K. M. Peyton
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Kathleen Wendy Herald Peyton (2 August 1929 – 19 December 2023), who wrote primarily as K. M. Peyton, was a British author of fiction for children and young adults in the 1960s and 1970s. Peyton wrote more than fifty novels in the including the ''Ruth Hollis'' series, the ''Pennington'' series, and the '' Flambards'' series, the latter about the Russell family which spanned the period before and after the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. For the ''Flambards'' series, Peyton won both the 1969 Carnegie Medal from the
Library Association The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP, pronounced ) is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers in the United Kingdom. It was established in 2002 as a merger of th ...
and the 1970
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annually recognised one fiction book written for Children's literature, children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conf ...
, judged by a panel of British children's writers. In 1979, the Flambards trilogy was
adapted In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...
by
Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...
as a 13-part TV series, '' Flambards'', starring
Christine McKenna Christine McKenna (born 1951, Glasgow) is a British actress active during the 1970s and 1980s, best known for playing Christina in the television series '' Flambards''. Early life McKenna was a drama student at the Royal Scottish Academy of M ...
as the heroine Christina Parsons.


Personal life and education

Kathleen Wendy Herald Peyton was born on 2 August 1929 in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, England. Peyton began writing when she was nine-years-old and was first published when she was fifteen. Peyton has stated that she "never decided to become a writer... hejust was one." Growing up in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, she could not own a horse, and instead developed an obsession with them—all her early books are about young girls who have ponies. In 1950, Peyton published her first novel ''Sabre, the Horse from the Sea'', illustrated by British artist
Lionel Edwards Lionel Edwards (9 November 1878 – 13 April 1966) was a British artist who specialised in painting horses and other aspects of British country life. He is best known for his hunting scenes but also painted pictures of horse racing, shootin ...
. Later, she attended Kingston Art School, and then Manchester Art School. It was there that she met another student,
Mike Peyton Mike Peyton (20 January 1921 – 25 January 2017) was a British cartoonist, described by his biographer as ‘the world’s greatest yachting cartoonist’. Biography Mike Peyton was born into a mining family in County Durham, the son of a disabl ...
, an ex-serviceman who had been a
military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...
and
prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
. He shared her love of walking in the
Pennines The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of highland, uplands mainly located in Northern England. Commonly described as the "Vertebral column, backbone of England" because of its length and position, the ra ...
.Peyton, "Welcome". They married in 1950, and travelled around
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. When they returned to Britain, Peyton completed a
Teaching Diploma Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the of an educational institution. Teaching is closely related to ...
and taught for three years at Northampton High School.


Career

As a
secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
teacher, Peyton started writing young boys'
adventure stories Adventure fiction is a type of fiction that usually presents danger, or gives the reader a sense of excitement. Some adventure fiction also satisfies the literary definition of romance fiction. History In the introduction to the ''Encycloped ...
and sold them as serials to ''The Scout'', a magazine owned by
The Scout Association The Scout Association is the largest organisation in the Scout Movement in the Scouting in the United Kingdom, United Kingdom. Following the rapid development of the Scouting, Scout Movement from 1907, The Scout Association was formed in 1910 ...
. These stories were later published in full-length.Peyton, iii. During this time, she began writing under the name K.M. Peyton—the 'M' represented her husband Mike who helped create the plots of her stories. Peyton soon left her teaching career, in pursuit of becoming a full-time writer. After the birth of two her daughters, Peyton started writing fiction novels and returned to the topic of her "first love"—ponies, horses and
equestrianism Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding ( Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...
. These ideas are explored in the two book series: ''Flambards'' and ''Ruth Hollis''. Later in life, Peyton became involved in
horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
and used her own personal experiences of owning horses as further inspiration for her writing. In association with the
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, Peyton's novels were illustrated by artist Victor G. Ambrus in the late 1960s. Peyton was an artist herself and self-illustrated a few of her own novels as well. During the 1970s, her best-selling series ''Flambards'' was published in multiple languages, such as
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
,
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, Finnish, and
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
. Writers who cite K.M. Peyton as an influence include
Linda Newbery Linda Iris Newbery (born 12 August 1952) is a British writer known best for young adult fiction—where she entered the market, although she has broadened her range to encompass all ages. She published her first novel ''Run with the Hare'' in 1 ...
, whose young adult novel ''The Damage Done'' (2001, Scholastic) is dedicated "to Kathleen Peyton, who made me want to try."


