THOMAS MAYNE REID1818 - 1883
Born in County Down, Ireland he was expected to follow his father into the ministry but instead he chose a life of adventure. In America he was a hunter and trader, actor and journalist, and fought in the American Mexican War. He wrote numerous adventure stories (at the time aimed at boys). In later life he lived near the Forest of Dean, its history inspiring his historical novel set in the Forest during the english Civil War, No Quarter! |
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EARLY LIFE
Thomas Mayne Reid was born in Ballyroney, County Down, (now in Northern Ireland) on 4th April 1818. His father (also named Thomas Mayne Reid) was a Presbyterian minister of Scottish family. Mayne Reid senior was living and working in County Down at the time of his son's birth. Thomas' mother was also of Scottish descent, being a daughter of the Rev Samuel Rutherford. It was expected that Mayne Reid would follow his father into the ministry, and he did study for this career for three years at the Belfast Royal Academical Institution. He eventually decided against entering the profession and instead set out in 1839 for a more adventurous life in America. At around this time, he dropped usage of Thomas, his given Christian name, thereafter being known simply as Mayne Reid.
adventures in america
Certain of the background information regarding Reid’s life during his time in the USA must be viewed with some caution, as details are in general reliant upon the accuracy of his own recall and reportage of events, both within his own writings and within the memoirs written after his death by his widow. Following arrival in America Reid worked in a range of roles and settings, including hunting and trading along the Red River valley, acting with a troupe of travelling players, and, for a few months, taking employment as a personal tutor in Tennessee. It is on record that, in 1845, Reid gained a commission (with the rank of second lieutenant) in the United States Army. He was involved in a number of conflicts within the Mexican American War (1846 -1848), including the Battle of Cherabusco and, most notably, the 20 day siege and capture of the sea port of Vera Cruz. During this conflict Reid received a severe wound in the thigh, something that caused recurrent health problems for the remainder of his life.
When the war ended, Reid sought to engage in new adventures, travelling to Europe with a view to joining a planned uprising in Hungary. However, on arrival in Paris in 1849 he was to learn that this uprising had already failed.
When the war ended, Reid sought to engage in new adventures, travelling to Europe with a view to joining a planned uprising in Hungary. However, on arrival in Paris in 1849 he was to learn that this uprising had already failed.
Becoming a writer
It was whilst in America that Reid began to write, joining the staff of newspapers in varied roles, for example Society Editor at the New York Herald. He also wrote poetry, published in a number of papers and magazines, writing under the pseudonym of ‘The Poor Scholar’. Reid continued to write during his army service, sending reports to a New York publication, The Spirit of the Times. Reid travelled to and settled in England, after which he wrote prolifically, producing an exhaustive series of boys’ adventure stories, some with an element of romance. The majority of these ‘ripping yarns’ take their inspiration from the events and places Reid knew from his travels in the USA and Mexico, whilst others were set in a range of then exotic locations, including the Himalayas, Jamaica and South Africa: all proved highly popular in their day.
success aS AN authorReflecting on his early life, an extract from one of his novels, The Boy Slaves (1865) reads:
“No one who has written books for the young during the present century ever had so large a circle of readers as Captain Mayne Reid, or ever was so well fitted by circumstances to write the books by which he is chiefly known”. At the height of his popularity Reid had a readership on a par with authors who perhaps remain better known in the present day, such as Robert Louis Stephenson. Reid's books were translated into many languages, including Russian. An article published in 1876 (Birmingham Daily Post, 26th May 1876, page 6) stated that Mayne Reid was then the most popular of English authors in that country, with “some half dozen of his novels having been translated and printed in from 3,000 to 4,000 copies”. Many of his novels were also serialised in publications throughout the UK, one example being ‘Gwen Wynn, A Romance of the Wye’ (1877) which was serialised in upwards of 10 provincial papers, including the Sheffield Independent.
health and wealthThe injury he had received whilst serving in the United States army affected his mobility increasingly as he got older, with a number of major health scares associated with infections resulting from the injury. There are newspaper reports of one such illness (Ballymena Observer, 31st October 1874, page 3) which describe him as lying “dangerously ill at his residence in London, and very little hope is entertained of his recovery”. A later report (The Illustrated London News, 6th Feb 1875, page 10) reports that “after eighteen weeks’ serious illness, Captain Mayne Reid still lives, and ….his physicians now entertain good hopes of his recovery”.
