Alan Clark Diaries, The Looking Glass War and The Silent Land

I wanted to read a political autobiography for a change, and last year I settled on the well received "Alan Clark Diaries". These are not memoirs. They are exactly as recorded in his diaries from 1983 to 1991. I think that is why I only read them in chunks. Every couple of months I would read another year's worth. They start with the Conservatives sweeping election victory of June 1983. Clark had been an MP since 1974 and was rewarded that month with his first ministerial post in Margaret Thatcher's government. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Employment was not what Clark had in mind, and his first forays as a very junior minister are pretty funny. In February 1986 he is made Minister for Trade, not in the cabinet but almost. He throws himself into his new elevated role and, being such a extrovert, copes well with all the travelling and conferences abroad, and continues in this position when the conservatives are re-elected in 1987.

In July 1989, he almost achieves his main ambition (the army was a lifetime passion) and is appointed Minister of State at Defence. But not as Secretary of State as the following conversation with the Prime Minister describes:
"Alan, I want you to go to Defence........ As Minister of State".
"Who is going to be Secretary of State?"
"Well, don't tell anyone, because it hasn't been released yet, but Tom (King) is coming back from Ireland to do it."
"I'm sorry Prime Minister, but I can't work with Tom. I went through all that when I was at DE, I can't do it again. He's too ghastly."
"I know what you mean, but he is much better now."
"I just can't do it, I'm afraid."
"Alan, you've always wanted to go to Defence. I've stood out to get you this job (uh?). You can't let me down by refusing."
"Oh, all right Prime Minister, thank you very much."
"Right then, that's settled." Oh dear! What a feeble resistance.

The year of 1990 takes up a huge chunk of the book, particularly the downfall of Margaret Thatcher. The book ends in early 1991 (he keeps his position at Defence) as Clark is inducted into the Privy Council. The book itself gives a highly entertaining insight into the workings of government. It is probably the next best thing to shadowing a minister of state, particularly in his dealings with the civil service. The writer is often outspoken, rude and lecherous. But at the same time witty, friendly and clever. Glad I persevered.

John Le Carre's "The Looking Glass War" is the last but one on his early novels that I missed first time round. It follows his acclaimed "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold", and for me is a superior story. "The Department" (which we take to mean the military intelligence department of the Ministry of Defence) is in decline. "The Circus" (that we take to mean MI6, the intelligence department of the Foreign Office) is in the ascendancy. The head of  the Department wants one more big operation to underline it's credibility. But it is now in no shape to be effective and the mission is doomed from the start. The novel is very effective at describing the protagonists as they try to resurrect their wartime expertise, all to no avail. One of Le Carre's best.

"The Silent Land" is a shortish novel set in a ski resort in the French Pyrenees. It only has two characters. Zoe and Jake are caught in an avalanche one early morning. They struggle back to the village, only to find it completely deserted. What happens next is a supernatural story of a couple trying to make sense of their isolation. Well written by Graham Joyce, this is an undemanding, yet gripping story of a relationship tested by an unusual experience.

Askew, Ascough or Ayscough

Here we go again. I had found the family of James Ascough on the 1851 and 1861 census, so I was searching for his birth on familysearch.org. There the IGI is now available online instead of having to trawl through CD's at the library as I have done in the past. I found James' christening on 27th March 1808 in Toynton All Saints, the adjacent village to Toynton St Peter where he was on the later census. But his surname was recorded as Ayscough, with his parents named as John and Elizabeth Ayscough. I also found the christening records of James' siblings Mary (25th January 1807 in Toynton St Peter) and William, christened on the same day as James. So they could be twins, or they were just christened together.

I then found the christening of their father John Ayscough on 4th November 1781 in Toynton St Peter with his parents recorded as John and Mary Ayscough. John was christened with the surname Ascough on 20th October 1758 in Toynton St Peter. His parents were Thomas and Susanah Ascough. They had five children: Mary, Thomas, John, Elizabeth and Edward. All were christened Ascough except for Elizabeth whose surname was Askew. And they were all christened in Toynton St Peter from 1754 to 1760 except for Edward in Toynton All Saints in 1764. And it is in the churchyard of Toynton All Saints that John, christened in 1758, is buried in 1844 having gained the grand old age of 85, and his son John, christened in 1781, is also buried this time in 1846. All courtesy of the National Burial Index. The photo below is of  the church of Toynton All Saints..

