Mr. Vane Ireton Shaftesbury St.John —

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On Jan 28, 1875, Vane married, secondly, Margaret Annette Chilcott, (b.Jan 30, 1858, St George’s Place, Walworth Road, St Mary’s Newington), on Jan 28, 1875, in Holborn. Margaret and Charlotte were sisters. Vane and Margaret had 14 children, as follows:

1. Vivian Cecil Vane 1875 married Mary E. Smith, Holborn, 1906, 1 son
2. Rupert Evelyn Bayle 1877 Actor, married Violet Gearing, June1895
3. Clarence Percy de Beaufort 1878 b.West Ham, Horse dealer, married Ellen Margaret Richardson,1910, 4s, 3 d.
4. Beatrice Helen Cornelia 1881 Married Sydney Viner, Camberwell, 1915
5. Algernon Sidney 1882 Reader on a Newspaper.,Warehouseman, 1901.
6. Gladys Sylvia 1884, Jun, died at birth, Lewisham
7. Daisy Gabrielle 1885 b. Camberwell, died aged 1
8. Reginald Aubrey 1886 b. Epping, died aged 3.
9. Daisy Gabrielle II 1889 b. Thanet, died aged 1
10. Zoe Marguerite Andre 1890 b. Thanet, married (i) Arthur Ware Lane, (killed in action, 1917) and had issue:

In addition to Vane’s 21 children, resulting from his two successive marriages, he also fathered four other children by Mary Ann Barry. The first three of these children were formally registered by Vane himself, his name appearing as the father. Mary Ann was shown as St John, formerly Barry. The details on the certificates are as follows:

1. Montague Mildmay Apr 25, 1868,
2. Millie Mar 19, 1870,
3. Daisy Sep 16, 1871

In 1871, Vane and Mary Ann were in Greenwich, with Montague and Millie By 1873, Mary Ann had a further daughter, Mary, who did not survive , but no certificate has been found. Mary Ann died, June 24, 1873, from “accidental haemorrage during premature labour”. She was aged 22, and the certificate shows her as Mary Ann St John, wife of Vane Ireton St John, author. . Vane was then married to his first wife, who died in 1874. When, in January 1875, Vane married Margaret Chilcott, she, still not quite 17, would have been faced with six surviving children from the first marriage, possibly as well as Mary Ann’s three children, and was already expecting the first of her many children, Vivian Cecil Vane, who arrived in August 1875. The burden must have been very great: Mary Ann’s children were put in the workhouse. Although initially registered as being Vane’s children i.e., as St Johns, they were admitted under the surname of their mother, Barry. West Ham Poor Law Union was a workhouse that catered for seven Essex parishes. It was founded May 31, 1836, overseen by an elected Board of 24 guardians, replacing the Parish Workhouse set up by Walthamstow in 1726. Carved over the original entrance were the words “ If any would not work, neither should he eat”. Originally for 30-40 inmates, it grew steadily and, by 1864, a 200-bed infirmary had been added. The 1881 census for the West Ham workhouse includes the following entries:

1. Montague Barry 13 M Inmate Scholar Mddx
2. Montague Milly Barry 11 F Inmate Scholar Mddx
3. Montague Daisy Barry 10 F Inmate Scholar Mddx
4. Mary was not registered, as she died at birth when her mother died

In addition, although her birth was apparently not registered, a daughter, Grace Jessie, was born in Islington, probably Sep 9, 1862, to Mary Jane Taylor, who was enumerated with Vane in the 1861 census, as lodgers, at 35, Scylla Street, Clerkenwell, Both are aged 22. Eliza Catherine, Vane’s legal wife, was in Tottenhm Court. Pancras, with Vane jnr.aged 3, and Violet, aged 1. Grace first appears, aged 9, as Grace Jessie St John, stepdaughter, in the census of 1871, in the household of Charles Joseph Chalk, who Mary Jane had married in the interim. Charles Chalk later emigrated to America, changing his name to Harrison, and it is to Rex Harrison, his great grandson, now in Australia, that I am indebted for much of this information. In 1885, Grace Jessie married Thomas Saxton, recording the name of her father as Shaftesbury St John, gentleman. They had one son, Douglas St John Saxton. Thomas Saxton was a civil engineer, and he and Grace travelled all over the world. Photographs of Grace in her house at Stamford Hill, and cycling in Australia, give an impression of comfortable prosperity. Grace died in November 1936, aged 73: Thomas Saxton survived until Jan 1951, aged 87. This brings the grand total to 26 children, though at least six died as infants.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Vane St. John

One of the most sought-after penny dreadfuls published by the Newsagents Publishing Company (NPC), The Wild Boys of London is the subject of a review by my mate John Adcock at his Oliver Oyl blog. Having never read it, I can't comment with any authority that John's notion that Vane St. John was the (anonymous) author but I will say that he's read an awful lot of these things and is probably right more often than he is wrong.

The Wild Boys of London ran for 105 penny numbers between 1864 and 1866 and designed to be bound in two volumes of 45 and 60 numbers. Collector of penny bloods A. E. Waite would comment many years later that "The story has no plot, but it confesses from the beginning to a purpose, which is to prove that 'there is hope for those who are born in the lowest depths.' Whether it emerges is another question, but it is innocent enough at least, amidst all its murderous scenes and all its reek and stew; there are no seductions and vice is always vice."

John also notes in passing that St. John was "probably the principal writer on The Boy Detectives but halfway through the book there is a change of writers." The Boy Detective; or, The Crimes of London was another "classic" from NPC, published in 71 numbers in 1865-66. John Springhall (in Victorian Studies, Winter 1990), attributes the story to Edward Ellis but it seems something of an unconvincing stab in the dark.

Anyway, this all seems like a good excuse to dig out my notes on the amazing Vane St. John.

Born in Edmonton on 19 August 1838, the son of journalist James Augustus John and his wife Eliza Caroline Agar (nee Hansard) who were to have 11 children. Amongst his elder brothers were authors Percy St. John, Bayle St. John and Horace St. John and diplomat Sir Spenser St. John.

Vane Ireton Shaftesbury St. John worked as a clerk for the Inland Revenue before taking up writing full time. His earliest known novel, St. Eustace; or, The Hundred-and-One was published in 1857, followed by Undercurrents (1860) and The Chain of Destiny (1862). Although he would later become better known as a prolific author for boys, his early stories and serials appeared in the likes of Parlour Library, Reynolds’s Miscellany (‘William Shakespeare’ (1862), ‘The World’s Verdict’ and ‘The Lass of Richmond Hill’ (both 1863)) and Every Week (‘In Spite of the World; or, The Physician’s Secret’ (1862)).

St. John penned one of the opening serials for Edwin Brett’s The Boys of England, ‘Who Shall be Leader?’ (1866-67), and followed it in rapid succession with other popular yarns such as ‘He Would Be a Sailor’ (1867) and ‘Wait Till I’m a Man!’ (1867-68); he also penned the opening series for Brett’s second title, Young Men of Great Britain in January 1868, ‘The Night Guard; or, The Secret of the Five Masks’, plus later stories such as ‘The Rightful Heir’ (1868) and ‘By the Queen’s Command; or, The Mystery of the Seventh Stair’ (1869). Other stories from this period include ‘The King’s Terror’ and ‘The Phantom Inn’.

In the 1870s, St. John was writing for the Emmett brothers papers such as The Sons of Britannia (‘The Young Jockey’ (1872), ‘Tom, the Link Boy of Old London’ (1873), ‘Rattling Tom of Cork’ (1876)) and The Young Briton (‘The Haunted School; or, The Secret of Gayford Manor’ (1872), ‘Jack O’ the Mint; or, A Hundred Years Ago’ (1873), ‘Benjamin Badluck’s Schooldays’ (1874), ‘Astrella, the Reader of the Stars’ (1875), ‘Tom O’ the Reef; or, The Wreckers of Dead Man’s Bay’ (1875)); for The Young Englishman he wrote ‘Pat O’ the Hills; or, The Wreckers of Bantry Bay’ (1873), ‘The Queen’s Page; or, The Midnight Signal’ (1873), and ‘Tim Ne’er do Well’ (1873).

By 1879 he was writing for Ralph Rollington’s Boy’s World: ‘Disinherited’, ‘Born to Victory’ (both 1879), ‘That Larry of Ours’ and ‘Fearless and Free’ (both 1880).

Of these, his best known are probably his stories of Irish life such as 'That Lad of Ours' and 'Pat o' the Hills' and the story 'Tom, The Link Boy of Old London' which introduced Sweeney Todd as a secondary character. He was probably also the author of the grotesque fairy tale, ‘Catch-me-who-can’.

According to Rollington (James W. Allingham), Vane St. John had a large family and was constantly in debt. Along with his friend Walter Viles he once wired Rollington from Margate requesting money and, when Rollington arrived he discovered them pinned up in sheets because they had both pawned their clothes and had not left their room for two days while they churned out stories to raise enough money to get their suits back. Rollington quotes St. John as saying, “The sun always shines more brilliantly before the storm. Some people are pessimistic and go through the world as if they were looking for trouble. For my part I try to get all the happiness out of life that can be extracted from it.”

Vane St. John is said to have been an editor of Young Men of Great Britain for a time and of Shurey’s Pals (1893)

Like so many of the Victorian boys' authors, he lived carelessly and died penniless. He lived at 53 Scylla Road, Peckham South, Camberwell, London, and died on 20 December 1911. He was buried at Camberwell Old Cemetary.

St. John was married twice and had at least 27 children by his wives and two mistresses, although many of them died young. With Eliza Catherine Middleton (married 25 April 1857), he had Vane Ireton Hampden (1858-1898), Violet Constance (1860- ), Ethel Evangeline (1862- ), Florence Genevieve (1864- ), Henry Bolinbroke, Edwin Charles (1868?- ), Harold Edgar (1870- , later a printer’s reader and press assistant).

After Eliza’s death in 1874, St. John married Margaret Chilcott on 28 January 1875, and had 15 (or 16) children: Vivian Cecil Vane (1875- ), Rupert Evelyn Bayle (1877- , later a bookseller’s assistant, sewing machine salesman and actor), Beatrice M. O. C. (1880-1881), Clarence Percy de Beaufort, Beatrice Helen Cornelia (1881- ), Algernon Sidney (1882- , later a warehouseman at a cotton factory and reader on a newspaper), Gladys Sylvia (1884-1884), Daisy Gabrielle (1885-1886?), Reginald Aubrey (1886-1889?), Daisy Gabrielle (1889-1890?), Zoe Marguerite Andree (1890-1974), Dorothy Evelyn (1892- ), Lionel Aubrey Julian (1893- ), Gabriel Esme Ireton (1896- ) and Reginald Lancelot C. (1898- ). [Another possible son, Isaac, was born in 1896/7^[1].^[2]

His four children by Mary Ann Barry (who died in 1873) were Montague Mildmay (1868- ), Millie (1870- ), Daisy (1871- ) and Mary; by Mary Jane Taylor he had Grace Jessie (1900- ).

[By kind permission of Steve Holland — see bearalley.blogspot.com]

Excerpted^[1] from "A NEW ERA OF BOYS’ PAPERS".

---

To Edwin J. Brett, must be given the credit of producing a new and original style of Boys’ Papers.

When “The Boys of England” first made its appearance in 1866, it went with such a rush, that it was difficult for newsagents to get their supplies. The boys were so eager to obtain it that other publishers seized the opportunity of producing journals got up on similar lines. A year later (1867), W. L. Emmett brought out “The Young Englishman’s Journal.”

Then Edwin Brett produced “Young Men of Great Britain,” (1868) and Emmett replied by issuing “The Young Gentlemen of Britain,” in the same year.

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The rivalry between the two houses was exceptionally keen. I was personally acquainted with most of the writers connected with the above journals, which included such famous names as Percy B. St. John, (pronounced Sinjen,) his brother Vane St. John, James Greenwood, (“The Amateur Casual,”) E. Harcourt Burrage, and Bracebridge Hemyng; all these writers, a few years later contributed to my own journals. “The Boy’s World,” “Our Boys’ Paper,” “The New Boys’ Paper,” and “The Boy’s Pocket Library.”

The list of writers engaged on Brett’s papers also include Captain Mayne Reid, Charles Stevens, and Stephen Hayward, but unfortunately I did not have the pleasure of their acquaintance, though I appreciate the brilliant stories they penned.

TALES ABOUT AUTHORS OF BOYS’ STORIES.

The name of Vane St. John brings to my mind many amusing incidents in his somewhat chequered career. In writing about him I must necessarily introduce the names of many authors and artists, as he may fairly be termed one of the leading characters in the drama.

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It was in the spring of the year 1880, when James Greenwood (The Amateur Casual), was writing a story for Volume II. of “The Boy’s World,” entitled “Homeless Jack, or Adrift in London,” W. H. G. Kingston was also penning a story entitled “Dick Cheveley,” and I was engaged on “Ralph Rollington at Sea,” when I made arrangements with Vane St. John to write an Irish Story.

After some discussion he gave me a rough out-line of the plot.

“That will do splendidly Vane,” I exclaimed. “Put plenty of humour into it, for the boys like fun. Let every line palpitate with excitement.”

“By the way,” I added, “What title are you giving it?”

“A splendid title,” he said, enthusiastically. “ ‘That Larry of Ours or The Brave Boys’ of Leitrim, a story of Irish Life,’ and if it don’t send up the sale of ‘The Boys’ World,’ by leaps and bounds, I’ll eat my hat.”

“Don’t trouble to do that Vane, for I haven’t any desire to bury you.”

Stepping a little closer to the desk at which I

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was sitting, he whispered something mysteriously into my ear.

“What, already, my boy?” I exclaimed, with an assumed air of astonishment.

“I’m sure it will be for the good of the paper, and it will spur me on to big things,” he pleaded.

“I’ll commence it this very night—got a lot of trouble at home—three of the kiddies ill.”

“Three!” I repeated, dubiously.

“Yes, and that’s only a third of them.” However, he got what he wanted—something on account. I’ve known Vane when he was earning twelve pounds weekly with his pen, and even then he was always in debt and worried by money lenders.

These money sharks would hang round the offices when he had to draw his money on pay-day and they never left him until they got their pound of flesh, notwithstanding his ingenious efforts to circumvent them.

It was in the summer of the year that I am writing about (1880), when he was staying at Margate, with his bosom chum Walter Viles, who under the nom-de-plume of “Brenchley [sic] Beaumont,”

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penned “Warwick,” “Brave and Bold,” “Boadicea,” and many other stirring stories which were published in “The Boy’s World,” that I had occasion to write to the two merry authors concerning their ‘copy,’ which had not arrived.

A prompt reply came in the shape of a telegram, stating that the two authors were in great trouble and in bed. “Please wire five pounds.”

I had a shrewd suspicion that something was wrong, and started for Margate the following morning. I wasted no time, and made direct for the modest lodging where they were staying, and enquired for Mr. St. John and Mr. Viles.

A buxom landlady with a weather-beaten but pleasant face slowly opened the door, and hesitatingly informed me that the two dear gentlemen occupying her ‘first-floor-front’ were in bed and could not be seen.

“Oh! they will see me if you will kindly give them this card,” I said.

“But they can’t, sir. They cannot possibly leave their room.”

“Why not? Are they ill?” I enquired.

“No, they are not exactly ill, sir, but they’ve

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pawned all their clothes. First one thing went and then another, and yesterday I even had to take their trousers, and that’s the last thing they’ve got. Poor gentlemen, I quite pity them, and yet they are so happy. Do you know, sir, by their talk one would imagine them to be millionaires. They smoke big cigars, and drink iced claret and Guinness’s stout all day long, but they haven’t had any these last two days “

I went up stairs, and when I entered their ‘combined-room’ which reeked of stale tobacco smoke and beer, they were both sitting at a small table busily writing—pinned up in sheets.

They certainly presented a most comical appearance, and a scene I shall never forget. Their laughter was as loud and as long as my own.

Both poor fellows have since passed over to the majority, otherwise I should not have told the story, though if they were alive no one would have enjoyed listening to it more than themselves.

Vane and Viles took an optimistic view of life, looking only at the bright side of everything; never troubling about the future; they were generous and good hearted to a fault.

Money matters were now arranged, and an hour

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or so later, my two friends Vane St. John and Walter Viles blossomed out in fashionably cut blue serge suits, white straw hats, and white boots.

When we returned to our lodgings and replenished the commissariat department, the landlady looked on for some time in mute astonishment, at last she exclaimed. “What a change!”

It was certainly a marvellous change from gloom and impecuniosity to peace and plenty.

“I told you, Mrs. Jones,” said Vane, addressing the landlady. “The sun always shines more brilliantly after the storm. Some people are pessimistic and go through the world as if they were looking for troubles. For my part I try to get all the happiness out of life that can be extracted from it.”

“I perfectly agree with the old boy,” chimed in Viles, enthusiastically. “I am certainly small of statute but have an enormous capacity for the good things of this life. If I’m not happy its not for want of trying to be.”

And then the little man, for he was a little man, passed a hand through his long black hair and burst into the following refrain:—

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“Come let us be happy together,

For where there’s a will there’s a way,

Let the heart be as light as a feather,

And maxims like mine have their sway.

Be kind, its the way to meet kindness, if not,

What’s the use of regret;

Rail not at the world for its blindness,

But pity, forgive, and forget.”

As I watched him singing, the thought flashed across my mind what an incongruity it seemed that such a little man should be the Author of “Warwick” the great Kingmaker, and “Boadicea” the great Queen.

“Now, Mr. Rollington,” he said, addressing me, as the landlady placed a hot smoking salmon on the table, “both Mr. St. John and myself wish to express our sincere thanks for your welcome visit, which has produced such satisfactory financial results, and we trust that you will extend your stay until the end of the season. We shall be delighted if you will give us your decision on this point.”

“Gentlemen,” I replied, “the salmon is on the table and I will not detain you long under the circumstances, unfortunately, I am unable to avail myself of your kind offer. However, I wish to

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state that I have wired to several literary friends, including Jack Harkaway, George Emmett, Ernest Brent, George Emmett’s brother, Charlton, Harry Emmett (author of “A True British Sailor Boy”), Frank Stainforth (author of “From Pole to Pole”), James Greenwood, Gerald Whiting (author of “The Golden Skull”), John Holloway (author of that popular military story, “Drummer Boy Dick”), Robert Prowse, our clever artist, and William Meesum, the wood engraver, to meet me here next Saturday. Dinner at six o’clock.

“Your landlady has informed me that she can accommodate twenty persons to dinner in her two large rooms which are connected with folding doors. I sincerely hope that you two gentlemen will be able to join us.”

“We will,” they both shouted.

“Then the matter is practically settled, so now let us get on with the banquet.”

I left my two friends the following morning and was soon back in London, busy with my editorial duties.