Despite his popularity as an author, Reid did experience a number of financial setbacks, including his being declared bankrupt at one point due to him “being unable to obtain payment of the debts due to him and having invested a large sum ….and not having obtained a sufficient mortgage on the same” (Northern Standard, 8th December 1866, page 2) |
BOOKSMayne Reid was a truly prolific author, probably having written more than sixty titles, both fictional and factual. Within his lifetime Reid rewrote certain of these novels, some being reprinted under a new title. The following is a small sample, (a more complete list available here.)
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life and literary links to the forest of dean
In 1875 he rented a cottage, Chasewood, with his wife at Chase Hill, south of Ross on Wye. Between 1877 and 1883 he had moved to a different lease property in the same area, Frogmore, located between Coghton and Pontshill, south of Ross on Wye. Whilst living at Frogmore he completed several further adventure stories, two of which took their inspiration from the history and landscape of the area.
Gwen Wynn, A Romance of the Wye
The first of these, Gwen Wynn, A Romance of the Wye (1877), is the story of a young heiress, who falls into a web of intrigue, whilst courted by a number of more and less desirable characters. Though place names are in the main fictional, readers have been able to identify a number of locations along the course of the River Wye.
The first of these, Gwen Wynn, A Romance of the Wye (1877), is the story of a young heiress, who falls into a web of intrigue, whilst courted by a number of more and less desirable characters. Though place names are in the main fictional, readers have been able to identify a number of locations along the course of the River Wye.
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No Quarter!
The second novel, published in serialised form in his lifetime and in book form several years after his death, was ‘No Quarter!’ (1885). This second book, reprinted by Douglas McLean Publishing (2011) is set in the Forest of Dean, at the time of the English Civil War. The story centres on a fictional family, living in Ruardean. There are numerous references to families and individuals, including Sir John Wintour, who were part of one or other side in the Civil War. Throughout the novel, Reid makes his own beliefs abundantly clear. He is a staunch republican, consistently critical of the monarchists, frequently drawing parallels between the (then) present day political situation and that of the civil war period. The author coincidentally provides the modern reader with an interesting perspective of the industry prevalent in the Forest at the time the book was written, in passages where he contrasts this with the forest as he perceives it having been at the time of the Civil War. [see below publisher Doug McLean's further assessment of the book] |
In both of the above novels Reid includes passages specific to the flora and fauna of the Forest, which was a developing interest of his during his time living in the area. This interest led him also to research and write a number of articles on the subject, some of these later being complied into a book published after his death, entitled ‘The Naturalist in Siluria’ (1886).
A Week's Holiday in the Forest of Dean by John Bellows.
When Bellow's guide to the Forest was published (circa. 1881) it was Mayne Reid he turned to for a written sketch of the natural history of the Forest. In it Reid describes the plants, reptiles, fish, insects, birds, and plants to be found in the area. In this example he describes his own experience with some of the mammals to be found in the area:
When Bellow's guide to the Forest was published (circa. 1881) it was Mayne Reid he turned to for a written sketch of the natural history of the Forest. In it Reid describes the plants, reptiles, fish, insects, birds, and plants to be found in the area. In this example he describes his own experience with some of the mammals to be found in the area:
"As proof sufficient - and to me rather more than satisfactory - the fox and badger prey upon my poultry, assisted in their depredations by the pole-cat, weasel and stoat: while hares and rabbits crop the cabbages in my kitchen garden"
Mayne Reid's interest as a writer in nature also extended to his personal life, leading to his engaging in activities as diverse as planting a Mexican potato (which he believed would be resistant to common crop diseases) and his introducing to his lands a variety of what he described as “a rare and remarkable variety of sheep – viz., jet black in colour, with snow – white faces and tails” (Eddowes Shrewsbury Journal and Salopian Journal, June 26th 1878, page 9). He wished to enter the sheep in an exhibition at Bristol, but was rejected by the Royal Agricultural Society, as they did ‘not belong to any of the ordinary breeds’. This appears to have been the trigger for a ‘correspondence’ ensuing between the author and the bodies involved!
