Arthur Machen
1863-1947
Arthur Machen was born Arthur Llewellyn Jones on 3rd March 1863 in Caerleon, South Wales. Machen was his Mum’s maiden name. Arthur is now considered one of the four modern masters of supernatural horror, alongside M. R. James, Lord Dunsany and Algernon Blackwood. His gothic novel writing influenced H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith and latterly Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Stephen King and Guillermo del Toro.
Arthur was also much admired by contemporaries Oscar Wilde, W. B. Yeats and Arthur Conan Doyle. His most famous work, essential reading for anyone who is interested in the supernatural, includes ‘The Great God Pan’, ‘The House of Souls’ and ‘The White People’. Arthur’s semi-autobiographical ‘The Hill of Dreams’ is also a must.
Arthur’s grave can be found in:
St Mary’s Churchyard, Old Amersham, Buckinghamshire. HP7 0DB.
When we made our first pilgrimage to his final resting place, back in 2014, the headstone was weather beaten and covered in lichen. Our latest visit was to see the pristine memorial, lovingly restored by ‘The Friends of Arthur Machen’.
Arthur’s home for the last decade of his life was a house called Lynwood on the High Street of Old Amersham.
Shortly after his wife Dorothie passed away, Arthur Machine died on
15th December 1847, aged 84.
My Latin scholar associate, Angela, assures me the Latin text carved in the shape of a cross on Arthur’s grave:
“Omnia exeunt in mysterium” means
“All things pass into mystery”.
http://www.arthurmachen.org.uk/
https://amershammuseum.org/history/people/20th-century/arthur-machen-amersham/
(Photos: Kathryn Edmonds & Stephen Smith)