Death

Peyton died on 19 December 2023, at the age of 94. Peyton had two daughters, Hilary and Veronica.


Honours and awards

Peyton won the
Guardian Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annually recognised one fiction book written for children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conferred upon the author ...
for the Flambards trilogy, and won the Carnegie Medal for its second book. She was also a commended runner-up for the Carnegie Medal six times in eight years during the 1960s—one of the books was the first Flambards book, another was the third Flambards book in competition with the Medal-winning second. The others were ''Windfall'' (1962), ''The Maplin Bird'' (1964), ''The Plan for Birdmarsh'' (1965), and ''Thunder in the Sky'' (1966). Peyton was awarded
Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(MBE) in the
2014 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2014 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...
for services to children's literature.


Adaptations

The ''Flambards'' trilogy was
adapted In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...
by
Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...
in 1978. The TV miniseries, Flambards (TV series), ''Flambards'', starring
Christine McKenna Christine McKenna (born 1951, Glasgow) is a British actress active during the 1970s and 1980s, best known for playing Christina in the television series '' Flambards''. Early life McKenna was a drama student at the Royal Scottish Academy of M ...
as the heroine Christina Parsons, comprised 13 episodes. The miniseries was broadcast in the UK in 1979, and eventually the US in 1980. Peyton's ''The Right-Hand Man'' (1977), a historical novel featuring an English people, English stagecoach driver, was adapted into a feature film. In 1985, it was shot in Australia and was later released in 1987. ''A Pattern of Roses'' (1972) was adapted in 1983 as a TV film, introducing Helena Bonham Carter in her first screen role. ''Who, Sir? Me, Sir?'' (1985) was adapted as a BBC TV series.


Works

The bibliography of Peyton's "pony books only" by Jane Badger Books includes all nineteen series books and many "other books" (‡) listed here."K M Peyton (1929 – )"
. ''Pony Books''. Jane Badger Books. Retrieved 10 August 2012. Includes "K M Peyton Bibliography: pony books only" illustrated by thumbnail cover images of many editions.


Flambards Series (1967–1981)

* '' Flambards'' (Oxford, 1967), illustrated by Victor Ambrus * ''The Edge of the Cloud'' (Oxford, 1969), ill. Ambrus * ''Flambards in Summer'' (Oxford, 1969), ill. Ambrus * ''Flambards Divided'' (1981) Peyton's extension of the trilogy followed its television adaptation and reversed the original ending.


Ruth Hollis Series (1968–1979)

* ''Fly-by-Night (Peyton novel), Fly-by-Night'' (1968), self-illustrated * ''The Team'' (1975), self-ill. The Pennington series continues the story of Ruth Hollis in 1971.


Pennington Series (1970–1979)

* ''Pennington's Seventeenth Summer'' (1970), later as ''Pennington's Last Term'', self-ill. * ''The Beethoven Medal'' (1971), a.k.a. ''If I Ever Marry'', self-ill. * ''Pennington's Heir'' (1973), self-ill. * ''Marion's Angels'' (1979)


Jonathan Meredith Series (1977–1984)

* ''Prove Yourself a Hero'' (1977) * ''A Midsummer Night's Death'' (1978) * ''The Last Ditch'' (1984), also published as ''Free Rein'' See also the Ruth Hollis series: Jonathan Meredith is a minor character in ''The Team''.