Final years
in 1883 he moved to Maida Hill, West London, due to declining health again related to his old war injury. He died on 22nd October 1883, at his home. Following his funeral on 25th October 1883, he was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery.
Many thanks to volunteer Caroline Prosser-Lodge for her research and writing for this page.
an assessment of mayne reid and no quarter!
By Doug McLean, publisher and founder of The Forest Bookshop, who republished No Quarter! in 2011.
Captain Mayne Reid and the Forest of Dean
Today devotees of English literature, if asked to name eminent Victorian authors, may well include Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, Thomas Hardy, Robert Louis Stevenson and so on, but ‘Captain Mayne Reid’ is unlikely ever to be mentioned. Yet throughout the latter half of the nineteenth-century his books were immensely popular and he was one of the most versatile, influential and prolific writers of that time. The author of over seventy adventure romances, Mayne Reid also wrote poetry, plays, travelogues, natural history guides and a popular book on the game of croquet. His novels were praised for fast-paced narrative, attention to detail and for their skilful blending of sentimentality and sensationalism.
Robert Louis Stevenson and H. Rider Haggard both said Mayne Reid’s books had a direct influence on their work. U.S.A. President, Theodore Roosevelt, wrote: ‘The novels of Mayne Reid together strengthened my instinctive interest in natural history.’ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the Sherlock Holmes stories, was an avid Mayne Reid reader and declares his The Scalp Hunters as his favourite book. D.H. Lawrence has Henry Grenfel, his main character in The Fox reading ‘a Captain Mayne Reid.’
Captain Mayne Reid’s books were translated into many languages and he was once described ‘as the most popular English writer in Russia.’ Anton Chekov mentions him in his short story Boys. Vladimir Nabokov, aged eleven, translated the Russian edition of Reid’s The Headless Horseman into French verse. In fact, Russian editions of Mayne Reid books have remained popular and available to this day.
But curiously, since Reid’s death in 1883, his books in their original language have practically vanished into obscurity, except for rare antiquarian copies.
We know that Reid was a fervent admirer of Jean-Jaques Rousseau whose political philosophy had greatly influenced both the French and the American Revolutions. Reid was also a devotee of Lord Byron, and admired his liberal, radical and humanitarian ideals. A renowned orator himself, Reid regularly lectured upon these political subjects. He was a champion of the underdog; and many of his novels not only reflect his zeal for the abolition of slavery, but also his distaste for authority—especially from monarchies and the Roman Catholic Church of that time.
Thomas Mayne Reid was born in 1818 into a Scottish family at Ballyroney, County Down, Northern Ireland. His father was an eminent Presbyterian clergyman, who encouraged his son to follow in his footsteps. But Thomas, already developing maverick tendencies, had no inclination toward a career in the Church. So aged twenty-one, he sailed away to America, his destination the then burgeoning frontier city of New Orleans.
For the next nine years Reid led an astonishing life of high adventure. His first employment was as a warehouseman, but appalled at the dreadful inhumane treatment of slaves, he left within six months. He then became a private tutor in Nashville, a storekeeper in Mississippi and a trader in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Some of his novels accurately use the Wild West as their background and Reid claimed to have made several trips there during this period of his life, although evidence for this is not strong. He was briefly an unsuccessful actor in Cincinnati and a playwright in Philadelphia where he became friends with the writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe.
Reid had, shall we say, a highly developed imagination and a reputation for telling the occasional tall tale and a penchant for self-aggrandisement. Edgar Allen Poe once mischievously described his friend as:
Robert Louis Stevenson and H. Rider Haggard both said Mayne Reid’s books had a direct influence on their work. U.S.A. President, Theodore Roosevelt, wrote: ‘The novels of Mayne Reid together strengthened my instinctive interest in natural history.’ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the Sherlock Holmes stories, was an avid Mayne Reid reader and declares his The Scalp Hunters as his favourite book. D.H. Lawrence has Henry Grenfel, his main character in The Fox reading ‘a Captain Mayne Reid.’
