 1881 to1882 while he was first assistant editor. Young Folks also serialised The Black Arrow in June – October 1883. Leighton was the editor from 1884 to 1885.

While he was at Young Folks, he met the tempestuous Marie Connor[note 1] (February 1866 – 28 January 1941), the adopted daughter of James Nenon Alexander Connor, formerly a captain in the 87th Foot, and the daughter of Elizabeth Ann Harris (1849 – 16 April 1908), a widow, born Trelawny.[note 2] Connor, who contributed to the magazine, published her first novel Beauty's Queen, a three-volume melodrama, in 1884 when she was 18.[7][8] In 1886 Leighton left Little Folks to move to the Bristol Observer, but returned to London in 1887.[9]

In London, he eventually found work with the Harmsworths, and was a director of their Answers Ltd company[10] from 1893 to 1896.[9]

Marriage and family

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In 1889, Leighton eloped with Marie Connor; they were married at Marylebone in the first quarter of 1889. Marie was an established novelist at this stage, publishing her sixth book in the year of her marriage.[2]: 369 [8]

Leighton began to produce books himself, starting with The Pilots of Pomona in 1892, but throughout the marriage, his wife's income from writing far exceeded his.[6]: 4  Leighton was the literary editor of the Daily Mail from 1896 to 1899.

The Leightons had four children:

  • Their first child was accidentally smothered in infancy by a nurse.[11]
  • Roland Aubrey Leighton (27 March 1895 – 23 December 1915), a poet who was killed in the First World War.[12] He was Vera Brittain's fiancé and features largely in Testament of Youth, the first instalment of her memoirs. He was his mother's favourite. "He is the only one of my children who is beautiful enough to be worth dressing" her daughter reports her as saying.[6]: 203  Marie was devastated when Roland was killed and published an anonymous memoir of him as Boy of My Heart in 1916. The inscription chosen by the family for Roland's headstone reads: "GOODNIGHT, THOUGH LIFE AND ALL TAKE FLIGHT, NEVER GOOD-BYE."[12]
  • Clare Leighton[note 3] (12 April 1898 – 4 November 1989), a writer and artist. She wrote several novels as well as the biography of her mother, and was a noted wood engraver. Marie was dismissive of her looks, ambitions and talents.[14]
  • Evelyn Ivor Robert Leighton (31 May 1901 – 21 October 1969) was destined from boyhood for the Navy.[6]: 193  He enjoyed a long naval career, being posted to the Royal Australian Navy for a while, and married an English bride while he was there.[15]

Leighton's day-to-day influence on the household was limited by his deafness. He was so deaf by the time his children were growing up, that he was able to write his adventure books sitting next to his wife while she dictated her next melodrama.[6]: 11  Leighton was older and wiser than Marie, and helped Clare's artistic development.[14] His daughter recalls that Leighton adored his wife and that he had something of a cherishing paternal attitude towards her.[6]: 39 

Work

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Leighton produced four types of output:

  • Adventure stories for boys.
  • Melodramas written together with his wife, the most famous being Convict 99 (1898).
  • Books about dogs starting with Cassell's two-volume New Book of the Dog in 1907.
  • Short stories and serials for boys' papers.

In a memoir,[16] Larry McMurtry (American novelist, essayist, bookseller and screenwriter) said Leighton's Sergeant Silk: the prairie scout[17] (about a fictional member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police), was one of the first books McMurtry ever read. He had been given it by a young relative departing to fight in World War II.

One enormous job Leighton did undertake was the editing of Hall Caine's Life of Christ. When he began this work, the book had some three-million words.[5] Leighton managed to reduce this to some 750,000 before his death in 1934. It was eventually published in 1938, but Leighton's contribution was not mentioned by Caine's sons in their introduction to the work.[18]

Example of illustrations from a historical novel by Leighton

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The following illustrations by Alfred Pearse (1856–1933) for The Thirsty Sword – a story of the Norse invasion of Scotland (1262–1263) give an idea of the pacing of Leighton's writing in a novel which was meant to teach history as well as entertain.[19]

  • Page 60
    Page 60
  • Page 87
    Page 87
  • Page 106
    Page 106
  • Page 188
    Page 188
  • Page 227
    Page 227
  • Page 268
    Page 268
  • Page 301
    Page 301
  • Page 323
    Page 323

List of long works

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The following is a list, drawn from the Jisc Library Hub Discover collated catalogue.[note 4]

