John Meade Falkner

Born in Wiltshire in 1858, John Meade Falkner grew up the son of a clergyman and later studied at Hertford College, Oxford. He wrote under the name J. Meade Falkner and became known for a small but memorable body of work, especially Moonfleet (1898), whose smugglers, secrets, and Dorset setting helped make it a lasting favorite.

Falkner was more than a novelist. He worked first as a teacher and tutor, then built a successful career with the engineering and armaments firm Armstrong Whitworth, eventually serving as chairman during the First World War. That unusual mix of literary imagination and business leadership gives his life a striking contrast.

He was also deeply interested in medieval history, church architecture, and topography, interests that shaped both his writing and his later years. After retiring from business, he served as honorary librarian at Durham Cathedral, where his love of the past found a natural home. He died in Durham in 1932.