A Kestrel for a Knave
Encyclopedia
A Kestrel for a Knave is a novel by British author Barry Hines
, published in 1968. It is set in Barnsley
, South Yorkshire
and tells of Billy Casper, a young working class boy troubled at home and at school, who only finds solace when he finds and trains a kestrel
whom he names "Kes".
The book was made into a film Kes
and is often used in Key Stage 4
assessment in the UK
, as part of GCSE
English courses. The book is so named because of a poem found in the Boke of St Albans. In medieval
England
, the only bird a knave
was legally allowed
to keep was a kestrel
.
There is a flashback to a time some months ago when Billy returns home to find a man whom he does not recognise leaving his house. He asks his mum, and finds out that this person is Reg, the man she had come home with the night before. It becomes obvious to the reader that Billy's dad is absent. Mum then tells him to go to the shop to get some cigarettes but instead he steals a book from the local bookstore. He returns home to read it. Jud comes back drunk from a night out. Still in the flashback, the next scene takes place at a farm. Billy sees a kestrels nest and approaches it. Billy is then approached by the farmer and his daughter. at first the farmer tells Billy to "Bugger off" but when he realizes that Billy was looking for a kestrel, he soon takes an interest. The flashback ends.
Later on in the day, Billy is at school, where Mr Crossley is taking the register. After the name Fisher, Billy shouts out 'German Bight',inadvertently causing the teacher to make a mistake. The class then proceeds to the hall for an assembly run by the strict head teacher, Mr Gryce. During the Lord's Prayer, Billy starts to daydream, and after the prayer has finished, Billy remains standing after the rest of the people in the hall have sat down. Billy is told to report to Gryce's room after assembly. Billy goes to Gryce and gets caned. He then goes to a class with Mr Farthing, who is discussing 'Fact and Fiction'. One of the pupils, Anderson, tells a story about tadpoles. Then Billy is told to tell a story, and tells a story about his kestrel. Mr Farthing takes an interest. The class then has to write a tall story, and Billy writes about a day when his father comes back home and Jud leaves to join the army. After the lesson Billy gets into a fight with a boy called MacDowall, which is eventually broken up by Mr Farthing.
After break, Billy goes to physical education with Mr Sugden. Billy has no PE kit, because his mother refuses to pay for it, so he is forced to wear clothes that do not fit. He goes onto the football pitch, and is told to play in goal. After a very long lesson, which involves Billy performing acrobatics on the goalpost, the class goes back inside and each has a shower. After Billy intentionally lets in the winning goal in order to end the lesson, he is humiliated by Mr Sudgen who forces him to take a cold shower. After this, Billy goes straight home to feed Kes. He takes her out and flies her, and is approached by Mr Farthing, who is apparently impressed by Billy's skill. Mr Farthing then leaves, and Billy goes out to place Jud's bet. However, he finds out that the horse that Jud intends to bet on is unlikely to win, and instead uses Jud's money to buy a portion of fish and chips, and some meat for his kestrel.
Billy returns to school, and whilst sitting in a maths lesson sees Jud walking towards the school. The lesson finishes, and Billy leaves hurriedly. He tries to hide from Jud and falls asleep before he bumps into Gryce, who reminds him that he is supposed to be in a Youth Employment Meeting. Billy goes along to his Youth Employment Meeting, and the Youth Employment Officer finds it very difficult to recommend anything, as Billy claims that he has no hobbies. After the Youth Employment Meeting, Billy goes straight home and finds that Kes has disappeared. He frantically searches for her, and returns home. Jud is there, and he tells Billy that the horse he was supposed to place a bet on won ,and that he has killed Kes. Billy then calls Jud a "fuckin' bastard" and has a fight with him. His mother criticises Billy's language, and Billy runs away. Another flashback takes place in which Billy visits the cinema with his father. When they return home, Billy's father finds that his wife has been having an affair with Billy's 'Uncle Mick'. Billy's father punches Mick, and leaves the house. After the flashback has ended, Billy returns home, buries the kestrel and goes to bed.
The story is set in only one day, and the book is unusual in that much of the plot takes place in flashback sequences, a storytelling device more commonly associated with film. However, the film adaption by [Hakeem Stoute]dispenses with the flashbacks and portrays the events all in the same timeframe.
Barry Hines
Melvin Barry Hines, FRSL is a British author who has written several popular novels and television scripts.-Early life:Born in the mining village of Hoyland Common near Barnsley, England, he attended Ecclesfield Grammar School and played football for the England Grammar Schools team...
, published in 1968. It is set in Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
and tells of Billy Casper, a young working class boy troubled at home and at school, who only finds solace when he finds and trains a kestrel
Kestrel
The name kestrel, is given to several different members of the falcon genus, Falco. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviour which is to hover at a height of around over open country and swoop down on prey, usually small mammals, lizards or large insects...
whom he names "Kes".
