K. M. Peyton

Kathleen Wendy Herald Peyton MBE (2 August 1929 – 19 December 2023), who wrote primarily as K. M. Peyton, was a British author of fiction for children and young adults in the 1960s and 1970s.

Peyton wrote more than fifty novels in the including the Ruth Hollis series, the Pennington series, and the Flambards series,^[1] the latter about the Russell family which spanned the period before and after the First World War. For the Flambards series, Peyton won both the 1969 Carnegie Medal from the Library Association^[2] and the 1970 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, judged by a panel of British children's writers.^[3][4][a] In 1979, the Flambards trilogy was adapted by Yorkshire Television^[4] as a 13-part TV series, Flambards, starring Christine McKenna as the heroine Christina Parsons.

Kathleen Wendy Herald Peyton was born on 2 August 1929 in Birmingham, England.^[5] Peyton began writing when she was nine-years-old and was first published when she was fifteen.^[6] Peyton has stated that she "never decided to become a writer...[she] just was one."^[7] Growing up in London, she could not own a horse, and instead developed an obsession with them—all her early books are about young girls who have ponies. In 1950, Peyton published her first novel Sabre, the Horse from the Sea, illustrated by British artist Lionel Edwards.^[6]

Later, she attended Kingston Art School, and then Manchester Art School. It was there that she met another student, Mike Peyton, an ex-serviceman who had been a military artist and prisoner of war. He shared her love of walking in the Pennines.^[8] They married in 1950,^[5] and travelled around Europe. When they returned to Britain, Peyton completed a Teaching Diploma and taught for three years at Northampton High School.^[6]

As a secondary school teacher, Peyton started writing young boys' adventure stories and sold them as serials to The Scout, a magazine owned by The Scout Association.^[6] These stories were later published in full-length.^[9] During this time, she began writing under the name K.M. Peyton—the 'M' represented her husband Mike who helped create the plots of her stories.^[9] Peyton soon left her teaching career, in pursuit of becoming a full-time writer.^[6]

After the birth of two her daughters, Peyton started writing fiction novels and returned to the topic of her "first love"—ponies, horses and equestrianism.^[6] These ideas are explored in the two book series: Flambards and Ruth Hollis.^[10] Later in life, Peyton became involved in horse racing and used her own personal experiences of owning horses as further inspiration for her writing.^[6]

In association with the Oxford University Press, Peyton's novels were illustrated by artist Victor G. Ambrus in the late 1960s.^[11] Peyton was an artist herself and self-illustrated a few of her own novels as well.^[12] During the 1970s, her best-selling series Flambards was published in multiple languages, such as Italian, German, Finnish, and Swedish.^[13]

Writers who cite K.M. Peyton as an influence include Linda Newbery, whose young adult novel The Damage Done (2001, Scholastic) is dedicated "to Kathleen Peyton, who made me want to try."^[14]

Peyton died on December 19, 2023, at the age of 94.^[15] Peyton had two daughters, Hilary and Veronica.^[5]

Peyton won the Guardian Prize for the Flambards trilogy, and won the Carnegie Medal for its second book.^[a] She was also a commended runner-up for the Carnegie Medal six times in eight years during the 1960s—one of the books was the first Flambards book, another was the third Flambards book in competition with the Medal-winning second. The others were Windfall (1962), The Maplin Bird (1964), The Plan for Birdmarsh (1965), and Thunder in the Sky (1966).^[4][16][b]

Peyton was awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to children's literature.^[17]

The Flambards trilogy was adapted by Yorkshire Television in 1978. The TV miniseries, Flambards, starring Christine McKenna as the heroine Christina Parsons, comprised 13 episodes.^[18] The miniseries was broadcast in the UK in 1979, and eventually the US in 1980.

Peyton's The Right-Hand Man (1977), a historical novel featuring an English stagecoach driver, was adapted into a feature film. In 1985, it was shot in Australia and was later released in 1987.

A Pattern of Roses (1972) was adapted in 1983 as a TV film, introducing Helena Bonham Carter in her first screen role.^[12]

Who, Sir? Me, Sir? (1985) was adapted as a BBC TV series.^[18]

The bibliography of Peyton's "pony books only" by Jane Badger Books includes all nineteen series books and many "other books" (‡) listed here.^[19]

• Flambards (Oxford, 1967), illustrated by Victor Ambrus
• The Edge of the Cloud (Oxford, 1969), ill. Ambrus
• Flambards in Summer (Oxford, 1969), ill. Ambrus
• Flambards Divided (1981)

Peyton's extension of the trilogy followed its television adaptation and reversed the original ending.

• Fly-by-Night (1968), self-illustrated
• The Team (1975), self-ill.

The Pennington series continues the story of Ruth Hollis in 1971.^[20]

• Pennington's Seventeenth Summer (1970), later as Pennington's Last Term, self-ill.
• The Beethoven Medal (1971), a.k.a. If I Ever Marry, self-ill.
• Pennington's Heir (1973), self-ill.
• Marion's Angels (1979)

• Prove Yourself a Hero (1977)
• A Midsummer Night's Death (1978)
• The Last Ditch (1984), also published as Free Rein

See also the Ruth Hollis series: Jonathan Meredith is a minor character in The Team.^[21]

• The Swallow Tale (1995)
• Swallow Summer (1996)
• Swallow the Star (1997)

Set in Roman Britain.^[19]

• Minna's Quest (2007)
• No Turning Back (2008)
• Far From Home (2009)

• Grey Star, the Story of a Racehorse — at age nine, unpublished §
• Sabre: The Horse from the Sea (A & C Black, 1948) ‡, as Kathleen Herald, illus. Lionel Edwards
• The Mandrake: A Pony (Black, 1949) ‡, as Kathleen Herald, ill. Edwards
• Crab the Roan (Black, 1953) ‡, as Kathleen Herald, ill. Peter Biegel

§ By age fifteen, Kathleen Herald had written "about ten more" novels that publishers rejected with "very nice letters".^[8]

‡ Jane Badger Books lists these titles among Peyton's "pony books only" – as well as all nineteen series books listed above.^[19]

Citations

• "Introduction" by Kathleen Peyton, Fly-By-Night, K M Peyton, Edinburgh: Fidra Books, 2007
• Welcome to the web site of K M Peyton (autobiographical home page). K M Peyton: Author. Retrieved 2012-08-10.

• Official website
• KM Peyton at Fidra Books, reprint publisher
• K. M. Peyton at Library of Congress, with 45 library catalogue records
• Mike Peyton at Library of Congress, with 4 records
• K. M. Peyton at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database (as joint pseudonym)