Prof.
JOHN "IAN" BERNARD STOUGHTON HOLBOURN, Second Cabin Passenger
[No Picture Provided]
Professor Ian Holbourn, 43, was born on 5 November 1872 (Guy Fawkes'
Day) to Alfred Holborn*, first class Honours in Mathematics from New College,
London, and Mary Jane Stoughton, daughter of John Stoughton, DD,
celebrated Congregational minister, preacher, and ecclesiastical
historian. The couple had two children, John Bernard ("Ian" being
the Scottish equivalent of "John") being the older of the two. As
a child, he was often addressed as "Bernard." Mary Jane died
three years after her and Alfred's marriage. After her death,
Alfred's health broke down and the two children were sent to live with
their stern Aunt Augusta.
A nurse's neglect during young Holbourn's childhood had led a scratch
on the four-year-old into an infection with an abscess reaching to the
bone, which had to be scraped periodically. Thus, he was often
sent
to London under the care of his Uncle William in order to receive the
best medical attention. As the chloroform anasthetic made him
sick for days afterward, he had implored the doctor to operate without
the painkillers, promising not to move and not to make a sound.
Young Ian was educated at the Bradford Grammar School until age ten,
and later at Mill Hill. Not only was he a competent athlete, but
he was also editor of the school magazine, officer of several
organizations, winner of the Mill Hill School Mathematical Prize, and
winner of the Bousefield Scholarship. It was here at Mill Hill
that he met one of his best friends, Henry Child Carter, later chairman
of the Congregational Union. It was also during these college
years that Holbourn became more known as John, later becoming Ian.
The Blousefield Scholarship took Ian to London University for honours
studies in Mathematics. Ian's passion for humanities, however,
led to his transfer to the Slade School of Art where he studied for
five years. At Slade, he founded The Quarto, a literary
magazine that
has become a collector's item in years since. Holbourn was also
placed in charge of "the bad boys class" at the Sunday school at
Ealing. His gift for teaching had managed to turn the class of
six rowdy boys to a
class of thirty plus serious scholars in a very short time.
Feeling that art application without theory would be incomplete, after
Slade he attended Merton College in the University of Oxford to pursue
an honours degree in literae humaniores. Henry Carter was also
attending Oxford at the time, and among other connections that he made
during his Oxford years were John Buchan, later Governor General of
Canada, Ian McAlister, later secretary of the Royal Institute of
British Architects, and Sir Richard Livingstone, afterwards president
of Corpus Christi.
With Mr. Lees-Smith, Ian founded the Ruskin College for working men.
For a number of years, Ian Holbourn served on the college's
correspondence and examining staff.
In 1899, Ian accompanied Mr. Barrett in an expedition to Iceland headed
by F. W. W. Howell. Together, they were the first to cross the
unexplored Láng Yökull, a vast ridge of ice fields.
Howell, as
leader of the expedition, kept the records. Unfortunately, Howell
died the following year, so the only record of the expedition is in
Ian's
diary. All members of the expedition were thoroughly impressed by
the grandeur of the sights of Iceland as well as the hospitality of the
Icelandic people.
On the way to Iceland, the expedition team had passed the isle of
Foula, and Ian made a visit there in 1900. Once there and
sampling the sights Ian was determined to buy the island. Foula,
however, had recently been purchased by a Mr. Ewing Gilmour.
Gilmour was a rich business man willing to part with the island
should he receive a "sufficiently tempting offer." Ian pulled
together all the resources he could. A bargining war ensued, with
the "final" transactions, of which there were several, were conducted
via telegrams. Despite Ian's family's disapproval of such a
"hare-brained investment," in the end, Foula belonged to Ian, and he
was laird.
Back at Oxford, Ian was president of four literary and debating clubs
as well as sub-librarian of the Union. Ian became president og
the Oxford University shooting eight in 1902, and it was through his
shooting comrade, Laurence Archer-Shepherd, that he met the woman he
would marry, Marion, Laurence's sister.
As Marion's father was a vicar in Avenbury, Herefordshire, his
disapproval of Ian stemmed from Ian's not being a part of the
Established Church (Ian was first a Congregationalist, then an
Anglican, and later a member of The Society of Friends, or
Quakers). Ian's low-paying job as lecturer had nothing to do with
what Vicar Archer-Shepherd thought. Nonetheless, Ian and Marion
courted for three years, three months, and three days and he propsed to
her on the top of Merton Tower on the Oxford Campus.
April of that year, Ian took Marion to visit Foula. Much to
Marion's surprise, as Ian was laird of the isle, the residents of Foula
regarded them as royalty. The islanders were sure always to be
polite and to never say or do anything that might offend the rulers of
the island. For instance, to offer help would imply that the lord
of the island was incompetent. Instead, the islanders prefered
"to have a word with" them, which was always the islanders' pleasure.
