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.

1. An Account of the Funeral of Robert Buchanan.

2. The Original Memorial.

3. The Grave in August, 2003.

4. The Return of Buchanan’s Head - March 15th, 2011.

5. The New Bust of Buchanan.

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An Account of the Funeral of Robert Buchanan.

To begin at the beginning. Mary Buchanan died on November 7th, 1881 at 2, Devereux Terrace, Southend. The following notice was printed in The Times on November 14th, 1881:

Mary Buchanan was buried in the churchyard of St. John the Baptist on November 13th, 1881. Buchanan’s mother, Margaret Williams Buchanan, died on November 5th, 1894. The following notice was printed in The Times on November 8th, 1894:

On November 8th, 1894 Buchanan wrote in his diary: “To-day I took my darling to Southend and laid her in her grave beside poor Polly.”
After the death of Robert Buchanan on June 10th, 1901, the Southend Standard and Essex Weekly Advertiser in their obituary gave the following description of the gravesite:

     “As we stated in the heading, Mrs. Buchanan was buried in St. John’s Churchyard, Southend, and a representative was despatched to ascertain particulars of the little known event. After a long search, with the aid of the sexton, the grave was discovered in the north-east corner, near the wall, and close by the Rumble enclosure. It is a brick grave and was covered with long grass, and the low head-stone was nearly hidden from view. The inscription thereon is: “Sacred to the memory of Mary Buchanan, who fell asleep at Southend-on-Sea, November 7th, 1881 aged 36 years.” We understand that another interment—that of a sister—was made in the grave about seven years ago, but no record is given on the headstone. The sexton states that up to a few years ago he was paid to keep the grave in repair, but since then it has not been attended to. A few weeks since, however, some ladies made enquires and diligent search in the churchyard for the resting place, but were then unable to find it.”

The mention of a ‘sister’ being buried ‘about seven years ago’ (i.e. 1894) probably refers to Buchanan’s mother and the fact that she is not mentioned might indicate that Buchanan never got round to adding her name to his wife’s gravestone. Given Buchanan’s financial problems at the time of his mother’s death this is quite feasible and might also explain why the date of his mother’s death on the current memorial is incorrect.

Buchanan was buried in St. John’s churchyard on June 14th, 1901. The most detailed account of the funeral occurs in the Southend Telegraph and Leigh and Shoeburyness Recorder of June 15th, 1901. Although it’s on the Obituaries page, I thought it also worth repeating here:

BURIAL OF ROBERT BUCHANAN.
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     On a cold, blustering day, with sunshine and cloud in quick succession, the remains of Mr. Robert Buchanan were laid to rest beside those of his dearly-loved wife, in St. John’s Churchyard, and near by the “Great River” which he so much loved. The place is full at the present time with the graves of prominent local people, who have presided over the destinies of the town during the past fifty years, but on Friday the little graveyard received the dust of a more eminent than they — within it now lies buried one at whose shrine the litterateur of many future generations will do homage. Formerly, when Mrs. Buchanan was buried, the quiet nook in the north-east corner, o’er-hung with trees, must have made a pretty picture, but the growth of the town has left its mark even here. Below the sepulchre stretches a meadow upon which buildings have already been erected and which has been made ready for further additions, whilst huddling round the grave itself, with little order or regularity, lie the remains of many of the now almost forgotten dead; whose time-worn monuments lend a dreary and depressing effect.
     The last, sad ceremony was simplicity itself. The funeral service in the church and at the graveside were soon over. Crowded in the small compass were a large number of people, attracted by the importance of the event, and the mourners having filed through after a last long look, the crowd flocked to the grave and for some time there was an endless passage to and fro of feet, heedless of the already buried.

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AT LIVERPOOL STREET.

     “The Star” said on Friday: A small group of casual spectators standing at the gates of No. 6 platform at Liverpool Street Station this morning divided for the passage of a railway funeral trolley, decked with a few simple wreaths. Here and there a man’s head was respectfully bared, and one or two more curious than the rest inquired the name of the dead.
     “Robert Buchanan!” explained a burly gentleman.
     A score of manacled soldiers marched into the station, under the charge of a grizzled sergeant, and three boy corporals. The rigors of a military gaol confronted them.
     Not for a moment was the busy life of the station stayed; hundreds and thousands went hurrying by, unaware that a strenuous fighter in the cause of humanity was being taken to his last home.

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ARRIVAL OF THE BODY AND MOURNERS.

     No special preparations had been made at the Great Eastern Railway Station for the reception of the body which was carried across London, from Streatham, to Liverpool Street, in a Washington car, accompanied by the mourners. Only two carriages and a car were waiting and but few people were standing about. On drawing up at the platform the only thing noticeable was a body of city gentlemen who had seemingly forgotten their usual hurry and were leisurely waiting, as if for once they did not want to be first away. Mr. J. W. Brett, of London, was the undertaker in charge and, assisted by Mr. W. T. Darke, of Alexandra Street, Southend, the disposal of the coffin, with its burden of flowers, was carried out easily and well. The procession, small in number, grew on its way to the Church to respectable dimensions.

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THE INTERMENT.

     A crowd, unrepresentative, however, of the borough, waited at the church gates for the body and the bell was tolled as the short cortege wended its way down High Street. On arriving at the church gates, the Rev. T. Varney met the body and headed the procession into the church; reading the opening sentences of the Burial Service as the strains of the organ died away. The service was very simple, there being no hymns; but as the coffin was being carried from the Church to the grave, Mr. Taplin, who was at the organ, played the “Dead March” in Saul. The choir stalls and reading desk were draped, and the arrangements in the church were superintended by Messrs. T. J. Sharland and W. Whur, J.P. At the graveside, the Rev. T. Varney read the remainder of the service, and the remains of the novelist were then laid to rest by those of his wife, who died in 1881, and mother, whom he survived seven years.
     The mourners were: Miss Harriet Jay (sister-in-law), Mlle. Irene de Bernardy, Miss Mary Jones, Mrs. Bassett, Dr. Gorham (medical attendant), Dr. Stoddart Walker (nephew of John Stuart Blackie), Mr. John Ross and Mr. Pelham Womersley. Amongst those who assembled round the grave were: Messrs. Coulson Kernahan, Henry Murray, Shelton (late stage manager for Mr. Beerbohm Tree), Alec. Wetherley (son of the well-known song writer), Councillor R. A. Jones, Messrs. Payn, T. J. Sharland, etc. Mr. J. L. Toole was unable to be present and sent a telegram “Too ill to come, but would have loved to be there;” and Mr. A. W. Pinero and Mr. George R. Sims were prevented by reason of other engagements.
     The coffin was of polished oak, with massive brass fittings; the inscription on the brass plate being “Robert Buchanan, born 18th August, 1841, died 10th June, 1901.”
     Wreaths were sent by: “With sincere sympathy and regret, J. L. Toole”; “In affectionate remembrance and sincere admiration, Mr. C. F. and Florence Baldwin, with deepest sympathy and love”; “A last token of respect and love to dear Robert, Mlle. Irene de Bernardy, 19, Portland Road, Holland Park Avenue, W.”; “One soul less on earth, one angel more in heaven. In loving memory of our dear uncle, from Pelham, Lily and Roddie”; “With deep sorrow and sympathy, John Garrett Morten, Ivy Hall, Richmond, Surrey”; “In memoriam, Robert Buchanan. Thy tired brain has whiled away, for others many a weary day; thy life is rounded now by rest, of all earth gives the last and best. Amy A. Hopper, 14th June, 1901. Southend-on- Sea”; Miss Jay, Mr. F. Noel, Mr. John Ross, Mr. Stoddart Walker, Mrs. John Stuart Blackie, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Slaughter, Mr. Fred Stanley (Adelphi Theatre), Miss Alice McAnnaly, and Miss M. A. Victor.

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The Original Memorial.

In August 1901 an appeal was launched to fund a public memorial to Robert Buchanan in Southend. Letters were sent to the newspapers signed by the Rev. Thomas Varney of St. John’s Parish Church, and the writer (and Southend resident) Mr. Coulson Kernahan. The Mayor of Southend, Mr. J. Francis, was to act as treasurer for the fund and the American representative was the Rev. Walter E. Bentley.

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.

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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.”

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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.

Back to the Bibliography or the Plays

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The Stage (22 May, 1902 - p.13)

     Miss Harriett Jay’s life of Robert Buchanan will not be published until after the Coronation. Miss Jay, who has just written a play with Mdme. Sarah Grand, has been staying at Southend while completing the work. Among the contributors to the Buchanan Memorial Fund are many eminent names, notably that of Mr. Herbert Spencer. It is understood that many of the dramatist’s admirers incline towards the erection of a drinking fountain in Southend, opposite Buchanan’s former residence, as the most suitable form for the memorial.

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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?. . .”

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

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.

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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.

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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.

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The only picture I’ve found of the original monument is the drawing from Harriett Jay’s biography of Buchanan, which was published in February, 1903 (several months before the monument was erected). Jay also mentions in Chapter 23, referring to The City of Dream, that “a verse from which is now to be found upon his tomb.”

The Grave in August, 2003

I visited the grave at the end of August 2003. I bought a postcard of the church, took some photos and later added a description of the grave to the site:

“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.”

I then indulged in a little speculation regarding whether this was the original monument or a replacement. Back in 2003 I regarded the Jay biography as gospel, and so I expected the monument to look the same as the drawing and also expected to find the quotation from The City of Dream. Given the condition of the grave I was not surprised to find the bust of Buchanan missing, and I remember asking the vicar if he knew what had happened to it, but he didn’t. The addition of the memorial stone to Harriett Jay, which would have occurred after her death in 1932, and the fact that its condition matched those commemorating Buchanan’s wife and mother (i.e. they did not seem to show an extra 30 years of wear), made me wonder whether the whole grave had been renovated in the 1930s. Harriett Jay did leave money in her will for the upkeep of the grave and the absence of any quotation from Buchanan’s works did seem a little odd. However, I now believe I was wrong. The Jay biography was published before the memorial was erected, so it’s likely that the quotation from The City of Dream was just a possibility and was not inscribed on the final monument. The only other mention of an inscription occurs in the report in The Stage, which says it is on the base of the monument. In 2003, I had enough problems clearing the bushes away so that I could take photos of the inscriptions - I had neglected to bring my JCB along to excavate the base. However, earlier this year, following the 2011 renovation, I received the following photo of the inscription on the base:

“After Life’s Fitful Fever They Sleep Well” - not from The City of Dream but an adaptation of a line from Macbeth (Act III, Scene ii): “After life’s fitful fever he sleeps well.”

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The Return of Buchanan’s Head - March 15th, 2011

In 2009 the Southend Borough Council embarked on a scheme to renovate St. John’s churchyard. The renovation was designed by Fraser Borwick, and as well as tidying up the graves, removing railings, creating new access points and footpaths, planting trees etc., it was decided to replace the lost bust of Buchanan on his grave. Local sculptor, Lisa Hawker, was commissioned to create the new bust and on Tuesday, 15th March, 2011, the unveiling ceremony took place.

[Lisa Hawker (sculptor), Cllr. Ann Holland (Mayor of Southend) and the Ven. David Lowman (Archdeacon of Southend)]

          [The stone for Buchanan’s mother with its incorrect date of death.]

As part of the churchyard renovation project several information plaques have been installed, including one for Buchanan. To read the Buchanan plaque, click on it in the picture below - it’s in the bottom right-hand corner.

Prior to the unveiling ceremony there was a church service conducted by Canon Stephen Burdett and the Ven. David Lowman, Archdeacon of Southend. During the service, verses (1, 2, 3 and the last) from Buchanan’s poem, ‘Victory’ were read by Mike Lambert, the former chief executive of Renaissance Southend. ‘Victory’ was published in Buchanan’s final book of poems, The New Rome, in 1898 and the complete poem is available on this site: 

‘Victory’

To see the pamphlet with the Order of Service, click the picture below:

More information about the churchyard renovation project and the March 15th event is available on the Southend Council’s website.

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The New Bust of Buchanan

The new bronze bust of Robert Buchanan was sculpted by Lisa Hawker. Further information about Lisa’s other work can be found on her website. On Friday, 11th March the Southend Echo ran a story about the new bust of Buchanan, which gives some of Lisa’s insights on the process. Click the picture below for a readable version or access it online.

While Lisa was working on the sculpture, she asked me if I could suggest any inscription that she could add to the base. I suggested a few things: a verse from Buchanan’s final published poem, ‘I End As I Began’, the refrain from Balder the Beautiful, “All that is beautiful shall abide, All that is base shall die” (which I don’t particularly like, but seemed like the sort of thing you’d put on a gravestone), and I also pushed her in the direction of The City of Dream (because Harriett Jay had said it was on the original monument) in case she could find something appropriate there. Almost as an afterthought, I suggested a phrase from one of Buchanan’s letters to Robert Browning: ”Truth first; afterwards, if possible, Beauty.” Which is what she finally chose to incise on the left-hand side of the base. Although I say so myself, it’s a good choice - summing up Buchanan’s poetry, in particular, but also hinting at one of the reasons why his fame dwindled so quickly. The full text of the letter can be read here.

Since I reckoned this was the only occasion when the name of Robert Buchanan could be linked with a news item, I thought I should try to get him a mention in the papers. I submitted a piece to the ‘My Cultural Life’ section of The Observer and I also sent an article to the local paper in Stoke, The Sentinel. Surprisingly, the former was printed in The Observer on April 3rd - click the picture below for the big version:

The Sentinel was a little more complicated. Although they couldn’t use my original article, they did want to do an interview with me. Unfortunately, they also rejected all the photos I sent them of Buchanan and the new bust in Southend and insisted on sending their own photographer round. So, on Saturday, 9th April, 2011, Robert Buchanan got another mention in The Sentinel and I had my fifteen minutes of fame:

The Sentinel interview is also available online and I’ve added another page of photos, both from 2003 and 2011, which can be accessed below:

More Photos

Further information about the churchyard of St. John’s is available on the church’s website. For anyone wishing to visit the final resting place of Robert Buchanan, St. John’s is situated next to the Royals Shopping Centre, which has reasonably priced parking (and a Poundland).

Finally, I would like to thank Tim Pyner (Cliff Gardens Manager, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council) for inviting me to the unveiling ceremony, Lisa Hawker for keeping me posted about her progress with Mr. Buchanan, and Tony for some extra photographs.

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