Captain Mayne Reid’s books were translated into many languages and he was once described ‘as the most popular English writer in Russia.’ Anton Chekov mentions him in his short story Boys. Vladimir Nabokov, aged eleven, translated the Russian edition of Reid’s The Headless Horseman into French verse. In fact, Russian editions of Mayne Reid books have remained popular and available to this day.
But curiously, since Reid’s death in 1883, his books in their original language have practically vanished into obscurity, except for rare antiquarian copies.
We know that Reid was a fervent admirer of Jean-Jaques Rousseau whose political philosophy had greatly influenced both the French and the American Revolutions. Reid was also a devotee of Lord Byron, and admired his liberal, radical and humanitarian ideals. A renowned orator himself, Reid regularly lectured upon these political subjects. He was a champion of the underdog; and many of his novels not only reflect his zeal for the abolition of slavery, but also his distaste for authority—especially from monarchies and the Roman Catholic Church of that time.
Thomas Mayne Reid was born in 1818 into a Scottish family at Ballyroney, County Down, Northern Ireland. His father was an eminent Presbyterian clergyman, who encouraged his son to follow in his footsteps. But Thomas, already developing maverick tendencies, had no inclination toward a career in the Church. So aged twenty-one, he sailed away to America, his destination the then burgeoning frontier city of New Orleans.
For the next nine years Reid led an astonishing life of high adventure. His first employment was as a warehouseman, but appalled at the dreadful inhumane treatment of slaves, he left within six months. He then became a private tutor in Nashville, a storekeeper in Mississippi and a trader in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Some of his novels accurately use the Wild West as their background and Reid claimed to have made several trips there during this period of his life, although evidence for this is not strong. He was briefly an unsuccessful actor in Cincinnati and a playwright in Philadelphia where he became friends with the writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe.
Reid had, shall we say, a highly developed imagination and a reputation for telling the occasional tall tale and a penchant for self-aggrandisement. Edgar Allen Poe once mischievously described his friend as:
" . . . a colossal but most picturesque liar. He fibs on a surprising scale but with the finish of an artist, and that is why I listen to him attentively."
However, his books and writing were always immaculately researched and his descriptions of scenery, flora and fauna accurate to a fault.
In 1846 Reid upped and went to New York, where he enlisted in the newly-formed Union Army New York Volunteer Regiment. He began writing as a war-correspondent, sending his reports to the St. Louis Spirit of the Times. As a soldier, the then lieutenant Reid fought with distinction in the Mexican-American War and was severely wounded in the hip during the bloody storming of Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City. In 1847 he was retired and given the honorary rank of captain.
In 1849, to offer support to the liberal revolutions that had swept Europe, Captain Reid with a band of volunteers set sail for Bavaria. It soon became apparent that he would arrive too late to be effective, so he changed course for England, where he lived for the next eighteen years involving himself in liberal politics and revolutionary causes. In 1853, aged thirty-four, he married fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Hyde, the daughter of his London publisher. They remained devoted to each other for the rest of his life. By this time his career was at its height, he had published several successful novels most of them based on his own adventures in America.
Unfortunately Reid, who was something of a dandy, was recklessly extravagant and wasted his fortune recreating a Mexican hacienda in Buckinghamshire and on starting a London evening newspaper. He had an expensive fondness for dressing immaculately, but eccentrically, and was a familiar sight in his ‘trademark’ Mexican sombrero hat, Norfolk jacket, yellow kid gloves and fine leather boots. Inevitably in 1866 he was declared bankrupt. However, desperate to repay his debts and regain status, he returned to America to re-promote his novels. This was a partial success and within a year was enough to discharge him from bankruptcy.
The Reids had settled in Rhode Island, but his war-wound again became troublesome. In June 1870 he was confined for several months to a mainland hospital where they just managed to save his leg.