That autumn, Ian and Marion started married life in London. Their
relatives were rather concerned about the ability of the young couple
to
not flounder financially, but all went well. Ian went to lecture
for
Oxford, Cambridge, and London while Marion continued her studies at the
Royal
College of Music. Ian's lecture program soon picked up, and often
he
would be spending hours on end on the train between lectures and
classes.
Ian's lecture topics were broad and not confined solely to one
particular
area of concentration. His interests were varied and ranged from
archaeology to Greek philosophy to poetry to Medieval history to art
and architecture to social and ethical problems.
As summers were often free, Foula became more or less the Holbourn's
summer residence. Whenever Ian was up north, he took the
opportunity to sit in the Zetland County Council, of which he was a
part. Each way meant traversing twenty miles of sea and then
walking another twenty-seven miles before reaching his destination.
In undertaking such an arduous journey, he hoped to obtain grants
that would improve the life of the islanders of Foula.
In 1906, the Holbourns purchased a nine-ton cutter. Ian
christened his yacht the Paralos after the historic Athenian
trireme. The next year Ian and Marion moved from London to
Edinburgh, where they lived at 28 Nile Grove. A few days later,
their eldest son Hylas was born. In 1908, the Holbourns moved to
Mayfield Terrace where their other sons, Alasdair and Philistos, were
born.
Ian was commissioned to write The Gothic Era, but the publisher
folded before he was finished. He also contributed a number of
articles for Dr. Hastings' Dictionary of Religion and Ethics on
The Architectures of European Religions, published in 1908.
Ian continued his lectures, and in his growing popularity was often was
caught unaware by pastors of churches to deliver sermons. He
received invitations to lecture in France, Germany, Canada, Austria,
and Switzerland. In 1913, Ian was invited by the Lecturers'
Association of New York to
tour the United States. He gave over a thousand lectures across
the
United States at the universities of Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia,
Pennsylvania,
Illinois, Minnesota, California (Berkeley was the only UC campus until
1919,
when UCLA was founded), and so on. Ian set the record for the
largest
Oxford University Extension audience since the movement was started.
Ian was back in Foula when war was declared. The mail boat had
been delayed a week and the people of the island had not known until 10
August 1914. Ian was surprised that the islanders reacted as if
nothing were the matter. They welcomed the Royal Navy when they
were stationed
on Foula, but after they left the islanders felt "quite deserted."
Ian hosted Officer Mallet of the HMS Forward. The Forward
and all of its complement would be lost.
Holbourn's greatest project was the Fundamental Theory of Beauty.
He had worked on the project for twenty years and had taken his
manuscript
with him when touring the United States in the fall of 1914. He
hoped
to be ready for publication in 1916. For the trip home, Ian
booked
passage on the Lusitania.
Before sailing, Ian had dreamed three times that the Lusitania
would be torpedoed. On the night of 6 May, Marion Holbourn had a
similar premonition in what she called a "waking vision" of the Lusitania
being torpedoed before she went to bed.
Onboard, Ian stayed in cabin C-10. Second cabin was overbooked
and meals had to be taken in two sittings, with several tables put in
the hallways.
Realizing that the Lusitania would be sailing into the
war zone, Ian thought it important that passengers know proper
evacuation procedures and the way to put lifebelts on properly. A
deputation soon came to him on Tuesday, ordering him to stop talking
about such things because he
was upsetting the passengers. Ian was also critical of Captain Turner's refusal to
order a lifeboat drill in order not to distress the passengers.
On Wednesday, May 5, Holbourn complained directly to Captain Turner,
but Holbourn sensed that his interference was rather unwelcome.
For people's refusal to face the facts and recognize dangers, Ian
nicknamed them all the "Ostrich Club."
As a great lover of children, he also befriended twelve-year-old Avis Dolphin, who was on her way to
England for school accompanied by nurses Hilda Ellis and Sarah Smith.
Avis was seasick throughout the whole voyage and Ian was able to
keep her
spirits up by regaling her with his stories of Foula.
Coffee had just been served during the second sitting of lunch where
Ian was when the torpedo hit. The Lusitania listed so
suddenly
and violently that dishes crashed to the floor. The stewards
shouted,
"No danger, keep to your seats!" Except for a few screams, the
atmosphere in the dining room was one of "absolute calm."
Ian's first thought was to reach Avis, but he first waited for the
worst of the rush to be over. Avis was also at lunch, sitting
about twenty feet away. Ian took her back to his room to get
lifebelts as Avis'
room was on a lower deck. He put on her a lifebelt that belonged
to
a fellow passenger while the other passenger assisted in tying the
lifebelt.
Ian gathered a few of his most important manuscripts and carrying
his
own lifebelt, together they made for the top. Ian and Avis were
at
the top of the companionway and almost out on deck when the lights went
out.