Details of Book full title, secondary authors and publisher
Serial Year Title Other authors Publisher
1 1892 The pilots of Pomona: a story of the Orkney Islands London: Blackie & Son
2 1893 The thirsty sword: a story of the Norse invasion of Scotland (1262–1263) London: Blackie & Son
3 1894 In the Grip of the Algerine. A historical tale, etc. London: Sunday School Union
4 1894 Wreck of the Golden Fleece. The story of a North Sea fisher-boy, etc. London: Blackie & Son
5 1895 Olaf the Glorious: a historical story of the Viking age, etc. London: Blackie & Son
6 1896 Under the Foeman's Flag: a story of the Spanish Armada, etc. London: Andrew Melrose
7 1910 The golden galleon: being a narrative of the adventures of Master Gilbert Oglander, and of how, in the year 1591 he fought under the gallant Sir Richard Grenville in the great sea-fight off Flores, on board Her Majesty's ship The Revenge London: Blackie and Son
8 1898 Convict 99: a true story of penal servitude Marie Connor London: Grant Richards
9 1898 The splendid stranger: a story of the Monmouth rebellion London: The Sunday School Union
10 1901 In the grip of the Corsair: being the personal narrative of Sir Lester Willoughby, Knight London: Andrew Melrose
11 1901 In the shadow of guilt: a novel Marie Connor London: Grant Richards
12 1902 Cap'n Nat's Treasure: a tale of Old Liverpool, etc. London: S. W. Partridge & Co
13 1902 The Boys of Waveney, etc. London: Grant Richards
14 1903 Fighting fearful odds, or, The temptations of Jack Rodney London: Andrew Melrose
15 1903 In the land of the Ju-Ju: a tale of Benin, the city of blood London: Andrew Melrose
16 1903 The haunted ship: a tale of the Devon smugglers London: Andrew Melrose
17 1903 The Kidnapping of Peter Cray. A story of the South Seas, etc. London: Grant Richards
18 1904 Hurrah! for the Spanish Main: a tale of Drake's third voyage to Darien, etc. London: Andrew Melrose
19 1904 The Other Fellow; or, the Heir from the Colonies, etc. London: Andrew Melrose
20 1905 The boy and his school: what it can and what it cannot give him London: J. Murray
21 1905 The green painted ship London: Andrew Melrose
22 1905 With Nelson in Command: a story of adventure in the battle of the Baltic, etc. London: Andrew Melrose
23 1906 Gipsy Kit; or the man with the tattooed face London: S. W. Partridge & Co
24 1906 Monitor at Megson's. A master, a schoolboy and a secret London: Cassell and Company
25 1907 A bit of a bounder, or, The surreptitious cigarette London: Sunday School Union
26 1907 The new book of the dog London: Cassel and Company
27 1909 Gildersley's Tenderfoot. A story of Redskin and prairie London: C. Arthur Pearson
28 1910 Dogs and all about them London: Cassell and Company
29 1910 Kiddie of the camp: a story of the western prairies London: C. Arthur Pearson
30 1910 My Memoirs. [With an introduction by Robert Leighton, and with illustrations.] Princess Caroline Murat London: Eveleigh Nash
31 1910 The cleverest chap in the school London: Jarrold & Sons
32 1911 Coo-ee!: a story of peril and adventure in the South Seas London: C. Arthur Pearson
33 1911 The kidnapped regiment: a story of 1745 London: Pilgrim Press
34 1911 The perils of Peterkin: a story of adventure in north-west Canada London: Jarrold & Sons
35 1912 Rattlesnake Ranch. A story of adventure in the great North West London: C. Arthur Pearson
36 1912 The bravest boy in the camp: a story of adventure on the western prairies London: Jarrold & Sons
37 1913 Sergeant Silk: the prairie scout London: Jarrold & Sons
38 1915 The red patrol: a story of the North-West Mounted Police London: Jarrold & Sons
39 1916 Dreadnoughts of the Dogger: a story of the war on the North Sea London: Ward, Lock & Co
40 1917 Woolly of the wilds: a story of pluck and adventure in North-West Canada London: Ward, Lock & Co
41 1920 Kiddie the scout London: C. Arthur Pearson
42 1922 The complete book of the dog London: Cassell and Company
43 1922 The white man's trail: a story of adventure and mystery in the Canadian wilds London: C. Arthur Pearson
44 1923 Sea Scout and Savage, etc. London: Ward, Lock & Co
45 1923 The Black Prince of Africa. A sketch for boys, etc. London: United Council for Missionary Education
46 1924 Kiddie the prairie rider London: C. Arthur Pearson
47 1924 Your dog London: Cassell and Company
48 1926 Softfoot of Silver Creek London: Ward, Lock & Co
49 1928 A jewel of the seas London: John F. Shaw
50 1928 The popular Chow Chow: its history, strains, pedigrees, breeding, character and kennel management London: Popular Dogs Pub. Co
51 1929 Who killed lord Luxmore? Marie Connor London: C. Arthur Pearson
52 1930 The Red Shadow [and other tales] London: Collins
53 1932 The Dalmatian and all about it James Saunders Idle, Bradford: Watmoughts Ltd

