Riseholme
Encyclopedia
Riseholme is a fictional Elizabethan village in the Cotswolds
in the “Lucia”
novels of Edward Frederic Benson
(1867-1940). It is thought to have been based on Broadway, Worcestershire
.
. Lucia was "Queen" of Riseholme, the main figures in her circle being George (“Georgie” or “Georgino”) Pillson and Daisy Quantock.
Riseholme appeared also in Lucia in London (1927), in which Lucia launched herself on London society; Mapp and Lucia (1931), in which, following Peppino’s death, both Lucia and Georgie (who entered into a companionable marriage in Lucia’s Progress, 1935), took holiday lets in the Sussex town of Tilling
(based on Rye
) where, at the end of the summer of 1930, they decided to settle. At Tilling Lucia unveiled her celebrated dish, Lobster à la Riseholme
.
Lucia and Georgie visited Riseholme again in Trouble for Lucia (1939) where they stayed at the home of the operatic prima donna Olga Bracely and Lucia called on Poppy, Duchess of Sheffield, at nearby Sheffield Castle (which Benson located at "Sheffield Bottom" - unconnected to the Yorkshire Sheffield).
It was revealed in Mapp and Lucia that Lucia's great rival in Tilling, Elizabeth Mapp (Miss Mapp, 1922) had once visited Riseholme and stayed at the Ambermere Arms. She also hi-jacked Lucia's au reservoir (for au revoir) and presented it to Tilling society as her own.
(1903-2000), a Cambridge historian who knew Benson well, and Benson’s manservant Charlie Tomalin (d.1981) for the assertion that Riseholme was based on Broadway. Benson was known to have visited the American actress Mary Anderson
(1859-1940), long resident in England, who lived in Broadway at Court Farm.
The name was probably derived from the village of Riseholme, near Lincoln
, of whose Church of England cathedral
, Benson's father, Edward White Benson
, was Chancellor
before becoming Bishop of Truro
in 1877.
Benson used Riseborough as the name of a town similar to Rye in his novel Mrs Ames (1912).
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
in the “Lucia”
Mapp and Lucia
Mapp and Lucia is a collective name for a series of novels by E. F. Benson, and is also the name of a television series based on those novels.-The novels:...
novels of Edward Frederic Benson
Edward Frederic Benson
Edward Frederic Benson was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist and short story writer, known professionally as E.F. Benson. His friends called him Fred.-Life:E.F...
(1867-1940). It is thought to have been based on Broadway, Worcestershire
Broadway, Worcestershire
Broadway is a village and civil parish in the Worcestershire part of the Cotswolds in England.Often referred to as the "Jewel of the Cotswolds", Broadway village lies beneath Fish Hill on the western Cotswold escarpment...
.
Lucia and Riseholme
Riseholme first appeared as the home of Emmeline Lucas (“Lucia”) and her husband, Philip (a retired barrister whom she called “Peppino”), in Queen Lucia (1920). The Lucases had by then lived for ten years at The Hurst, in front of which was a Shakespearean gardenShakespeare garden
A Shakespeare garden is a themed garden that cultivates plants mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare. In English-speaking countries, particularly the United States, these are often public gardens associated with parks, universities, and Shakespeare festivals...
. Lucia was "Queen" of Riseholme, the main figures in her circle being George (“Georgie” or “Georgino”) Pillson and Daisy Quantock.
Riseholme appeared also in Lucia in London (1927), in which Lucia launched herself on London society; Mapp and Lucia (1931), in which, following Peppino’s death, both Lucia and Georgie (who entered into a companionable marriage in Lucia’s Progress, 1935), took holiday lets in the Sussex town of Tilling
Tilling (Sussex)
Tilling is a fictional coastal town, based on Rye, East Sussex, in the Mapp and Lucia novels of Edward Frederic Benson .- Town in the novels of E F Benson :...
(based on Rye
Rye, East Sussex
Rye is a small town in East Sussex, England, which stands approximately two miles from the open sea and is at the confluence of three rivers: the Rother, the Tillingham and the Brede...
) where, at the end of the summer of 1930, they decided to settle. At Tilling Lucia unveiled her celebrated dish, Lobster à la Riseholme
Lobster à la Riseholme
Lobster à la Riseholme was a famed gastronomic dish served by Lucia in two of the Mapp and Lucia novels of E F Benson ....
.
Lucia and Georgie visited Riseholme again in Trouble for Lucia (1939) where they stayed at the home of the operatic prima donna Olga Bracely and Lucia called on Poppy, Duchess of Sheffield, at nearby Sheffield Castle (which Benson located at "Sheffield Bottom" - unconnected to the Yorkshire Sheffield).
It was revealed in Mapp and Lucia that Lucia's great rival in Tilling, Elizabeth Mapp (Miss Mapp, 1922) had once visited Riseholme and stayed at the Ambermere Arms. She also hi-jacked Lucia's au reservoir (for au revoir) and presented it to Tilling society as her own.
Sources of Riseholme
Cynthia and Tony Revell (1984) Mr Benson remembered in Rye, and the world of Tilling cited Sir Steven RuncimanSteven Runciman
The Hon. Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman CH — known as Steven Runciman — was a British historian known for his work on the Middle Ages...
(1903-2000), a Cambridge historian who knew Benson well, and Benson’s manservant Charlie Tomalin (d.1981) for the assertion that Riseholme was based on Broadway. Benson was known to have visited the American actress Mary Anderson
Mary Anderson (stage actress)
Mary Anderson was an American stage actress.-Early life:...
(1859-1940), long resident in England, who lived in Broadway at Court Farm.
The name was probably derived from the village of Riseholme, near Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
, of whose Church of England cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...
, Benson's father, Edward White Benson
Edward White Benson
Edward White Benson was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1883 until his death.-Life:Edward White Benson was born in Highgate, Birmingham, the son of a Birmingham chemical manufacturer. He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA in 1852...
, was Chancellor
Chancellor (ecclesiastical)
Two quite distinct officials of some Christian churches have the title Chancellor.*In some churches, the Chancellor of a diocese is a lawyer who represents the church in legal matters....
before becoming Bishop of Truro
Bishop of Truro
The Bishop of Truro is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Truro in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Cornwall and it is one of the most recently created dioceses of the Church of England...
in 1877.
Benson used Riseborough as the name of a town similar to Rye in his novel Mrs Ames (1912).