On deck, Ian and Avis sighted Hilda Ellis and Sarah Smith. Sarah
did not have a lifebelt and Ian offered her his. She refused,
saying
that "his life was of more value than hers as he had a wife and
children"
(Holbourn, 248). Ian would later comment strongly on the need of
lifebelts
on the boat decks. They agreed that Ian would keep his lifebelt
if
he could find a boat for Avis, Sarah, and Hilda. Ian attempted to
get
them away in a portside lifeboat, but they saw one smashed in
launching.
They saw another launched empty, and some men stripped and swam
for
it.
Sensing that the starboard side was their only hope, the group moved
forward and Professor Holbourn placed Avis, Sarah, and Hilda in a
starboard lifeboat (possibly #17). He kissed Avis, and fearing
that he would not survive told Avis to "find his wife and children and
kiss them goodbye for him" (Holbourn, 248).
Twelve to fifteen minutes had passed since the torpedo struck.
The Lusitania was now very low in the water and Ian put
on his lifebelt and stuffed in his manuscripts. He moved forward
to find a clear space to jump. As Ian jumped, with horror he saw
Avis' lifeboat capsize and Avis sucked under. The tangle of
wreckage and people made it impossible for Ian to make his way over.
Ian would have nightmares
of the lifeboat spilling for years afterward.
In the water, Ian became entangled in ropes. He was able to free
himself saw the Lusitania in her final death throes. He
made for lifeboat #15, the closest one, and hoping to get in, pushed
along a companion in the water. When he got to the boat, he
discovered that his companion was dead, and that the people in the
overcrowded boat
refused to let him in. Fearing that he and his manuscripts would
be lost, he threw his manuscripts into the boat so at least his papers
would be saved, and then grabbed onto a rope trailing from the stern
of the lifeboat.
The people in the lifeboat saw another, empty boat (perhaps #1 or a
collapsible) a few yards off and made towards it. As #15 was full
of people fished from the water, the oars moved slowly. It took
perhaps three-quarters of an hour to reach the other boat, but to Ian
it
seemed to be "an interminable age." Weakening from the cold
water,
he asked for one of the men in the boat to hold his hand. Those
in
the boat were all too horrified by their surroundings that they refused
to
do so.
He was dragged into the second boat with the help of Francis Luker and then he
retrieved his manuscript. Seeing and hearing so many people
drowning painted
a picture "too ghastly to describe" (Holbourn, 249).
Ian was picked up by the fishing smack Peel 12. The Peel
12 was already overcrowded but still took on the two lifeboats.
The survivors, many of them seriously injured, huddled together
in
a small hold, before they were transferred to another steamer.
Upon arrival in Queenstown, Ian continued his search for Avis despite
his exhaustion and exposure. He was able to walk, but his limbs
refused to work. Two soldiers then took him to the Cunard office
and
then later to a hotel where he was put to bed. Ian asked for news
of
Avis whenever he could. It was not until 2 a.m. in his hotel that
he
finally got word that Avis was safe. His exposure to the water
was
now taking a toll on him and was confined to his bed in the hotel.
Avis,
very much well, came to see him.
On the way to the main island of Britain, Ian continued to take care of
Avis, providing rooms for her at a Dublin hotel in Sackville Street.
Marion met up with Ian and Avis at the Birmingham railway
station. As Marion packed away Ian's wet belongings, an
astonished
porter asked Marion what she was doing. When she replied that she
was
meeting her husband who was on the Lusitania, the porter then
asked,
"Oh, was 'ee drownded, then?"
Ian and Marion then accompanied Avis to her grandparents in Worcester.
Avis' grandfather had a premonition of the Lusitania's
torpedoing, similar to Marion's, also the night before the sinking.
He had seen Avis' lifeboat capsize, but when she resurfaced he
said,
"Depend on it, that's our Avis!"
Ian and Avis continued to be life-long friends. One day
when Avis complained about how boring girls' books were, Ian promised
to
write her an adventure story that would be as thrilling as any that
book
that was written for boys. Thus, The Child of the Moat
was
born. When published in 1916, the book sold out immediately.
Before
a second edition could be published, however, the publisher folded.
Children
of Fancy was also published in 1916, poems that were part of his
manuscripts
which were lost on the Lusitania.
In 1918, Ian was appointed professor in the extension department of the
University of California in art and architecture. That same year
he was appointed lecturer to the United States Federal Government
Committee on
Public Information to forge a better understanding between Britain and
the
United States. The following year Ian received an invitation to
build
up the art department at Carleton College in Minnesota. Starting
with
nothing, Carleton soon became the college with the largest percentage
of
students taking art courses in any college or university in the world.
The
American Board of Education selected Carleton and Swarthmore as two of
the
best and most progressive colleges in the United States. The
president
of the college said, "All this Professor Holbourn has done not only
without
straw but without bricks."
