THE GRAVE OF ROBERT BUCHANAN

Robert Buchanan was buried alongside his wife, Mary, and his mother, Margaret Buchanan, in the churchyard of St. John the Baptist in Southend-on-Sea. Harriett Jay is also buried in the same plot.

The memorial to Robert Buchanan was funded by means of a public appeal, which extended to America:

From The New York Times (31 August, 1901)

For a Memorial to Robert Buchanan.

     The following speaks for itself. It is signed by the Rev. Thomas Varney of Southend, where Robert Buchanan spent several years of his life, and Mr. Coulson Kernahan, author of “The Child, the Wise Man and the Devil”:

     It has been suggested to us that the residents of this town would be pleased to see steps taken toward a public memorial to so distinguished a man, and we have good reason to believe that such a movement would meet with a generous response. But, Sir, it seems to us that in the case of a poet of such eminence as Robert Buchanan a memorial of this sort should not be confined to any particular town. Will you therefore favor us by inserting this letter, and by allowing us to say that the Mayor of Southend-on-Sea (J. Francis, Esq., J. P., Wilson Road, Southend-on-Sea) has kindly consented to act as treasurer, and any contributions forwarded to him will be duly acknowledged in the public press? We should like to add that this letter has the approval of Mr. Buchanan’s relatives, who hope, however, that the response will be marked, not by the extent of the amount subscribed, but by the number of subscribers. They venture to suggest, therefore, that subscriptions be limited to a comparatively small sum, so that Mr. Buchanan’s humble admirers (of whom there are many) may not hesitate to contribute their mite.

___

From The New York Times (26 April, 1902)

Memorial to Robert Buchanan.

     A notice signed by the Rev. Thomas Varney, St. John’s Parish Church, Southend-on-Sea, and Coulson Kernahan, from the same neighborhood, representing England, and by the Rev. Walter E. Bentley, for America, invites the public to subscribe to the memorial to the late poet and dramatist, Robert Buchanan, who is buried in Southend-on-Sea, England, where for several years he had made his home. The Mayor of the town, Mr. J. Francis, is acting as Treasurer, and contributions from Americans may be sent to the editor of THE NEW YORK TIMES SATURDAY REVIEW OF BOOKS. The relatives of Mr. Buchanan suggest that individual subscriptions be limited to a small sum, so that the poet’s humble admirers, of whom there are many, may not hesitate to contribute the small amounts they can spare. Mr. Bentley has been giving a course of sermons at All Souls’ Church, on “Our Life After Death.” Last October, while he was General Secretary of the Actors’ Church Alliance, he preached on “My Summer’s Tour in behalf of the Actors’ Church Union of England and Its Results.”

_____

From The Stage (10 April, 1902 - p.10)

     SOUTHEND—EMPIRE.—The Southend Dramatic Society on Tuesday night gave a performance in aid of the Fund to provide a Permanent Memorial to the late Robert Buchanan, who had resided at Southend for a long period, and now rests in “God’s little acre by the sea,” beneath the sheltering wall of the Church of St. John. The local society decided to give performances on two nights—Tuesday and Wednesday—in aid of the Memorial Fund, and for such an occasion could not have presented a more attractive programme. Indeed, the curtain raiser was produced for the first time by permission of the author’s sister-in-law, Miss Harriett Jay. This was a poetical drama in one act, by Robert Buchanan, entitled:—

The Night Watch.

Heinrich von Auerbach    . . . . Mr. Reginald Sewell
Vicomte de Lisle    . . . . . . . .  Mr. J. K. F. Picken
Hubert    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. G. W. Taylor
Dr. Marton     . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Reveirs-Hopkins
Irene de Grandfief     . . . . . . . Mrs. Reveirs-Hopkins

This drama was admirably acted by a quintet of well-known amateurs; but it was not a cheerful opening for an evening’s entertainment. It was tragedy, as a contrast to the comedy to follow. Mrs. Reveirs-Hopkins cleverly interpreted the character of Irene de Grandfief, and Mr. Reginald Sewell appeared as Heinrich von Auerbach, who is supposed to have witnessed the death of the Vicomte de Lisle, to whom Irene is betrothed, and who, by a freak of fortune, is brought wounded to the chateau of which Irene is mistress. The participation of Heinrich in the events which led to the supposed death of her lover leads Irene to be tempted to allow Heinrich to die by neglect, but her better feelings hold sway, and as the curtain falls her lover returns well, and the scene closes with the usual conquest of meaner feelings with virtue triumphant. Buchanan’s Sweet Nancy was the chief feature of the programme. Mrs. Reveirs-Hopkins decidedly scored a success as an amateur in the part of Nancy; Mrs. Cardy Bluck made a charming Barbara, and the other sister, Teresa, became an admirable juvenile part in the hands of Miss Dora Seal. Mr. William Gray looked the character as Sir Roger Tempest, and acted admirably. Mr. Donald Gray was a very fair Frank Musgrave.

_____

The memorial to Buchanan was unveiled on Saturday, 25th July 1903:

From The Observer (26 July, 1903 - p.7)

     MEMORIAL TO ROBERT BUCHANAN.—Yesterday afternoon, in the presence of a large congregation, a memorial to the late Robert Buchanan, which has been erected in St. John’s Churchyard, Southend, was unveiled. Mr. T. P. O’Connor, M.P., and Miss Harriet Jay (the deceased poet’s sister-in-law) approached the monument together, and as Miss Jay removed the covering, Mr. O’Connor declared the bust unveiled, and handed it over to the custody of the vicar and churchwardens. He afterwards gave an address.

