Arthur Llewelyn Davies

Arthur Llewelyn Davies

infobox person
name = Arthur Llewelyn Davies


caption = Davies in 1890
birth_date = 20 February 1863
birth_place = Kirkby Lonsdale
death_date = 19 April 1907
death_place = London
other_names =
known_for = father of "Peter Pan"
occupation = barrister

Arthur Llewelyn Davies (20 February 186319 April 1907) was a respected barrister, but is best known as the father of the boys who served as the inspiration for Peter Pan and the other children of J. M. Barrie's stories of Neverland. Although he lived to see his sons immortalized by their dramatic namesakes on stage, his death in middle age left his family in the care of the playwright who had already challenged his place in their affections.

Biography

Davies was the second son of the Reverend John Llewelyn Davies, Vicar of Kirkby Lonsdale. He attended Marlborough College and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was briefly a Master at Eton College, but left that position to practice law. [ [http://jmbarrie.co.uk/cgi-bin/pictures.show.lld.pl?location=/images/scans/1907-04-26-DX.ALD-obit.jpg&code=1907-04-26-DX.ALD-obit.jpg&table=galleries&category=ldGallery,ALD Obituary] ]

He met the relatively "bohemian" Sylvia du Maurier (daughter of famed cartoonist George du Maurier and sister of future actor Gerald du Maurier) at a dinner party in 1889 and they became engaged shortly thereafter.Birkin, Andrew, "J. M. Barrie and the Lost Boys".] He married her in 1892, and they had five children, all boys: George (1893–1915), Jack (1894–1959), Peter (1897–1960), Michael (1900–1921), and Nicholas (1903–1980).

In 1897, his pre-school sons George and Jack became friends with Barrie, whom they met during outings in Kensington Gardens with their nurse Mary Hodgson and their infant brother Peter. Davies and his wife Sylvia met Barrie and his wife Mary at a New Year's Eve dinner party that year, and she took up a close friendship with the writer as well. Although Davies did not encourage the ongoing friendship of his wife and sons with Barrie, and did not share their fondness for him, he did little to stand in the way of it. He permitted Barrie to spend considerable time at the Davies home, and for his family to visit with the Barries – who were childless – at their country cottage. During one of the holidays the families spent together, Barrie took a series of photographs of the boys' adventures, which he compiled into a photo book titled "The Boy Castaways"; Barrie gave one of the two copies printed to Davies, who misplaced his copy on a train.Chaney, Lisa. "Hide-and-Seek with Angels - A Life of J. M. Barrie", London: Arrow Books, 2005]

Barrie's novel "The Little White Bird", which featured episodes about a boy ranging up to his son George's age, whose mother resembled Sylvia, both befriended by a thinly disguised version of Barrie, was published in 1901. Barrie's play "Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up", which the playwright repeatedly said was inspired by Davies' boys, debuted in December 1904. The chapters of "The Little White Bird" featuring Peter Pan were republished in 1906 as "Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens", with the dedication "To Sylvia and Arthur Llewelyn Davies and their boys (my boys)".

Several months earlier in 1906, Davies had discovered a growth in his cheek which turned out to be a malignant sarcoma. He had two operations, which removed much of his upper jaw, palate, and cheekbone, and the tear duct on that side. This left him disfigured and unable to talk, even with an artificial jaw insert, but failed to remove all of the cancer and left him in considerable pain. Barrie, who had become rather wealthy from his books and plays, paid for Davies' medical care, and became a regular companion at his bedside, especially in his final months. During this time, Davies described Barrie in a letter to his son Peter as "a very good friend to all of us". Family accounts differ on just how close the two actually became. Davies died on 19 April 1907, at the age of 44.

Portrayals

In the 1978 BBC mini-series "The Lost Boys", he was portrayed by Tim Pigott-Smith.

He did not appear in the 2004 film "Finding Neverland" about Sylvia and Barrie's relationship and the writing of "Peter Pan". In the film, he was said to have already died when Barrie entered the family's life, but in fact was alive for most the events depicted. Removing him from the events of the movie simplified the plot, and avoided the subject of Barrie's impact on the Davies' marriage.

References


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  • Llewelyn Davies — is the formal surname of the family whose boys inspired J. M. Barrie to create the characters of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys: *Llewelyn Davies, Arthur, father of the boys *Llewelyn Davies, Sylvia, mother of the boysThe boys, in order of birth:… …   Wikipedia

  • Sylvia Llewelyn Davies — Naissance 1866 Angleterre Décès 27 août 19 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Sylvia Llewelyn Davies — infobox person name = Sylvia Llewelyn Davies caption = Davies, photographed by J.M. Barrie in 1898 birth date = 1866 birth place = death date = 27 August 1910 death place = Devon other names = known for = mother of Peter Pan occupation = Sylvia… …   Wikipedia

  • Llewelyn Davies boys — The Davies boys (the family only used the double surname Llewelyn Davies in formal contexts) were the sons of Arthur (1863–1907) and Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (1866–1910) (daughter of cartoonist/writer George du Maurier). They served as the… …   Wikipedia

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  • George Llewelyn Davies — Naissance 20 juillet 1893 Londres, Angleterre Décès 15 mars 1915 (à 21 ans) Flandre George Llewelyn Davies (20 juillet 1893 15 mars 1915) était un jeune Britannique, qui inspira le personnage de Peter Pan …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jack Llewelyn Davies — infobox person name = Jack Llewelyn Davies caption = Davies in naval uniform in 1914 at age 20 birth date = 11 September, 1894 birth place = London death date = 17 September, 1959 death place = other names = known for = foster son of J. M. Barrie …   Wikipedia

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