That is it as far as my searches go on the IGI. What is interesting is how the surname has changed over the years. From Ascough or Askew to Ayscough in the eighteenth century, to Ascough again when those recording the census in the mid nineteenth century wrote down the name, and finally to Askew when George's birth was registered in 1852. And that generations of the same family worked in agriculture, the only employment available in the wilds of Lincolnshire.

The five generations from Toynton are Thomas Ascough born around 1735, his son John christened 20th October 1758, his son John christened 4th November 1781, his son James christened 27th March 1808 and his son George born 27th December 1852.

Above is the church of Toynton St Peter.

The Debt, Take Shelter and My Week With Marilyn

Struggling to find a decent film locally a couple of weeks ago, I took myself off to "Senior Screen", the cut price Wednesday morning showing for us oldies. I thought "The Debt" was a strange choice, but the cinema was packed with lots of us hoping for a rare, decent thriller. What we got was a slightly unsatisfying plot, that felt it must be based on a true story, but wasn't. The action alternates between 1997 where three ex Mossad agents reflect on their mission in 1966. The reflective and stilted drama of the later scenes seem to sit uneasily with the excitement of their capturing of "the surgeon of Birkenau". It doesn't help that Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson and Ciaran Hands (though all very good) look nothing like the actors who play their parts in 1966. Jessica Chastain is excellent as Mirren's younger self, and surely could have been made to look 30 years older. The suspense as the mission unfolds is quite something, but all to soon we are back to 1997. There the big twist leaves us with a gripping finale. If only Chastain had been in the final scenes, it might have been the wonderful film it was trying to be.

A movie that tries to be intelligent and original, "Take Shelter" is a decent enough attempt, but a punchier and more dynamic direction could have made it so much better. We never really know if the hallucinations suffered by Michael Shannon in the lead role are real, imagined or prophetic. But the drama plays out very well as Shannon worries he has inherited his mother's schizophrenia. The look and feel of the movie created by director Jeff Nichols is superb. But the highlight for me was Jessica Chastain as the beleaguered wife. The same actress who was so good in "The Debt" and as Celia Foote in last month's "The Help". Within the space of a few weeks, she has established herself as a brilliant performer, especially as you would not think it was the same woman in any of the three movies.

Although "My Week With Marilyn" had moderate reviews, I thought it was an excellent film. First I have to mention the screenplay by Adrian Hodges from the memoir by Colin Clark. I thought it struck just the right tone, with plenty of great quips and one liners along the way. Michelle Williams is quite staggering as a sympathetic Marilyn and Kenneth Branagh does justice to Laurence Olivier's starstruck but bullying co-star and director of  the production of  "The Prince and the Showgirl". Their off screen trauma is probably reflected in the finished movie of 1956. The period setting is good to look at and ably filmed by director Simon Curtis, whether inside Pinewood Studios or when it follows Marilyn outside. There are a number of quite wonderful cameos from a host of British acting talent. Even the three Americans who accompany Marilyn are Brits; Dougray Scott (unrecognisable as Arthur Miller), Zoe Wanamaker and Dominic Cooper are all very good. Judi Dench steals every scene in which she appears as Dame Sybil Thordike, closely followed by Toby Jones, Derek Jacobi, Simon Russell Beale and Michael Kitchen. We were, perhaps, a little distracted by the short appearance of so many classy actors. Shame about Emma Watson. But Eddie Redmayne does well as the 23 year old Colin Clark, who has wangled a postion as third director, and around whose "week" the story is told. Not quite in the same class as "The King's Speech" or "Made in Dagenham", but very, very close.

Askew or Ascough

Or Ayscough, Ainscough or Ainscow etc. All a derivation of the locational name of Aiskew in the North Riding of Yorkshire. My mother's maiden name is Askew. But when I came to searching the census records for her great grandfather, I could not find a single entry. I knew mum's grandfather George Askew was born in Toynton St Peter in the wilds of Lincolnshire in 1852, and that his parents were James and Lucy Askew. But there was no sign of them on any census record.

