William Clucas Kinley (1866–1920), Manx

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

. William Clucas Kinley was born in 1866,''A Bibliographical Account of Works Relating to the Isle of Man''
by

William Cubbon William Cubbon M.A. (28 May 1865 – 1 January 1955) was a Manx nationalist, antiquarian, author, businessman and librarian who was the first secretary of the Manx Museum, later becoming Director of the Museum.''Isle of Man Examiner Yearbook ...

, Douglas, The Victoria Press, 1933 the son of Robert Kinley, a tailor in Strand Street,

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

.‘Memorial Notices: William Clucas Kinley’
''Manx Quarterly'', No. 23, Vol. 5, October 1920 He contributed humorous articles under the title 'Ingoldsby Up-to-date' to the weekly critical and satirical paper, ''The Manxman'', which was published between 1895 and 1900. It was around this time that he became actively involved in the

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, and also that he married Florence Mary Kinley, née Bawden, (1886–1927). In 1914 when

World War I 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 ...

began, he volunteered for war duty on a

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but was turned down due to his suffering from chronic

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

. By this time he was resident in Brockley, London, where he was a regular contributor to ''The Kentish Mercury'', a paper edited by his brother-in-law, Stanley Kay Bawden. Kinley joined the editorial staff of the paper in 1916. He died from his chronic bronchitis on February 17, 1920, at his home at 40 Upper Brockley Road, at the age of 53. The funeral was at Brockley Cemetery on February 21, 1920. Kinley was the author of the play, ''Ellie’s Stranger'', first published in ''Mannin'', the journal and the Manx Language Society, in November 1916. The play had earlier been submitted to the Manx Language Society competition organised by

Sophia Morrison Sophia Morrison (24 May 1859 – 14 January 1917) was a Manx cultural activist, folklore collector and author. Through her own work and role in encouraging and enthusing others, she is considered to be one of the key figures of the Manx cultur ...

in 1913, but it was judged to come behind the plays of Christopher R. Shimmin and

John Kneen John Joseph Kneen (12 September 1873 – 21 November 1938) was a Manx linguist and scholar renowned for his seminal works on Manx grammar and on the place names and personal names of the Isle of Man. He is also a significant Manx dialect pla ...

, despite receiving special praise by

Alfred Perceval Graves Alfred Perceval Graves (22 July 184627 December 1931), was an Anglo-Irish poet, songwriter and folklorist. He was the father of British poet and critic Robert Graves. Early life Graves was born in Dublin and was the son of The Rt Rev. Cha ...

.Note to ‘Ellie’s Stranger’
by Sophia Morrison, published in ''Mannin'' No. 8, November 1916 The play, sub-titled ‘A Manx Domestic Comedy’, centres on the man Ellie Clague returns home to her highly traditional parents after some time staying with an aunt in the popular tourist destination of

. It was produced on the Isle of Man in 1920, shortly after his death.

References

External links

‘Ellie’s Stranger’
published in ''Mannin'' No. 8, November 1916. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kinley, William Clucas Manx dramatists and playwrights Culture of the Isle of Man Manx literature 1866 births 1920 deaths People from Douglas, Isle of Man Manx journalists 20th-century Manx writers 19th-century Manx writers