Page 4 - The 17th Percy French Festival: The Quest for Authenticity

Percy French

A Brief Biography

Childhood and Early Adulthood
William Percy French, (Illus. 1) songwriter, singer, before boarding from 1867 to 1871 at Windermere College,
musician, humourist, and artist, was born on 1st May which was run by the mathematician George Hale Puckle
1854 at Cloonyquin House, Co. Roscommon. He was the (1825–1909).7 Puckle had pub lished what French called a book
second son and the third child of the nine children born on Conic Sections and kindred spoil sports but this did not partic u -
to Christopher French (1821– 1897), a landlord, and larly impress the young Irish pupil: French later commented that
Susan Emma French (née Percy), (1827–1914), the ‘I never got to know what Conic Sections were, but in my second
daughter of the Reverend William Alexander Percy term I was cham pion fives player of the lower school’.8 Winder -
(1796–1869), rector of Kiltoghert Church of Irel and mere College was followed by a year at a ‘grinding’ insti tu tion–
parish in Co. Leitrim and his wife, Elizabeth Percy (née Foyle College, in Derry, which was run by a relative of the French
Lloyd) (c.1800 –1847).1 French’s childhood was an idyllic family, Reverend William Percy Robinson, DD. (1845–1881)–in
one in many ways: Cloonyquin House was a marvel lous order to pre pare for entrance to Trinity College Dublin.9 French’s
Illus 2.
place in which to play hide-and-seek and also a game father was keen that Percy should become an engi neer by profes - Above: Percy French painting a landscape with
which the boisterous Percy and his siblings called sion, which meant he first had to earn a BA before progressing a shaving brush. The Sketch, 10th January 1906.

‘The Lion Hunt’, and in his quiter moments Percy loved to an engineering degree.10 This proved to be an unexpectedly Below: Percy French painting at Cloonyquinn.
drawing, carving wooden figures with a penknife, and lengthy process, as Percy was much more interested in Trinity’s Percy French Collection, North Down Museum.
Illustration 1. Frontispiece of Emily de Burgh Daly (ed), playing with tin soldiers. His father’s library was also social life than he was in studying, as shown by the enthu siasm
Prose, Poems and Parodies of Percy French, Dublin: Talbot Press, 1929.
a favourite haunt, where he spent ‘many a splendid with which he attended musical theatres, enter tained at parties
hour [ . . . ] following the fortunes of Nicholas Nickleby, and ‘smokers’ (smoking concerts) despite his aversion to smok ing,
Notes

1 Belfast News-Letter, 6th April 1847; Cork Constitution, 3rd March 1869; or fight ing Malay pirates and mediæval robbers with played the banjo and piano, took up the fashionable sport
Leinster Reporter, 15th May 1897; Daily Express, 31st December 1914; Charles Reade. He also participated in such outdoor of tennis and indulged his passion for painting watercolours,
Emily de Burgh Daly (ed), Chronicles and Poems of Percy French (Dublin:
pursuits as cricket, fishing and horse-riding at Cloony - an interest he retained for the rest of his life.11 (Illus. 2) In 1877
Talbot Press, 1922), p.1.
2 de Burgh Daly, Chronicles, pp.4; 6; 12; 15–16; 19; 39–42. quin.2 It is likely that the good relations which pre vailed he showed an early glimpse of his song-writing talent when he
2 de Burgh Daly, Chronicles, p.43. between Christopher French and his tenants contrib - composed the humorous song, Abdallah Bulbul Ameer, a pirated
4 Roscommon Herald, 15th December 1860, 14th June 1862. uted to the harmon ious atmosphere that prevailed copy of which soon became a popular ditty throughout the
In June 1868 he gave a party to 260 of the schoolchildren living on his estate.
The Roscommon Herald commented on 13th June: ‘All remarked on the clean at Cloonyquin when Percy was growing up there.3 English-speaking world. This episode also demonstrated French’s
and healthy appearance of the children, and with such a prospect of a rising Percy’s father was known as ‘Christopher the Good’ due frequent carelessness in his financial affairs, as he neglec ted to
generation there need be little apprehension of a decrease of the population
to his generous hospitality in host ing annual dinners take out copyright on the song and therefore did not benefit
on the Cloonyquinn [sic] estate–but, did every landlord take the same interest
Mr French does in the prosperity of their tenants, the country generally would for his tenants,4 and in Septem ber 1879, during the financially from its success.12
present a different appearance to what it does.’ severe agricul tural depres sion in the West of Ireland
5 Roscommon Herald, 20th September 1879.
which was a catalyst for the Land War, the Roscommon
6 de Burgh Daly, Chronicles, pp.6; 23. Herald stated that Christopher French’s name was ‘the
7 Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal, 25th June 1875; Lakes Herald, 10th December 1909. The Cavan Years
8 de Burgh Daly, Chronicles, p.25. syn onym of good landlordism’ and lauded his decisiont Graduating with a BA in 1876 and a B.Eng. in 1881, French was
9 Ulster Gazette, 19th March 1881; de Burgh Daly, Chronicles, p.44. to lower rents on his estate by 20 per cent.5 employed as a tem por ary teacher of art at Foyle Col lege before
10 Berrie O’Neill, Tones that are Tender: Percy French 1854–1920 beginning an engineering apprentice ship with James Price
(Dublin: Lilliput, Press, 2016), p.35.
Percy was first taught at home by tutors and govern - (1831–1895) of the Midland Great Western Railway.13 French and
11 de Burgh Daly, Chronicles, pp.28–29; Ettie French, Willie (Holywood:
Percy French Society, 1994), pp.25–26. esses, but when he was ten years old the French family a fellow apprentice, Charles Manners (1857–1935) (real name
12 de Burgh Daly, Chronicles, p.60; O’Neill, Tones that are Tender, pp. 42–43. moved to Derbyshire to further the children’s educa - Southcote Mansergh), the future famous opera singer and opera
13 O’Neill, Tones that are Tender, pp.42–43; Stefanie P. Jones, ‘Price, James’,
Dictionary of Irish Biography, https://www.dib.ie/biography/price-james-a7499 tion.6 Percy first attended for two years at the Reverend company manager, spent much of their working hours rehears -
14 de Burgh Daly, Chronicles, pp.30–33. John Barton’s (1816–1875) school at Kirk Langley, ing duets together. They also earned 28 shillings by performing

•2• THE P ERCY FRENCH FESTIVAL 2025 THE QUEST FOR AUTHENTICIT Y •3•