James Carnac memoirs

[The Grave Maurice]

Anyone know anything more about this?

http://news.bbc.co.uk:80/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/8327573.stm

[Sam Flynn]

I can find only one "James Carnac" in the census of 1891. Rather well-to-do, he was a 44 year-old Baronet living on his own means in Weybridge, Surrey. He and Lady Carnac (a Cornwall lass) had three children, aged between 11 and 14, all of whom were born in Kensington, London.

[The Grave Maurice]

Thank you, Gareth. He doesn't appear to be a likely candidate, does he.

Did anyone happen to speak with Begg about this at the conference?

[Chris]

Deja vu all over again?

Ripper historian Paul Begg has seen extracts of the manuscript and said it was the earliest Ripper 'autobiography' and as such was an important piece of 'Ripperature'.

He said: "Although this is almost beyond question a work of fiction, as a product of the late 1920s it is a very early piece of 'Ripperature'.

"There are several reasons for thinking that it is a work of fiction, not the least of which is the 'feel' of the text, which reads more like a story than a narrative by the actual author."

But if it is a fake, it would have been a very well-researched fake, said Mr Begg.

He added: "There are some statements which do seem, perhaps, to be very accurate."

[Howard Brown]

Grave:

I was gonna suggest that Carnac didn't have a leg to stand on....but he does. One.

Look for non-ambulatory, wannabe Ripper diarists within the next few years.

Sammy...one Carnac I found was Sir James Carnac, the one time Governor of Bombay, but he predated One Legged Jimmy by 50 years.

[Chris]

I can find only one "James Carnac" in the census of 1891. Rather well-to-do, he was a 44 year-old Baronet living on his own means in Weybridge, Surrey. He and Lady Carnac (a Cornwall lass) had three children, aged between 11 and 14, all of whom were born in Kensington, London.

Burke's Peerage (1949 edn) lists him as Sir James Henry Sproule Rivett-Carnac (1846-1909). Rather fittingly, one of his daughters married the Medical Superintendent of Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum.

But if the article is correct in dating this document to the late 1920s, the baronet could not be the author.

[Chris]

I see the FreeBMD index has a James Carnac marrying at Cuckfield, Sussex, in the third quarter of 1895 - not the baronet, apparently.

If the document was written by a real person named James Carnac, perhaps that could be the author.

[The Grave Maurice]

Chris,

Re: Post #4

I don't quite understand why you are quoting what Begg said in the original article. I was hoping that someone who was at the conference may have spoken to him about this, and that he might have enlarged upon what he is quoted as saying.

[Chris]

I don't quite understand why you are quoting what Begg said in the original article.

I just found it interesting. As far as I know there's no prohibition on people posting things they find interesting.

[Stewart P Evans]

1903

The Post Office Directory for 1903 lists one Wm. Rivett Carnac, land agent, with an office on the first floor (second if you come from the good ol' US of A) of Palace Chambers, 9 Bridge Street, Westminster, SW.

[Debra A]

Although he doesn't seem to appear in any official records, there was also a James Carnac working at Attenborough's in the Strand in 1892, opposite the Adelphi theatre.

[Johnr]

Another likely "James Carnac".

I am wondering if the “ James Carnac” we are looking for, is in fact, Sir Claud James Rivett-Carnac.
Born in December 1877, succeeded his father to the baronetcy in 1909, stayed at the family seat in Southwater Sussex for a while but got sick of it!
Apparently, this was the second time he had flitted; the first time was a break with his family while young, when he went off to South Africa where he served in the Cape Mounted Police. Then in the Boer War where he received a medal with five clasps.SErvedin World War One under an assumed name.
He relented and returned to Sussex in 1908, and succeeded to the family crest in 1909.
Then another row and off he went again. South Africa, California and Canada.
By 1922 his cousin in New Zealand (V.C. Rivett-Carnac) was pleading for anyone knowing his whereabouts to contact his poor dear mother.
Should they fail to locate Claud James R-C, his cousin, William Percival, would succeed to the title in his stead.
My source for all this is a digitised Australian newspaper site:
<<http://www.nla newspapers beta >>
Which is the National Library of Australia. An extremely useful secondary research source. Rather like regional British newspapers.
Newspapers cited are principally: “The Argus” Melbourne ( 26 July 1922 p.10.And ditto 27 July 1922 p.6. And ditto 30 September, 1922 p.31). JOHN RUFFELS

[Chris]

Ripper historian Paul Begg has seen extracts of the manuscript and said it was the earliest Ripper 'autobiography' and as such was an important piece of 'Ripperature'.

He said: "Although this is almost beyond question a work of fiction, as a product of the late 1920s it is a very early piece of 'Ripperature'.

"There are several reasons for thinking that it is a work of fiction, not the least of which is the 'feel' of the text, which reads more like a story than a narrative by the actual author."

But if it is a fake, it would have been a very well-researched fake, said Mr Begg.

He added: "There are some statements which do seem, perhaps, to be very accurate."

Actually, judging from the discussion at jtrforums.com, Paul Begg doesn't think it is a fake at all, but just an unpublished novel that uses the time-honoured device whereby the author pretends that a manuscript written by someone else has come into his possession.

[Uncle Jack]

The one leg thing kinda rules him out as a suspect straight away.

This story doesn't have a leg to stand on

[caz]

Depends when he lost it, I suppose, Uncle Jack.

Seriously though, nobody seems to be suggesting the memoirs were created to fool people.

Love,

Caz
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