Further details on long works. The columns PG, IA, HT, and BL indicate if online texts are available at:

Example of illustrations from an adventure story by Leighton

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While still set in a historical tale, The Golden Galleon was more of an adventure story than a history lesson. It was illustrated by William Rainey.[20]

  • Page 48
    Page 48
  • Page 73
    Page 73
  • Page 147
    Page 147
  • Page 191
    Page 191
  • Page 219
    Page 219
  • Page 253
    Page 253
  • Page 300
    Page 300
  • Page 342
    Page 342

Shorter works

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Leighton published both short stories and serials in publications such as Cheer, Boys, Cheer, Boys Realm, Boys Herald, Comic Cuts, Chums, and Scout.

Death

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Leighton died age 75 in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire on 11 May 1934. He was survived by his widow, daughter and a son. His estate was valued at only £286.[21]

Notes

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  1. ^ Marie's daughter Clare wrote a biography of her mother entitled Tempestuous Petticoat. In this she describes how her mother told her children that she had her first love affair, with a married father of eight children, a window-cleaner, when she was ten years of age (p.39). Her parents packed her off to a convent in France where she fell in love with the Mother Superior and the Priest and became a devout Catholic.[6]
  2. ^ Originally spelt Treglown.
  3. ^ Baptised Clare Marie Veronica Leighton on 26 May 1898,[13]} she was also known as Clare Ellaline Hope Leighton and Clare Veronica Hope Leighton
  4. ^ Library Hub Discover is a database collating 161 UK and Irish academic, national & specialist library catalogues.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Bayne, T. W.; Couper, Sarah (8 October 2009). "Leighton, Robert (1822–1869)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/16403. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 5 April 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ a b Sutherland, John (1989). The Stanford Companion to Victorian Fiction. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-1528-7. Retrieved 5 August 2020 – via The Internet Archive.
  3. ^ "Statutory registers – Births – Search results". ScotlandsPeople. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  4. ^ "1858: Leighton Statutory registers – Births – 578/380". ScotlandsPeople. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Famous Book Romance". Liverpool Echo (Wednesday 30 May 1934): 5. 30 May 1934.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Leighton, Clare (1947). Tempestuous Petticoat. New York: Rinehard & Co., Inc. Retrieved 8 April 2020 – via The Internet Archive.
  7. ^ "New Novels". The Graphic (Saturday 4 October 1884): 23. 4 October 1884.
  8. ^ a b Kirk, John Foster (1891). "Connor, Marie". A Supplement To Allibone S Critical Dictionary Of English Literature British And American Authors Vol I. Vol. I. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company. pp. 374. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  9. ^ a b A. & C. Black Ltd. (1967). "Bell, Nancy R. E.". Who Was Who: Volume III: 1929-1940 (2nd ed.). London: Adam and Charles Black. pp. 798–9. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  10. ^ Howard Cox; Simon Mowatt (March 2014). Revolutions from Grub Street: A History of Magazine Publishing in Britain. OUP Oxford. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-19-960163-9.
  11. ^ Mark Bostridge; Paul Berry (25 February 2016). "Two: Roland". Vera Brittain: A Life. Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN 978-0-349-00854-7. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Casualty Details: Leighton, Roland Aubrey". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  13. ^ London Metropopolitan Archives (2010). "Reference Number: p89/ALL1/065: Baptisms solenmized in the Parish of All Saints', St John's Wood, in the county of London in the year eighteen hundred and ninety-eight". London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813–1917. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com. p. 44.
  14. ^ a b Leighton, David (8 August 2008). "Clare Leighton: Her Family Foundations". Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  15. ^ "Naval Men to the Fore". Daily Pictorial (Wednesday 25 June 1930): 18. 25 June 1930.
  16. ^ McMurtry, L. (2009). Books: A Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster.
  17. ^ . Sergeant Silk: the prairie scout. London: Jarrold & Sons
  18. ^ Vivien Allen (1 July 1997). Hall Caine: Portrait of a Victorian Romancer. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 428. ISBN 978-1-84714-168-2.
  19. ^ Leighton, Robert (1892). The Thirsty Sword: a story of the Norse invasion of Scotland (1262–1263). London: Blackie and Son.
  20. ^ Leighton, Robert (1898). The golden galleon: being a narrative of the adventures of Master Gilbert Oglander, and of how, in the year 1591 he fought under the gallant Sir Richard Grenville in the great sea-fight off Flores, on board Her Majesty's ship The Revenge. London: Blackie and Son.
  21. ^ "Wills and Probates 1858–1996: Pages for Leighton and the year of death 1934". Find a Will Service. p. 75. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
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