Swallow Series (1995–1997)

* ''The Swallow Tale'' (1995) * ''Swallow Summer'' (1996) * ''Swallow the Star'' (1997)


Minna Series (2007–2009)

Set in Roman Britain. * ''Minna's Quest'' (2007) * ''No Turning Back'' (2008) * ''Far From Home'' (2009)


Other books

* ''Grey Star, the Story of a Racehorse'' — at age nine, unpublished § * ''Sabre: The Horse from the Sea'' (A & C Black, 1948) ‡, as Kathleen Herald, illus.
Lionel Edwards Lionel Edwards (9 November 1878 – 13 April 1966) was a British artist who specialised in painting horses and other aspects of British country life. He is best known for his hunting scenes but also painted pictures of horse racing, shootin ...
* ''The Mandrake: A Pony'' (Black, 1949) ‡, as Kathleen Herald, ill. Edwards * ''Crab the Roan'' (Black, 1953) ‡, as Kathleen Herald, ill. Peter Biegel * ''North to Adventure'' (1959) * ''Stormcock Meets Trouble'' (1961) * ''The Hard Way Home'' (1962) * ''Windfall'' (1962), ill. Victor Ambrus; US title, ''Sea Fever'' * ''Brownsea Silver'' (1964) * ''The Maplin Bird'' (1964), ill. Ambrus * ''The Plan for Birdsmarsh'' (1965), ill. Ambrus * ''Thunder in the Sky'' (1966), ill. Ambrus * ''A Pattern of Roses'' (1972), self-ill. ‡ * ''The Right-Hand Man'' (1977) ‡, ill. Ambrus * ''Marion's Angels'' (1979), later as ''Falling Angels'', ill. Robert Mickelwright * ''Dear Fred'' (1981) ‡ — based on Frederick J. Archer, Fred Archer * ''Going Home (Peyton novel), Going Home'' (1982) * ''Who, Sir? Me, Sir?'' (1983) ‡ * ''The Last Ditch'' (1984) ‡ * ''Froggett's Revenge'' (1985) * ''The Sound of Distant Cheering'' (1986) ‡ * ''Downhill All the Way'' (1988) * ''Plain Jack'' (1988) ‡ * ''Darkling'' (1989) ‡ * ''Skylark'' (1989) * ''No Roses Round the Door'' (1990) ‡ * ''Poor Badger'' (1990) ‡ * ''The Boy Who Wasn't There'' (1992) * ''Late to Smile'' (1992) ‡ * ''Apple Won't Jump'' (1992) * ''The Wild Boy and Queen Moon'' (1993) ‡ * ''Snowfall'' (1994) * ''Mr Brown'' (1995) * ''Unquiet Spirits'' (1997) * ''The Pony That Went to Sea'' (1997) ‡ * ''Windy Webley'' (1997) ‡, ill. Nick Price – picture book * ''Danger Offshore'' (1998) * ''Firehead'' (1998) * ''The Paradise Pony'' (1999) ‡ * ''The Scruffy Pony'' (1999) ‡ * ''Blind Beauty'' (1999) ‡ * ''The Pied Piper'' (1999) * ''Horses'' (2000) ‡ – nonfiction * ''Stealaway'' (2001) ‡ * ''Pony in the Dark'' (2001) ‡ * ''Small Gains'' (2003) ‡ * ''My Alice'' (2004) * ''Greater Gains'' (2005) ‡ * ''Blue Skies and Gunfire'' (2006) * ''Paradise House'' (2011) ‡ * ''All That Glitters'' (2014) ‡ § By age fifteen, Kathleen Herald had written "about ten more" novels that publishers rejected with "very nice letters". ‡ Jane Badger Books lists these titles among Peyton's "pony books only" – as well as all nineteen series books listed above.


Notes


References

;Citations * "Introduction" by Kathleen Peyton, ''Fly-By-Night'', K M Peyton, Edinburgh: Fidra Books, 2007
Welcome to the web site of K M Peyton
(autobiographical home page). K M Peyton: Author. Retrieved 2012-08-10.


External links

*

at Fidra Books, reprint publisher *
Mike Peyton
at Library of Congress, with 4 records * (as joint pseudonym) {{DEFAULTSORT:Peyton, K. M. 1929 births 2023 deaths British children's writers British writers of young adult literature British historical novelists Pony books Carnegie Medal in Literature winners Guardian Children's Fiction Prize winners Writers from Birmingham, West Midlands Members of the Order of the British Empire