In 1846 Reid upped and went to New York, where he enlisted in the newly-formed Union Army New York Volunteer Regiment. He began writing as a war-correspondent, sending his reports to the St. Louis Spirit of the Times. As a soldier, the then lieutenant Reid fought with distinction in the Mexican-American War and was severely wounded in the hip during the bloody storming of Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City. In 1847 he was retired and given the honorary rank of captain.
In 1849, to offer support to the liberal revolutions that had swept Europe, Captain Reid with a band of volunteers set sail for Bavaria. It soon became apparent that he would arrive too late to be effective, so he changed course for England, where he lived for the next eighteen years involving himself in liberal politics and revolutionary causes. In 1853, aged thirty-four, he married fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Hyde, the daughter of his London publisher. They remained devoted to each other for the rest of his life. By this time his career was at its height, he had published several successful novels most of them based on his own adventures in America.
Unfortunately Reid, who was something of a dandy, was recklessly extravagant and wasted his fortune recreating a Mexican hacienda in Buckinghamshire and on starting a London evening newspaper. He had an expensive fondness for dressing immaculately, but eccentrically, and was a familiar sight in his ‘trademark’ Mexican sombrero hat, Norfolk jacket, yellow kid gloves and fine leather boots. Inevitably in 1866 he was declared bankrupt. However, desperate to repay his debts and regain status, he returned to America to re-promote his novels. This was a partial success and within a year was enough to discharge him from bankruptcy.
The Reids had settled in Rhode Island, but his war-wound again became troublesome. In June 1870 he was confined for several months to a mainland hospital where they just managed to save his leg.
The Reids and the Forest of Dean
Elizabeth disliked America, so as soon as her husband was well enough, they returned to England. By now Reid was very disabled and increasingly depressed and was possibly addicted to opiates. Back in England he was again hospitalized, this time in Matlock at a water-cure sanatorium, where he was also treated for ‘acute melancholia.’
Reid’s war-wound continued to distress him and he was unable to walk without crutches. So in 1875 seeking the tranquillity of rural life, the couple leased a house near Ross-on-Wye. About a year later they moved to a small farm near Pontshill on the Herefordshire/Forest of Dean border where they lived for seven years. Here, smitten with the countryside and particularly with the people of the Forest of Dean, he travelled the area in a pony and open carriage, often driving thirty miles in a day. His health gradually improved.
As a keen naturalist, he made copious notes on the flora and fauna; and as an anthropologist, he spent time in getting to know the people of the Forest and Wye Valley. But by now public taste was beginning to change, so even with his tireless work on several writing projects, none really paid off and his financial situation declined. Captain Mayne Reid died in London in October 1883 aged sixty-five. He was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.
Reid’s war-wound continued to distress him and he was unable to walk without crutches. So in 1875 seeking the tranquillity of rural life, the couple leased a house near Ross-on-Wye. About a year later they moved to a small farm near Pontshill on the Herefordshire/Forest of Dean border where they lived for seven years. Here, smitten with the countryside and particularly with the people of the Forest of Dean, he travelled the area in a pony and open carriage, often driving thirty miles in a day. His health gradually improved.
As a keen naturalist, he made copious notes on the flora and fauna; and as an anthropologist, he spent time in getting to know the people of the Forest and Wye Valley. But by now public taste was beginning to change, so even with his tireless work on several writing projects, none really paid off and his financial situation declined. Captain Mayne Reid died in London in October 1883 aged sixty-five. He was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.
about no quarter!
On his many trips into the Forest, just four miles from his home, Reid would often pass the scant remains of the ruined castle at Ruardean. Discovering that the beautifully situated building was razed during the Civil Wars, set his ever-fertile mind racing to weave the intricate and exciting romance that became No Quarter!
This epic adventure is woven around his fictitious characters Ambrose Powell and his feisty daughters Sabrina and Vaga (Latin for Severn and Wye) whose favours are eagerly sought by the story’s heroes and villains alike. Sabrina is courted by Sir Richard Walwyn, a chivalrous, aristocratic Parliamentarian, and Vaga by two Royalist cousins, Reginald and Eustace Trevor. Reid’s historical accuracy remains constant throughout[1], and makes his descriptions of the battles and skirmishes in the Forest and beyond enthralling. On just a few occasions Reid is unable to resist swiping at political figures of the period. This adds an occasional glimpse into Victorian politics.