I took a chance and e-mailed the Lincolnshire Family History Society to see if they could recommend a researcher that would look at some parish records. I was amazed to receive a lengthy reply from Ruth with lots of suggestions. The main one was "I don't think there is a surname in the county which will come with more spelling variations". Ruth had actually found James and Lucy Ascough on the 1851 Census. When I found the same entry, they already had five children. They were also there on the 1861 census, this time with two more children, one of whom was George Ascough.

Toynton St Peter is a tiny village, about 15 miles west of Skegness. James Askew (my great great grandfather) was also born there in 1808. On his son George's birth certificate (which states the surname as Askew) he is recorded as an agricultural labourer, not surprising really. All his older sons had the same occupation. Two were born in Thorpe St Peter, half way to where James' wife Lucy was born in nearby Wainfleet St Mary in 1816.

It was George who made the move to work in the coalfields of Rotherham. But he is 28 years old before I found him on the 1881 census married to Jane and with two very young children. So I guess he moved there just after he was 20. There is no record on the 1871 census of him or any of his parents or siblings. One or both of George's parents may have died. Or the spelling of the surname has defeated me once again.

The Seymours Film Script

When I was looking to publish my family history on the web, I found that Google provided free webspace. So this also seemed to the obvious place to publish my film script. The screenplay of "The Seymours" can now be found at:

https://sites.google.com/site/theseymoursfilmscript

It also contains the following summary:

One of the most dynamic and important periods in Tudor history falls between 1547 and 1549, the first three years after the death of Henry V111.

This is the story of two brothers, uncles of the boy king Edward V1. The elder is Edward Seymour, a clever and ambitious man who seizes the position of Lord Protector. His brother Thomas Seymour is lazy but highly jealous of Edward’s power. He marries the dowager Queen Katherine and becomes romantically entangled with the young Princess Elizabeth. His increasingly devious and erratic behavior, in an attempt to gain power, leads to a tragic conclusion for himself, and ultimately his brother.

Edward Seymour is initially highly successful in his role of Protector. His popularity is secured when he leads the army to a great victory over the Scots at Pinkie. He gains the support of the Council and Parliament to make major reforms. The repeals of the harsh laws on treason and heresy are followed by religious and social changes. Censorship is relaxed and religious debate allowed. It was going too well.

The country was not ready for such freedom. And Edward Seymour, now the Duke of Somerset, had become obsessed with making all the decisions himself and fails to heed the advice of his closest associates. His building of Somerset House also causes controversy. These factors result in a combustible mix leading to insurrection throughout the country culminating in Kett’s Rebellion.

Edward’s position had already been weakened when his brother is executed for treason and rivals take the opportunity to bring about the Protector’s downfall. This is a story of rivalry, scandal, intrigue and treason. This time it is not the regent who is at centre stage, but the men and women around him. It is about the search for power in the vacuum created when a child is King.

131 Songs - Numbers 129,130 and 131

In the end, there were three more Mark Knopler songs I wanted to include. "Romeo and Juliet" by Dire Straits (Number 36) was never going to be enough.

Number 129 - Telegraph Road by Dire Straits

In all the three Mark Knopfler concerts I saw at The Royal Albert Hall in 2005, 2008 and 2010, this was the stand out song. The band play it note perfect to the recording including the long instrumental sections. Outstanding.

Number 130 - 5.15 am by Mark Knopfler

I wanted to pick one track from his six solo albums. I went for "5:15 am" from the "Shargri-La" album. I had already picked The Last Laugh as number 51. 

Number 131 - Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits

This song never fails to effect me no matter how many times I hear it played. It was always going to be my final choice. And it will always remind me of the Dire Straits concert at Woburn in June 1992. You could say I was a fan.

My 131 Songs started with Lonnie Donegan and fittingly finish with an artist who recorded "Donegan's Gone". My musical tastes have changed over the years, but my liking for a folk/country/rock mix is still going strong. Thanks to Lonnie.