John Layard
Encyclopedia
John Willoughby Layard was an English
anthropologist
and psychologist
.
, son of the essayist and literary writer George Somes Layard. He grew up first at Malvern
, and in c 1902 moved to Bull's Cliff, Felixstowe
. He was educated at Bedales School
. In Suffolk he fell under the influence of his aunt, the poetess and archaeologist Nina Frances Layard
, who had become established in Ipswich
in 1889. With his mother Eleanor he occasionally assisted Nina Layard in her searches for palaeoliths in the Ipswich area, and through her was introduced to Professor A. C. Haddon of Cambridge. She also had direct contacts with Professors William Ridgeway
and McKenny Hughes
, and with Dr Duckworth. Her companion, Mary Outram (granddaughter of Sir James Outram), was a cousin of Baron Anatole von Hügel
, who was then setting up the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the Downing Street site, to which John later contributed largely. John studied in Germany in around 1909-10, and was provided by his aunt with an introduction to Dr Leopold Pfeiffer, the Imperial Surgeon, who had written a work of palaeoethnography and greeted him warmly in homage to aunt Nina's work and hospitality.
, and gained a degree in modern languages, but through his contacts became interested in anthropology. In 1914 he accompanied W. H. R. Rivers
, one of the leading anthropologists of the day, on an expedition to the New Hebrides
(what is today Vanuatu
). Layard travelled with his mentor Rivers. They were accompanied by Professor A. C. Haddon and his students, A. R. Radcliffe-Brown and Bronisław Malinowski. Layard and Rivers travelled through the New Hebrides before stopping at Atchin, a small islet off the northeastern shore of Malekula.
The indigenous inhabitants gave them a rather cold reception at first, and Rivers decided to continue travelling while Layard stayed for a year immersing himself in the culture, learning and documenting the vernacular language, and recording myths, legends and oral history. This was a society in which monoliths and standing stones formed part of the cultural material, and Layard's interest clearly had some roots in his aunt's investigations. Prior to this time, anthropologists tended to survey many cultures over the course of expeditions and did not spend long periods of time staying in one place and learning about a single culture. Layard in Atchin and his contemporary Bronisław Malinowski in the Trobriand Islands
of New Guinea were the first modern anthropologists to use what is today called participant observation
methods in ethnographic research.
This, however, reached a new crisis, and he returned to England, to Oxford, where he became part of the circle of Mansfield Forbes. Here he met Doris, then the wife of the anthropologist and psychic investigator Eric Dingwall (c.1891-1986). John and Doris were later married.
Many specimens of artefacts from Vanuatu were sent by Layard to the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge
, and others (including a penis-gourd) were sent to his aunt Nina, who duly presented them to the Ipswich Museum
(where they may be seen). The original glass-plate negatives (more than 400 images) taken by the anthropologist are also held by the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge.
As well as undergoing psychotherapy, he began to study and work with Jung. This influenced his later work.
.
His son is Richard Layard
.
in bislama language: John Layard long Malakula 1914-1915, 2009. Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
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...
anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and psychologist
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
.
Early life
Layard was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, son of the essayist and literary writer George Somes Layard. He grew up first at Malvern
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
, and in c 1902 moved to Bull's Cliff, Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
. He was educated at Bedales School
Bedales School
Bedales School is a co-educational independent school situated in Hampshire, in the south east of England. Founded in 1893 by John Haden Badley in reaction to the limitations of conventional Victorian schools, today the school is one of the most expensive in the UK, charging £9,985 per term for a...
. In Suffolk he fell under the influence of his aunt, the poetess and archaeologist Nina Frances Layard
Nina Frances Layard
Nina Frances Layard was an English poetess, prehistorian, archaeologist and antiquary who made many important discoveries, and by winning the respect of contemporary academics helped to establish a role for women in her field of expertise...
, who had become established in Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
in 1889. With his mother Eleanor he occasionally assisted Nina Layard in her searches for palaeoliths in the Ipswich area, and through her was introduced to Professor A. C. Haddon of Cambridge. She also had direct contacts with Professors William Ridgeway
William Ridgeway
Sir William Ridgeway was a classical scholar and the Disney Professor of Archaeology at Cambridge University....
and McKenny Hughes
Thomas McKenny Hughes
Thomas McKenny Hughes was a Welsh geologist. He was Woodwardian Professor of Geology at Cambridge University.-Private life:...
, and with Dr Duckworth. Her companion, Mary Outram (granddaughter of Sir James Outram), was a cousin of Baron Anatole von Hügel
Anatole von Hügel
Anatole von Hügel was the second son of the Austrian nobleman Charles von Hügel and his Scottish wife Elizabeth Farquharson. His elder brother was Friedrich von Hügel....
, who was then setting up the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the Downing Street site, to which John later contributed largely. John studied in Germany in around 1909-10, and was provided by his aunt with an introduction to Dr Leopold Pfeiffer, the Imperial Surgeon, who had written a work of palaeoethnography and greeted him warmly in homage to aunt Nina's work and hospitality.
University, and the New Hebrides
John attended King's College, CambridgeKing's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
, and gained a degree in modern languages, but through his contacts became interested in anthropology. In 1914 he accompanied W. H. R. Rivers
W. H. R. Rivers
William Halse Rivers Rivers, FRCP, FRS, was an English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist and psychiatrist, best known for his work with shell-shocked soldiers during World War I. Rivers' most famous patient was the poet Siegfried Sassoon...
