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the experience of reading in Britain, from 1450 to 1945...

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Listings for Author:  

Edgar Castle

 

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Edgar Castle : The English - are they modest?

Meeting held at Fairlight, Denmark Rd.: 21.iii.33

Francis E. Pollard in the Chair.

1. Minutes of last read & approved.


5. Eight anonymous essays were then read. In some of these the subject treated or the style of the author made recognition comparatively easy, but others were provocative of much ingenious speculation. A paper on English Justice proved to be the most discussed during the interval. Rival tipsters gave in confidence the names of Mrs. Stansfield & Robert Pollard as the author, one of them purporting to recognize - or coming perilously close to so doing - Mrs. Stansfield’s opinion of her fellow magistrates, while the other detected just that ingenious combination of Fascism and Bolshevism that Robert Pollard would enjoy putting up for the Club’s mystification. Further conflicting theories attributed the authorship to Henry Marriage Wallis or Howard Smith, & this last proved correct[....]


Another essay which stirred debate told of a medium, a photograph, a Twentieth Century Officer & a suit of medieval armour. It was told with that precision of detail that marks either the experienced writer of fiction or the worshipper of truth. And as if to darken counsel there was an open allusion to Bordighera. Suspicious though we were, & in spite of every appearance of our being right, we adhered to the view that the author must be H. M. Wallis.


Time & space do not allow adequate record of all the papers, but it must be mentioned that three of the eight came from the Rawlings family: a thoughtful essay by Alfred Rawlings needed a second reading if it were to be seriously discussed, some interesting reminiscences by Helen Rawlings made very good hearing, & Moroccan memories by Janet helped to make a most varied programme.

Other essays were "Safety First" by Charles E. Stansfield, and "The English - are they modest? " by Edgar Castle, both of which added some humorous touches to the evening.

A list of essayists, & their readers, follows.

Mrs Castle read a paper by Alfred Rawlings
Janet Rawlings read a paper by Helen Rawlings
Charles Stansfield read a paper by Henry M. Wallis
Reginald Robson read a paper by Howard Smith
George Burrow read a paper by Reginald Robson
Alfred Rawlings read a paper by Edgar Castle
Howard Smith read a paper by Janet Rawlings
Mrs Pollard read a paper by Charles E. Stansfield.

Century: 1900-1945     Reader/Listener/Group: Alfred Rawlings      Manuscript: Unknown

  

Edgar Castle : [Letter to the Secretary of the XII Book Club]

Meeting held at Hillsborough :- 14. 9. 37.

Reginald H. Robson in the Chair.


1. Minutes of last read & approved

2. Charles Stansfield then introduced the momentous question of the evening. Was the Book Club to end its existence? He had felt for some time that it was moribund. [...]


He referred to E. B. Castle who shared his concern and to a letter which he believed had been written to the Secretary by E. B. Castle.

3. The Secretary then read this; it supported the opinions expressed by C. E. Stansfield.


4. The subject was then discussed informally.


[...]

9. We then turned to the work of Barrie. Howard Smith gave us a chat – he would not call it a paper – on the plays he had seen.


[...]

A considerable part of “What every woman knows” was then read in which a number of people took part.

Charles Stansfield appropriately gave a reading from My Lady Nicotine.

Century: 1900-1945     Reader/Listener/Group: Victor Alexander      Manuscript: Letter

  

Edgar and Mignon Castle : [Letter of resignation from the XII Book Club]

'Meeting held at Whinfell, Upper Redlands Rd. 23.10.’37

Alfred Rawlings in the Chair


1. The Secretary asked permission to reserve the reading of some of the minutes until after the literary part of the programme had been taken, as these minutes would bear directly upon the discussion which would necessarily follow as to the future of the Club. This permission was given and the other minutes were then read and approved.


2. Victor Alexander then gave a brief account of the career of William Fryer Harvey, followed by an appreciation and review of “We were Seven” which he had previously written for the Bootham Magazine.


3. Helen Rawlings read several of Harvey’s poems from the volume “Laughter and Ghosts[”].


4. Elizabeth T. Alexander read a chapter from “Caprimulgus”.


5. Frank Pollard read “August Heat” from Midnight House.


6. Janet Rawlings read “Patience” from Quaker Byways.


7. Charles E. Stansfield read two more poems from “Laughter and Ghosts”


8. Howard R. Smith read “The Tortoise” from Midnight House.


9. The Secretary then read the minutes referring to last time’s discussion on the Club’s future, and also two letters of resignation. These were from Edgar and Mignon Castle and from Dorothy Brain.


10. Discussion then followed.'

Century: 1900-1945     Reader/Listener/Group: Victor Alexander      Manuscript: Letter

  

Edgar and Mignon Castle : [Letter of resignation from the XII Book Club]

'Meeting held at Whinfell, Upper Redlands Rd. 23.10.’37

Alfred Rawlings in the Chair


1. The Secretary asked permission to reserve the reading of some of the minutes until after the literary part of the programme had been taken, as these minutes would bear directly upon the discussion which would necessarily follow as to the future of the Club. This permission was given and the other minutes were then read and approved.


2. Victor Alexander then gave a brief account of the career of William Fryer Harvey, followed by an appreciation and review of “We were Seven” which he had previously written for the Bootham Magazine.


3. Helen Rawlings read several of Harvey’s poems from the volume “Laughter and Ghosts[”].


4. Elizabeth T. Alexander read a chapter from “Caprimulgus”.


5. Frank Pollard read “August Heat” from Midnight House.


6. Janet Rawlings read “Patience” from Quaker Byways.


7. Charles E. Stansfield read two more poems from “Laughter and Ghosts”


8. Howard R. Smith read “The Tortoise” from Midnight House.


9. The Secretary then read the minutes referring to last time’s discussion on the Club’s future, and also two letters of resignation. These were from Edgar and Mignon Castle and from Dorothy Brain.


10. Discussion then followed.'

Century: 1900-1945     Reader/Listener/Group: Victor Alexander      Manuscript: Letter

 

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