Holbourn found the American people to be extremely responsive.
The Americans loved him for his unusual dress (usually appearing
in a kilt)
and his atypical teachings. He told his students, "I do not mind
if
you contradict me and prove me wrong; what I do not want is my
own
lecture dished up again." In response a student said, "But that
is
just what most of the other professors want!" A local journal
even
said, "we love you, dear Professor, and you make us think."
Soon
shops were full of postcards with quotes from his lectures, including
"Never
be satisfied with what CAN be done -- any fool can do that.
Strive
to do the thing that CAN'T be done."
In 1922 the Holbourns bought the Penkaeth Castle (then called
Fountainhall, but not the Fountainhall) from Sir George
Dick-Lauder. Much
of Ian's limited financial resources went into restoring the castle.
Gothic architecture and architectural design were among Ian's favorite
hobbies, and he was also interested in planning "the perfect city."
His
urban layout skills were put to good use when Ian was asked to draw up
a
layout of an entire Illinois city. The main street of the city
bears
his name. [Editor's question: What city is this? Can
I
have some pictures of this city?]
Avis Dolphin moved to Edinburgh following her school years, close to
the Holbourns. During one visit to Holbourn's house she met
journalist Thomas Foley. Avis and Thomas married in 1926.
Ian had five encyclopedias in his possession and always sought more
knowledge. In later years his continuously wrote, more on his
philosophy on beauty as well as research that he saw to be of benefit
for others. As a
world traveler, Ian completed his million miles in 1928. Not only
had he traveled all over Europe and the United States, but he had also
set
foot in Japan and Barbardos.
In 1929 Ian was shipwrecked again when he and Hylas were caught in a
storm while sailing on the Paralos. The ship was not
sunk, but both Ian and Hylas were injured.
Although Ian enjoyed his work in America, he hoped to return to
Scotland and work on his writing. Ian had completed 25 000 pages
on the theory of art and he hoped to be able to put in the time to edit
and publish. He applied for the Gordon Professorship of Fine Art
in Edinburgh, but he was not successful. The Wall Street crash of
1929 also made retirement
at the age of sixty impossible. Constant smoking also made his
throat
delicate, and although he tried to quit he was never able to give up
the
habit entirely. He often dissuaded others from ever picking up
the
habit.
Ian very much dreaded old age and conscious degeneration. He
became increasingly concerned with the possiblity of an afterlife.
When faced with the necessity of an operation, Ian became
increasingly gloomy. Marion and Hylas thought it would be best
for Ian to get away and took him on a
tour of the Border district and to the Holbourn village. Ian's
spirits
were also lifted by news that Hylas' physics research, which had taken
four-and-a-half years, would soon be successfully completed.
The day before Ian left for the hospital, he told Marion that he had
made an "epoch-making discovery" in his philosophy and hoped to be able
to write it out. The surgery went well, but three days later,
Marion felt a
sense of "impending disaster." On the morning of 14 September
1935
Marion rushed to the nursing home to see Ian. He was looking
quite
normal, but he seemed to be writing much in imagination. One of
his
last words was "I think my philosophy may be counted as a real
contribution.
Don't you think?" Hylas arrived a few hours before the end,
and
at midnight Ian passed away. He was sixty-two. Alasdair and
Philistos,
in Foula, would not be able to receive word of Ian's passing until the
day
of his funeral. At Carleton, a student loan memorial fund was
established in Ian's honor.
Ian left vast amounts of unpublished writing on a very wide range of
subjects. Marion put together the book, sticking closely to her
husband’s
notes on Foula. The resulting book, The Isle of Foula,
was
published in 1938. Marion would outlive Hylas and Alasdair before
she
passed away in the 1970's.
*Ian's wife,
Marion, notes in her memoir of her husband that "[s]pelling was
of little account, for a man might be christened Howburn, married
Holburn, and married Hoborn, registering his offspring under still
other spellings" (211).
Contributors:
Michael Poirier
Judith Tavares
References:
Ballard, Dr. Robert D. with Spencer Dunmore. Exploring
the Lusitania. Warner Books, Inc., 1995.
Hickey, Des and Gus Smith. Seven Days
to Disaster. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1981.
Hoehling, A. A. and Mary Hoehling. The Last Voyage
of the Lusitania. Madison Books, 1956.
Holbourn, Ian B. Stoughton. The Isle of Foula and "Memoir"
by Marion C. Holbourn. Johnson & Greig, 1938.
Reprinted, Birlinn Books, 2001.
Preston, Diana. Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy.
Berkeley Books, 2002.
Scott, Ian. "A Letter from North Ronaldsay," The Orcadian
Online. Online. <http://www.orcadian.co.uk/features/northronaldsay/January2002.htm>.
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