, one of the leading anthropologists of the day, on an expedition to the New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
(what is today Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
). Layard travelled with his mentor Rivers. They were accompanied by Professor A. C. Haddon and his students, A. R. Radcliffe-Brown and Bronisław Malinowski. Layard and Rivers travelled through the New Hebrides before stopping at Atchin, a small islet off the northeastern shore of Malekula.
The indigenous inhabitants gave them a rather cold reception at first, and Rivers decided to continue travelling while Layard stayed for a year immersing himself in the culture, learning and documenting the vernacular language, and recording myths, legends and oral history. This was a society in which monoliths and standing stones formed part of the cultural material, and Layard's interest clearly had some roots in his aunt's investigations. Prior to this time, anthropologists tended to survey many cultures over the course of expeditions and did not spend long periods of time staying in one place and learning about a single culture. Layard in Atchin and his contemporary Bronisław Malinowski in the Trobriand Islands
Trobriand Islands
The Trobriand Islands are a 450 km² archipelago of coral atolls off the eastern coast of New Guinea. They are situated in Milne Bay Province in Papua New Guinea. Most of the population of 12,000 indigenous inhabitants live on the main island of Kiriwina, which is also the location of the...
of New Guinea were the first modern anthropologists to use what is today called participant observation
Participant observation
Participant observation is a type of research strategy. It is a widely used methodology in many disciplines, particularly, cultural anthropology, but also sociology, communication studies, and social psychology...
methods in ethnographic research.
Introduction to psychotherapy
John's brother Peter Clement Layard served in France and was killed in 1918. On his return to England, John was mentally exhausted and underwent several attempts to alleviate his troubles through psychotherapy. These were unfortunate in various ways. His first analyst, Homer Lane, was arrested for having a relationship with a female patient. Subsequent work (which served also as a training for Layard in his own exploration of his psyche, and his attempts to make sense of his experiences) took place in England, in Vienna (in 1926), and then in Berlin, where he joined the circle of David Ayerst and his English literary friends.This, however, reached a new crisis, and he returned to England, to Oxford, where he became part of the circle of Mansfield Forbes. Here he met Doris, then the wife of the anthropologist and psychic investigator Eric Dingwall (c.1891-1986). John and Doris were later married.
Stone Men of Malekula
John returned to anthropology, producing in 1942 his magnum opus, Stone Men of Malekula. This was originally planned to be the first of a three volume series on the "small islands of Malekula," Vao, Atchin and Rano. The book ultimately was the only monographic treatment of Layard's New Hebridean materials, although he continued to analyze and write about it in numerous publications in psychoanalytic journals.Many specimens of artefacts from Vanuatu were sent by Layard to the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge
The MAA : Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge houses the University's collections of local antiquities, together with archaeological and ethnographic artefacts from around the world...
, and others (including a penis-gourd) were sent to his aunt Nina, who duly presented them to the Ipswich Museum
Ipswich Museum
Ipswich Museum is a registered museum of culture, history and natural heritage located on High Street in Ipswich, the County Town of the English county of Suffolk...
(where they may be seen). The original glass-plate negatives (more than 400 images) taken by the anthropologist are also held by the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge.
Work with Jung
Layard suffered from depression, and shot himself in the head. He survived and was treated by Carl Gustav Jung, in Zurich in the mid-1940s.As well as undergoing psychotherapy, he began to study and work with Jung. This influenced his later work.
Dream analysis and archetypes
In 1944 Layard published a work of dream-analysis, The Lady of the Hare, based upon a series of analytical therapy sessions which he conducted with an English family in 1940. By his account the effect of his therapy was successful in settling the disturbed relationships within the family. The second half of his book explores the images deriving from the dream-work in explicitly Jungian, archetypal terms, dealing in particular with the theme of hare and rabbit sacrifice, and exploring its significance in various world cultures and mythologies.Personal life
In the 1920s, Layard moved in expatriate gay circles in Berlin. He became a mentor to W.H. Auden and Christopher IsherwoodChristopher Isherwood
Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood was an English-American novelist.-Early life and work:Born at Wyberslegh Hall, High Lane, Cheshire in North West England, Isherwood spent his childhood in various towns where his father, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army, was stationed...
.
His son is Richard Layard
Richard Layard
Richard Layard, Baron Layard is a British economist. He was founder-director in 1990 of, and is a current programme director at, the Centre for Economic Performance at the...
.
Sources
- Dictionary of National BiographyDictionary of National BiographyThe Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
- G.S. Layard, Peter Clement Layard (London, John Murray 1919).
- J. Layard, Stone Men of Malekula: Vao (Chatto and Windus, London 1942).
- J. Layard, The Lady of the Hare, A Study in the Healing Power of Dreams (Faber and Faber, London 1944).
- J. Layard, Celtic Quest: Sexuality and Soul in Individuation. Revised Edn. (Spring Publications, 1985). Published posthumously under separate editorship.
- S.J. Plunkett, 'Nina Frances Layard, Prehistorian (1853-1935)', in W. Davies and R. Charles (Eds), Dorothy Garrod and the Progress of the Palaeolithic (Oxbow 1999, 242-262)
- Haidy Geismar and Anita Herle: Moving images. John Layard, fieldwork and photography on Malakula since 1914, Crawford House Publishing Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 2010 ISBN 978-1-86333-3-191
in bislama language: John Layard long Malakula 1914-1915, 2009. Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology