page_title: Henry Williamson
section_title: Early writing
hierarchical_section_title: Henry Williamson / Early writing
caption_attribution_description: English: Skirr Cottage in Georgeham, where Henry Williamson first lived in the village. He is buried in the churchyard just visible in the photograph This is a photo of listed building number 1366236.
context_page_description: Henry William Williamson was an English author who wrote novels concerned with wildlife, English social history and Ruralism. He was awarded the Hawthornden Prize for literature in 1928 for his book Tarka the Otter.
context_section_description: He told of his war experiences in The Wet Flanders Plain (1929), The Patriot's Progress (1930) and in many of his books in the semi-autobiographical 15-book series A Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight (1951–1969).
  After the war, he read Richard Jefferies' book The Story of My Heart and this inspired him to begin writing seriously. In 1921, he moved to Georgeham, Devon, initially living in Skirr Cottage there. He married Ida Loetitia Hibbert in 1925 - she was descended from the Hibbert family that founded its fortune as slave owners and traders in Jamaica on both her mother and father's side - they had six children. One daughter, Margaret, was the first wife of the guitarist and lutenist Julian Bream.
  In 1927 Williamson published his most acclaimed book, Tarka the Otter; it won him the Hawthornden Prize in 1928, and made him enough money to pay for the wooden hut near Georgeham where he wrote many of his later books, often sitting alone there for 15 hours a day.  The wooden writing hut was granted Grade II listed status by English Heritage in July 2014 because of its "historical interest". Tarka also sparked a friendship with T. E. Lawrence who had similar views about the need for a lasting peace settlement in Europe. Lawrence died in May 1935 shortly after receiving a telegram from Williamson, which has sparked some conspiracy theories.
  In 1936 he bought a farm in Stiffkey, Norfolk. The Story of a Norfolk Farm (1941) is his account of his first years of farming there.
caption: Skirr Cottage in Georgeham in Devon where Williamson lived (1921–1925). He is buried in the churchyard beyond.
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