___

From The Times (27 July, 1903 - p.9)

     A memorial to Robert Buchanan, the poet and dramatist, consisting of a bust, was unveiled on Saturday by Mr. T. P. O’Connor, M.P., in St. John’s Churchyard, Southend-on-Sea, where Buchanan and his wife and mother were buried. The bust stands on a granite pedestal, and at the back is a stone screen, while yew trees protect the sides. Mr. George R. Sims was present at the unveiling, in addition to the poet’s sister-in-law, Miss Harriet Jay, the Mayor and Mayoress of Southend, Sir F. C. Rusch, M.P., Colonel Tufnell, M.P., and Mrs. Tufnell. After the gift had been formally handed over to the vicar and churchwardens on behalf of the subscribers, Mr. O’Connor gave an address in the schoolroom descriptive of the lives of Buchanan and his wife and mother. He observed that Buchanan had parents who devoted themselves to what they considered to be right opinions and the benefiting of their fellow men and women. They evidently, however, belonged to that great and imperishable race of dreamers who in the pursuit of the welfare of others forgot their own. Like his father, Buchanan never learned the art of compound addition. Whatever money he made disappeared quickly. Mr. O’Connor pointed out in reference to Buchanan’s attitude that there were always a number of false reputations. It required some clear voice to remind the public that the number of copies sold must not always be taken as the eternal verdict of literature on the quality of the writer. A vote of thanks to Mr. O’Connor was passed at the close.

___

From The Stage (30 July, 1903 - p.10)

MEMORIAL TO ROBERT BUCHANAN.

     On Saturday a memorial to the late Robert Buchanan, which had been erected in St. John’s Churchyard, Southend, was unveiled. Mr. T. P. O’Connor, M.P., and Miss Harriett Jay, the deceased poet’s sister-in-law, approached the monument together, and as Miss Jay removed the covering Mr. O’Connor declared the bust unveiled, and handed it over to the custody of the vicar and churchwardens. The memorial, the cost of which has been defrayed by public subscription, is of plain sunk Bath stone, semi-circular in form, in front of which is a pedestal surmounted by a bronze bust of the late Mr. Buchanan. York stone forms the base, upon which is the inscription, and on either side are planted yew trees. Mr. Buchanan passed his last days at Southend. Mr. Buchanan’s body is interred with those of his wife and mother in the churchyard where the bust was unveiled.
     Among those present at the unveiling were Major Sir Carne Rasch, M.P., Col. E. Tufnell, M.P., Mr. George R. Sims, Mr. Val Brown, L.C.C., the Rev. Conrad Noel, the Rev. W. Walsh. Mr. O’Connor’s address at the Parochial Hall was most warming and sympathetic. He said that the hardships of Buchanan’s later years were brought about not so much by his inability to get money as by his generosity to others and his want of business aptitude. The best feature of his life was his wholehearted devotion to his invalid wife and to  his mother. The Mayor, Councillor A. Martin, expressed his sense of the honour done to Southend by the visit of Mr. O’Connor, to whom Alderman J. Francis proposed a vote of thanks, seconded by Mr. John Burrows. The monument was designed by Mr. Morley Horder, and executed by Mr. W. Darke of Southend.

___

I also came across the following letter for sale on the David J. Holmes Autographs site:

KERNAHAN, COULSON. ALS, 2pp (grey paper), 8vo, on printed letterhead of “Thrums,” Westcliff-On-Sea, Essex, 16 August, n.y. To an unidentified woman, thanking her for a subscription to the Robert Buchanan Memorial, and writing: “I have sent your letter to the Mayor. . . . Your estimate of Buchanan the man is I think very true. . . . I only wish that in the case of men like Mr. Buchanan others would follow your example & say the appreciative and helpful word while the ears to which it is addressed are open to hear. Why should we wait till the man has passed when he no longer needs human sympathy & appreciation?. . .”

_____

I visited the grave at the end of August 2003 and took a few photographs. The church of St. John the Baptist lies just behind the ‘seafront’ of Southend-on-Sea, across the road from the car park of a new shopping centre.

As can be seen from the postcard above, the churchyard is well-tended but many of the older graves have collapsed over the years. The grave of Robert Buchanan is easy to spot due to its stone background and lies on the northern edge of the churchyard.

There is a collapsed grave just in front of the Buchanan monument which spoils the effect somewhat and Buchanan’s grave itself is overgrown (with a blackberry bush) and in need of repair. The top of the marble plinth is coming away from the base and the memorial stones to his wife and Harriett Jay (on the left-hand side) are obscured by a hedge. The base of the grave, surrounded by rusty iron railings, is also in a pretty rough state. When I was at the grave I did think that this was the original monument and I wasn’t really surprised to find the bust of Buchanan missing from the top of the plinth. However, I now believe that at some point Buchanan’s grave has been restored. The three memorial stones, to his wife, mother and sister-in-law, were obviously added to the background at the same time - which could have been in 1932 when Harriett Jay was buried there - but I also believe that the central plinth has also been replaced.

The drawing of the grave in Harriett Jay’s biography may involve a little artistic licence but she also mentions that a verse from ‘The City of Dream’ is “to be found upon his tomb”. The drawing does seem to indicate a more detailed inscription than the current one.

I did make enquiries at the church about the grave but the vicar could give me no further information. Perhaps Buchanan’s grave was already in need of restoration by 1932 and following the interment of Harriett Jay the original monument was replaced and the memorial stones added to the background. Or maybe some Buchananite (possibly from Caverswall considering the prominence given to Buchanan’s birthplace) paid for the restoration at some later date. If anyone can shed any light on the matter I’d like to hear from them, especially if they can identify the verse from ‘The City of Dream’ which was inscribed on the original monument.

There is a website giving a brief history of the church and I’ve included the map below for anyone wishing to visit the final resting place of Robert Buchanan. The aerial photos are courtesy of Google Earth (in case you think I’ve got a helicopter.)