The story is also much enhanced by captivating and closely-observed descriptions of the Forest of Dean landscape and geology, the wildlife and scenery; and of the Foresters and their dialect.
The tale romps around and through the Forest, from Ruardean, Coleford, St Briavels, Lydbrook, Newnham, Lydney, Newland, Mitcheldean, the Kymin and Monmouth, into Gloucester, to Bristol and back to the Forest. It is a tale of Reid’s heroes who are the Foresters and the Parliamentarians, and of his arch-villain Prince Rupert commander of the royalist cavalry.
But the mystery of his decline into obscurity is puzzling. Maybe his radical politics did not endear him to the imperialist influencers of the late 19th Century, or possibly his once popular pioneering ‘ripping yarn’ style of writing had run its course. Although historically interesting, Mayne Reid’s views and his literary genre may have simply fallen out of fashion with the new generation of increasingly educated Post-Victorians, whose tastes were different and who were beginning to discover the emerging more erudite literary styles.
Who knows?
References:
[1] Charles F. Lummis—‘no one has ever been able to pick up a serious flaw in Mayne Reid’s history, geography, ethnology, or zoology.’
This epic adventure is woven around his fictitious characters Ambrose Powell and his feisty daughters Sabrina and Vaga (Latin for Severn and Wye) whose favours are eagerly sought by the story’s heroes and villains alike. Sabrina is courted by Sir Richard Walwyn, a chivalrous, aristocratic Parliamentarian, and Vaga by two Royalist cousins, Reginald and Eustace Trevor. Reid’s historical accuracy remains constant throughout[1], and makes his descriptions of the battles and skirmishes in the Forest and beyond enthralling. On just a few occasions Reid is unable to resist swiping at political figures of the period. This adds an occasional glimpse into Victorian politics.
The story is also much enhanced by captivating and closely-observed descriptions of the Forest of Dean landscape and geology, the wildlife and scenery; and of the Foresters and their dialect.
The tale romps around and through the Forest, from Ruardean, Coleford, St Briavels, Lydbrook, Newnham, Lydney, Newland, Mitcheldean, the Kymin and Monmouth, into Gloucester, to Bristol and back to the Forest. It is a tale of Reid’s heroes who are the Foresters and the Parliamentarians, and of his arch-villain Prince Rupert commander of the royalist cavalry.
But the mystery of his decline into obscurity is puzzling. Maybe his radical politics did not endear him to the imperialist influencers of the late 19th Century, or possibly his once popular pioneering ‘ripping yarn’ style of writing had run its course. Although historically interesting, Mayne Reid’s views and his literary genre may have simply fallen out of fashion with the new generation of increasingly educated Post-Victorians, whose tastes were different and who were beginning to discover the emerging more erudite literary styles.
Who knows?
References:
- Butler, Steven R. Away O’er the Waves: The Transatlantic Life and Adventures of Captain Mayne Reid. (Doctoral Thesis presented to The University of Texas) 2006
- Cutrer, Thomas W., ‘Reid, Thomas Mayne’ Handbook of Texas Online. www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fre24 (Texas State Historical Association)
- The Dictionary of Literary Biography. Michigan, USA: Gale.
- Hart, James D. and and Leininger, Phillip W. “Reid, Thomas Mayne” The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995.
- Lummis, Charles F. Mesa, Canon and Pueblo (University Press of the Pacific) from the 1924 edition.
- Nabokov, Vladimir. Speak Memory. Reissued 2009 Penguin Books London.
- Reid, Elizabeth with C.H. Coe, Captain Mayne Reid, His Life and Adventures. (London: Greening, 1900).
- Steele, Joan, Captain Mayne Reid (Boston: Twayne, 1978).
- Vanity Fair March 1873.
[1] Charles F. Lummis—‘no one has ever been able to pick up a serious flaw in Mayne Reid’s history, geography, ethnology, or zoology.’
