C. Henry Warren: A Contented Countryman?

Abstract

(Clarence) Henry Warren (1895–1966), my great-uncle, was an author and broadcaster on the English countryside. He was known for his contentment in the life of the countryside and a passionate concern for the future of rural England. This article evaluates his substantial literary output. It begins by describing his ancestry in the farming communities of Hertfordshire and his upbringing in a village in the hop country of Kent, and goes on to survey five decades of his writing career and some of the distinguished illustrators who enhanced his work. Warren is placed within 'the rural tradition' of countryside writing, and he is compared with similar writers from his own century and earlier. The paper also assesses Warren's contribution to 'A kinship in husbandry', a group of influential advocates for the English countryside during the 1940s. Finally, some conclusions about his enduring legacy are attempted, including a consideration of what his 'contentment' really comprised. At its best his writing achieves a creative balance, valuing the traditions of the past but not romanticising 'the good old days', enjoying what has survived into the present but working to ensure its preservation for the future.