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| Gillian Mary Darrell Waters Baverstock | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gillian Mary Pollock 15 July 1931 Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Died | 24 June 2007 (aged 75) Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England |
| Pen name | Gillian Baverstock |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Donald Baverstock |
| Children | 4 |
| Relative(s) | Enid Blyton (mother), Hugh Pollock (father), Imogen Mary Smallwood (sister), Rosemary Pollock (half-sister) |
Gillian Baverstock, née Gillian Mary Pollock (15 July 1931, Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, England – 24 June 2007, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England) was a British author and elder daughter of English novelist Enid Blyton and her first husband, Hugh Pollock. She wrote and spoke to audiences and the media extensively about her mother as well as her own childhood and life.
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Biography [link]
Personal life [link]
Gillian Mary Pollock was born on 15 July 1931, the elder daughter of the children's author Enid Blyton (1897–1968) and her first husband, Major Hugh Pollock (1888–1971), a World War I veteran. On 27 October 1935, her younger sister, Imogen Mary Smallwood, was born. When she was 12 and her sister was 8, their parents divorced. Her mother later married the surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters (1892–1967); and her father married the writer Ida Crowe, with whom he had a daughter, Rosemary Pollock. After divorce and remarriage, her mother decided that the best thing for Gillian and her sister was not to have contact with their father, of whom they had not seen much during World War II. Enid even changed her daughters' surname to 'Darrell Waters'. Years later, Gillian tried to contact her father Hugh; but she was never to see him again, although she did establish a relationship with her half-sister, the writer Rosemary Pollock.
In 1957, Gillian married Donald Baverstock, a BBC producer and executive, at St James's Church, Piccadilly; they had four children: Glyn (b. 1961, d. 1983, car accident), Sian (b. 1962, d. 2006, heart attack), Sara, and Owain. After her husband's death, she lived in Ilkley, England; she was survived by two of her four children and five grandchildren; Glyndwr, Dominic, Zoe, Alec and Georgina.
First jobs [link]
Baverstock worked as a primary school teacher at Moorfield School, Ilkley, and wrote and spoke to audiences and the media extensively about her mother as well as her own childhood and life. She was estranged from her younger sister, Imogen Smallwood, who - in contrast to Gillian - did not remember her childhood or Blyton's qualities as a mother fondly.[1]
Quill Publications, Ltd. [link]
In 1999, Baverstock founded Quill Publications Ltd., with comic writer Tim Quinn, to produce twelve editions of the children's comic book Blue Moon. She wrote a series of stories which were based on popular fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood. The comic is no longer in production.
In 2005, Baverstock defended her mother's book The Mystery That Never Was after claims that it contained racist overtones.[2]
Appearances [link]
- The Edinburgh Book Festival, Growing Up with Enid Blyton, 26 August 2006.[3]
- Oxford Literary Festival, Enid Blyton, 25 March 2007.[4]
Bibliography [link]
- Enid Blyton (Tell Me About S.) (Evans Brothers, 1997) ISBN 0-237-51751-5
- Memories of Enid Blyton (Telling Tales S.) (Mammoth, 2000) ISBN 0-7497-4275-5
References and notes [link]
- ^ Unhappy families by Gyles Brandreth in the Daily Telegraph, 30 March 2002 (accessed 19 November 2009)
- ^ Publisher rejected Blyton tale for being 'xenophobic' by Chris Hastings (Arts Correspondent) in the Daily Telegraph, 19 November 2005 (accessed 25 August 2007)
- ^ "Growing Up with Enid Blyton", Audio recording and transcript (Accessed 20 May 2009)
- ^ Oxford Literary Festival 2007 (Accessed 10 May 2007) A critical response to her appearance is at https://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/reviews/feature/1765/Sunday-Times-Oxford-Literary-Fest
https://wn.com/Gillian_Baverstock
Baverstock
Coordinates: 51°04′58″N 1°57′41″W / 51.0828°N 1.9614°W
Baverstock is a small village in Wiltshire, England, about 7 miles (11 km) west of Salisbury. The village has 10 private dwellings, a parish church and several farm buildings. The parish of Baverstock contains the manor of Hurdcott, a hamlet of a few houses to the south east of the village. Baverstock is bounded by Barford St Martin to the east, Dinton to the west, Compton Chamberlayne to the south and Steeple Langford to the north. There is a former school building, now a private residence.
To the north the village has cultivated chalk downland and extensive mixed woodland. To the south the village is bordered by the River Nadder meandering through water meadows. The road through the village from the B3089 terminates in unmetalled farm track.
The Church of England parish church of Saint Edith is dedicated to the Wiltshire saint Edith of Wilton and is situated on the brow of a slope facing south across the Nadder Valley. It has a ring of three bells, two of which date from the 15th century. The churchyard contains, among others, the graves of 32 Australian soldiers from World War I. Soldiers were encamped locally before being transported to the war theatre in France. The majority died from infectious illness.
Baverstock (surname)
Baverstock is a surname. Notable people with the name include:
