Fred Hando
Frederick James Hando MBE (23 March 1888 – 17 February 1970) was a Welsh writer, artist and schoolteacher from Newport. He chronicled the history, character and folklore of Monmouthshire, which he also called Gwent, in a series of nearly 800 newspaper articles and several books published between the 1920s and 1960s.
Biography
Hando was born in
Hando married Alice Stanton, the daughter of a Newport builder, and the couple had two children – Margaret and John. Alice died while still young. After a number of years, Hando married again to Daisy, a staff member at his school. The couple soon had a son, Robert.[1]
Fred Hando unlocked our prison and set free what talents that I am sure would have remained locked in us for ever. Fred was a most talented man. He proved to us that all things were possible... We all of us come to a crossroads in our lives. I can only hope that at every crossroads there will be a smiling Fred Hando pointing the way and saying "This is the most pleasant and interesting way".
–Johnny Morris on Hando's teaching style[1]
In 1925 he was appointed as the first headmaster of Hatherleigh School in Newport,[4] where one of his pupils was Johnny Morris, later a noted radio and television presenter. Hando adopted an open and progressive teaching style and was described by Miriam Andrews, a former teacher at the school, as "a wonderful headmaster and he made the children very proud of Hatherleigh".[1]
His interest in local history was given an impetus when he was asked to provide sketches to illustrate
Hando was organist and choirmaster of Summerhill
Hando died on 17 February 1970, at St. Joseph's Nursing Home in Newport, at the age of 81. His last article, on District and Street Names, appeared in the South Wales Argus four days before his death.[6]
Works
Hando's aim in writing his articles was set out in the preface to his The Pleasant Land of Gwent, published in 1944; "to persuade readers to see the little places of a shy county".
The vanishing folklore and customs of Monmouthshire were of particular interest to Hando.
Monmouthshire's
Hando's Pictorial Guide to the Wye Valley and the Forest of Dean is the only one of his books which took the form of a conventional travel guide, as opposed to a collection of articles.[24]
Legacy
After his death the
From November 2017, the South Wales Argus re-published his weekly "Rambles in Gwent" column, giving readers an opportunity to read Hando's descriptions of what the Argus editor Kenneth Loveland called; "the shy beauty of this delectable county".[31]
Family
His daughter,
Hando also had a son, Robert, from his second marriage.[1]
Bibliography
Books by Fred Hando
(all published by R. H. Johns, Newport)
- Rambles in Gwent (1924)[34]
- The Pleasant Land of Gwent (1944) With an introduction by Arthur Machen.[35] (including limited Deluxe Edition of 220 copies, signed by the author)
- Journeys in Gwent (1951)[36] (including limited Deluxe Edition of 350 copies, signed by the author), OCLC 754992827[37]
- Pictorial Guide to the Wye Valley and the Royal Forest of Dean (1952), (Edited by W. A. Stoker)[38]
- Monmouthshire Sketch Book (1954)[39]
- Out and About in Monmouthshire (1958)[40]
- Monmouth Town (1964)[41]
- Here and There in Monmouthshire (1964)[42]
Collections and appreciations
Collections of Hando's articles, edited by Chris Barber:[43]
- Hando's Gwent (1987) ISBN 978-0951044452
- Hando's Gwent Volume 2 (1989) ISBN 978-0951044490
An appreciation of Hando's work, Fred J Hando, A Proud Son of Gwent (
Footnotes
- ^ Monmouthshire's Welsh status was ambiguous at this time.
- ^ The Hando family came from North Curry in Somerset. In the 18th century part of the family emigrated to Australia. The parents died en route, however, and their two five-year-old sons arrived in Australia as orphans. There are hundreds of their descendants in Australia today.[1]
- ^ The house was restored by the Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust between 2001-2006.[15]
- ^ Christine Anne Watkins, the author of Gwent Folk Tales, records her debt to Hando in the Acknowledgements to the book; "To the work of Fred Hando, whose wonderful books and sketches (are) always inspiring".[18]
- ^ A 'card' was a "'character', an 'original'; a 'clever, audacious, person'".[22]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barber 1987, pp. 7–11.
- ^ Collins 1945, pp. 118–120.
- ^ a b c Wade, Martin (12 August 2016). "Fred Hando – The Argus writer and teacher who revealed hidden Gwent". South Wales Argus.
- ^ Richards, Keith (18 September 2012). "NOW AND THEN: Hatherleigh School, Christchurch, Newport". South Wales Argus. Newport.
- ^ Barber 1987, pp. 189–193.
- ^ a b c Newport Local History Society: List of articles by Fred Hando published in the South Wales Argus. Accessed 9 February 2012
- ^ Stout 2009, p. 211.
- ^ Hando 1958, pp. 115–117.
- ^ Hando 1944, p. 15.
- ^ Hando 1944, p. 61.
- ^ Hando 1951, p. 82.
- ^ Hando 1961, p. unknown.
- ^ Hando 1964b, xiii.
- ^ Hando 1951, p. 46.
- ^ "The Spitalfields Trust | Allt-y-Bela, Usk, Monmouthshire, South Wales". Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ Newman 2000, p. 34.
- ^ Hando 1954, pp. 66–67.
- ^ Watkins 2019, Acknowledgments.
- ^ Hando 1944, p. 101.
- ^ Hando 1951, pp. 22–28.
- ^ Hando 1954, p. 45.
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary. "Card" n2 1.2.c
- ^ Hando 1964a, p. 19.
- ^ Hando 1952, Frontispiece.
- ^ Barber 1989, p. 7.
- ISSN 0308-0374. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
- ISBN 978-1853063121. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- ^ Morris, Steven (18 November 2018). "Rich soup of life in Gwent wetlands at risk from motorway". The Guardian.
- ^ Stanton, Stuart (29 November 2018). "We must remember the history – as well as the biodiversity – of the Gwent Levels". Nation Cymru.
- ^ Flynn, Paul (18 June 2012). "My life with the South Wales Argus". Institute for Welsh Affairs.
- ^ "Your chance to read Fred Hando's travels in old Gwent". South Wales Argus. 30 October 2017.
- ^ a b Margaret Rosalind Hando at ThePeerage.com. Accessed 10 February 2012
- ^ South Wales Argus, Tributes paid to Newport-born Baroness, 21 June 2010. Accessed 10 February 2012
- OCLC 771405583.
- OCLC 2534151.
- OCLC 30202753.
- OCLC 754992827.
- OCLC 30164265.
- OCLC 30166792.
- OCLC 30235598.
- OCLC 30295655.
- OCLC 30295639.
- ^ "The Writers of Wales Database – BARBER, CHRIS". Literature Wales. Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
- ^ "Nephew's book reveals life of Gwent historian and Argus columnist, Fred Hando". South Wales Argus. Newport. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
Sources
- Collins, William James Townsend (1945). Monmouthshire Writers: A Literary History and Anthology. OCLC 236089162.
- Hando, Fred (1922). Rambles in Gwent. OCLC 771405583.
- — (1944). The Pleasant Land of Gwent. OCLC 2534151.
- — (1951). Journeys in Gwent. OCLC 30202753.
- — (1952). Pictorial Guide to the Wye Valley and the Forest of Dean. OCLC 30164265.
- — (1954). Monmouthshire Sketch Book. OCLC 30166792.
- — (1958). Out and About in Monmouthshire. OCLC 30235598.
- — (1961). "Monmouthshire Sketchbook: No.452". South Wales Argus.
- — (1964a). Monmouth Town Sketch Book. OCLC 30295655.
- — (1964b). Here and There in Monmouthshire. OCLC 30295639.
- — (1987). Chris Barber (ed.). Hando's Gwent. Vol. 1. OCLC 18745431.
- — (1989). Chris Barber (ed.). Hando's Gwent. Vol. 2. OCLC 650492501.
- Newman, John (2000). Gwent/Monmouthshire. Pevsner Architectural Guides. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-09630-9.
- Stout, Alan (2009). Creating Prehistory: Druids, Ley Hunters and Archaeologists in pre-war Britain. New York: OCLC 437133104.
- Watkins, Christine Anne (2019). Gwent Folk Tales. ISBN 9780750991544.
External links
- Whyte, John; Clevely, Ted. "Articles Published by Fred J Hando in the South Wales Argus 1953–1970". Newport Local History Society. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016.
- "Hando Oak" at caerleon.net