The book was made into a film Kes
Kes (film)
Kes is a 1969 British film from director Ken Loach and producer Tony Garnett. The film is based on the novel A Kestrel for a Knave, written by the Barnsley-born author Barry Hines in 1968...
and is often used in Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other exams, in maintained schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—normally known as Year 10 and Year 11 in England and Wales, and Year 11 and Year 12 in Northern Ireland, when pupils are...
assessment in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, as part of GCSE
General Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...
English courses. The book is so named because of a poem found in the Boke of St Albans. In medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
, the only bird a knave
Journeyman
A journeyman is someone who completed an apprenticeship and was fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master....
was legally allowed
Sumptuary law
Sumptuary laws are laws that attempt to regulate habits of consumption. Black's Law Dictionary defines them as "Laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expenditures in the matter of apparel, food, furniture, etc." Traditionally, they were...
to keep was a kestrel
Kestrel
The name kestrel, is given to several different members of the falcon genus, Falco. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviour which is to hover at a height of around over open country and swoop down on prey, usually small mammals, lizards or large insects...
.
Plot
In the opening pages of the book we see Billy and his half-brother Jud sleeping in the same bed in a deprived household. Billy tries to encourage Jud to get up to go to work, but Jud only responds by punching him. Soon afterwards Billy attempts to leave for his paper round, only to discover that Jud has stolen his bicycle. As a result, Billy is late and has to deliver the newspapers on foot .There is a flashback to a time some months ago when Billy returns home to find a man whom he does not recognise leaving his house. He asks his mum, and finds out that this person is Reg, the man she had come home with the night before. It becomes obvious to the reader that Billy's dad is absent. Mum then tells him to go to the shop to get some cigarettes but instead he steals a book from the local bookstore. He returns home to read it. Jud comes back drunk from a night out. Still in the flashback, the next scene takes place at a farm. Billy sees a kestrels nest and approaches it. Billy is then approached by the farmer and his daughter. at first the farmer tells Billy to "Bugger off" but when he realizes that Billy was looking for a kestrel, he soon takes an interest. The flashback ends.
Later on in the day, Billy is at school, where Mr Crossley is taking the register. After the name Fisher, Billy shouts out 'German Bight',inadvertently causing the teacher to make a mistake. The class then proceeds to the hall for an assembly run by the strict head teacher, Mr Gryce. During the Lord's Prayer, Billy starts to daydream, and after the prayer has finished, Billy remains standing after the rest of the people in the hall have sat down. Billy is told to report to Gryce's room after assembly. Billy goes to Gryce and gets caned. He then goes to a class with Mr Farthing, who is discussing 'Fact and Fiction'. One of the pupils, Anderson, tells a story about tadpoles. Then Billy is told to tell a story, and tells a story about his kestrel. Mr Farthing takes an interest. The class then has to write a tall story, and Billy writes about a day when his father comes back home and Jud leaves to join the army. After the lesson Billy gets into a fight with a boy called MacDowall, which is eventually broken up by Mr Farthing.
After break, Billy goes to physical education with Mr Sugden. Billy has no PE kit, because his mother refuses to pay for it, so he is forced to wear clothes that do not fit. He goes onto the football pitch, and is told to play in goal. After a very long lesson, which involves Billy performing acrobatics on the goalpost, the class goes back inside and each has a shower. After Billy intentionally lets in the winning goal in order to end the lesson, he is humiliated by Mr Sudgen who forces him to take a cold shower. After this, Billy goes straight home to feed Kes. He takes her out and flies her, and is approached by Mr Farthing, who is apparently impressed by Billy's skill. Mr Farthing then leaves, and Billy goes out to place Jud's bet. However, he finds out that the horse that Jud intends to bet on is unlikely to win, and instead uses Jud's money to buy a portion of fish and chips, and some meat for his kestrel.
Billy returns to school, and whilst sitting in a maths lesson sees Jud walking towards the school. The lesson finishes, and Billy leaves hurriedly. He tries to hide from Jud and falls asleep before he bumps into Gryce, who reminds him that he is supposed to be in a Youth Employment Meeting. Billy goes along to his Youth Employment Meeting, and the Youth Employment Officer finds it very difficult to recommend anything, as Billy claims that he has no hobbies. After the Youth Employment Meeting, Billy goes straight home and finds that Kes has disappeared. He frantically searches for her, and returns home. Jud is there, and he tells Billy that the horse he was supposed to place a bet on won ,and that he has killed Kes. Billy then calls Jud a "fuckin' bastard" and has a fight with him. His mother criticises Billy's language, and Billy runs away. Another flashback takes place in which Billy visits the cinema with his father. When they return home, Billy's father finds that his wife has been having an affair with Billy's 'Uncle Mick'. Billy's father punches Mick, and leaves the house. After the flashback has ended, Billy returns home, buries the kestrel and goes to bed.
The story is set in only one day, and the book is unusual in that much of the plot takes place in flashback sequences, a storytelling device more commonly associated with film. However, the film adaption by [Hakeem Stoute]dispenses with the flashbacks and portrays the events all in the same timeframe.