Flora Thompson
Encyclopedia
Flora Jane Thompson was an English
novelist and poet
famous for her semi-autobiographical
trilogy
about the English countryside, Lark Rise to Candleford
.
in northeast Oxfordshire
, the eldest of six children of Albert and Emma Timms, a stonemason and nursemaid respectively. Her favourite brother, Edwin, was killed near Ypres in 1916. Flora was educated at the parish school in Cottisford
.
Flora worked in various post offices in southern England. The first of these was Fringford
, a village about 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Bicester
. Flora started work here in 1891, as assistant to the postmistress, Mrs. Kezia Whitton. Among other post offices where Flora worked was that at Grayshott
in Hampshire and Yateley
in Hampshire
, and she later moved to Bournemouth
. In 1903 she married John William Thompson at Twickenham Parish Church, with whom she had a daughter, Winifred Grace (1903) and two sons, Henry Basil (1909) and Peter Redmond (1918) (later lost at sea in 1941).
, in 1907. Not long after, in 1911, she won an essay competition in The Ladies Companion for a 300-word essay about Jane Austen
. She later wrote extensively, publishing short stories
and magazine and newspaper articles. She was a keen self-taught naturalist
and many of her nature articles were anthologised in 1986.
Her most famous works are the Lark Rise to Candleford
trilogy, which she sent as essays to Oxford University Press
in 1938 and which were published soon after. She wrote a sequel Heatherley which was published posthumously. The books are a fictionalised, if autobiographical, social history
of rural English life in the late 19th and early 20th century and are now considered minor classics.
, Devon
and is buried at Longcross Cemetery, Dartmouth, Devon
. In 1948, her final work, Still Glides the Stream, was published posthumously.
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...
novelist and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
famous for her semi-autobiographical
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
about the English countryside, Lark Rise to Candleford
Lark Rise to Candleford
Lark Rise to Candleford is a trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels about the countryside of north-east Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England, at the end of the 19th century. They were written by Flora Thompson and first published together in 1945...
.
Early life and family
She was born in Juniper HillJuniper Hill
Juniper Hill is a hamlet in the civil parish of Cottisford in Oxfordshire. Juniper Hill is just over south of Brackley in neighbouring Northamptonshire....
in northeast Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, the eldest of six children of Albert and Emma Timms, a stonemason and nursemaid respectively. Her favourite brother, Edwin, was killed near Ypres in 1916. Flora was educated at the parish school in Cottisford
Cottisford
Cottisford is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about south of Brackley in neighbouring Northamptonshire. The parish's northern and northwestern boundaries form part of the boundary between the two counties...
.
Flora worked in various post offices in southern England. The first of these was Fringford
Fringford
Fringford is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about northeast of Bicester. The parish is bounded to the east by the Roman road that linked Alchester Roman Town with Roman Towcester, to the south by a brook that joins the River Bure, to the north mostly by a brook that is a tributary of...
, a village about 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Bicester
Bicester
Bicester is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and...
. Flora started work here in 1891, as assistant to the postmistress, Mrs. Kezia Whitton. Among other post offices where Flora worked was that at Grayshott
Grayshott
Grayshott is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is located on the Hampshire / Surrey border 2.4 miles northwest of Haslemere, approximately one hour by road from central London....
in Hampshire and Yateley
Yateley
Yateley is a suburban town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. It lies in the north-eastern corner of Hart District Council. It includes the settlements of Frogmore and Darby Green. It had a population of 21,011 according to the 2001 census...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, and she later moved to Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
. In 1903 she married John William Thompson at Twickenham Parish Church, with whom she had a daughter, Winifred Grace (1903) and two sons, Henry Basil (1909) and Peter Redmond (1918) (later lost at sea in 1941).
Literary output
Flora benefited from good access to books when the public library opened in WintonWinton, Dorset
Winton is a suburb of Bournemouth in Dorset, England. It lies approximately north of Bournemouth town centre, along Wimborne Road .-History:...
, in 1907. Not long after, in 1911, she won an essay competition in The Ladies Companion for a 300-word essay about Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
. She later wrote extensively, publishing short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
and magazine and newspaper articles. She was a keen self-taught naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and many of her nature articles were anthologised in 1986.
Her most famous works are the Lark Rise to Candleford
Lark Rise to Candleford
Lark Rise to Candleford is a trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels about the countryside of north-east Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England, at the end of the 19th century. They were written by Flora Thompson and first published together in 1945...
trilogy, which she sent as essays to Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
in 1938 and which were published soon after. She wrote a sequel Heatherley which was published posthumously. The books are a fictionalised, if autobiographical, social history
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
of rural English life in the late 19th and early 20th century and are now considered minor classics.
Death
The death of her son during the Second World War affected her deeply and overshadowed the final years of her life. Flora Thompson died in 1947 of a heart attack in BrixhamBrixham
Brixham is a small fishing town and civil parish in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Brixham is at the southern end of Torbay, across the bay from Torquay, and is a fishing port. Fishing and tourism are its major industries. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and is buried at Longcross Cemetery, Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
. In 1948, her final work, Still Glides the Stream, was published posthumously.
Novels
- Lark Rise (1939)
- Over to Candleford (1941)
- Candleford Green (1943)
- Lark Rise to CandlefordLark Rise to CandlefordLark Rise to Candleford is a trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels about the countryside of north-east Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England, at the end of the 19th century. They were written by Flora Thompson and first published together in 1945...
(1945, above three novels published as a trilogy) - Still Glides the Stream (1948, published posthumously)
- Heatherley (sequel to Lark Rise to CandlefordLark Rise to CandlefordLark Rise to Candleford is a trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels about the countryside of north-east Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England, at the end of the 19th century. They were written by Flora Thompson and first published together in 1945...
written c.1944 - published posthumously first in A Country Calendar 1979 along with some Peverel Papers and some poems; then as single volume 1998) - Gates of Eden (serialised in The Peverel Monthly edited by Flora in the late 1920s but never published as a separate volume)
Nature articles
- The Peverel Papers (Abridged version published 1986; Complete version published 2008)