CISC - Catholic Independent Schools' Conference
Basket Members' Area
  • About
    • CISC Foundations
    • CISC Today
    • Our Strategic Plan
    • Committee
    • Key Documents & Policies
    • Headline & Supporting Sponsors
    • Partnerships
    • What is Distinctive About a Catholic School?
    • Public Benefit
  • Schools
    • Find a School
    • CISC Special Schools
  • Events & Training
    • Events Calendar
    • Annual Conference
      • Annual Conference Photos
    • INSET Training & CPD
    • Leadership Programmes
    • Competitions
    • Bishops’ Key Documents
    • Vatican Key Documents
    • Day Conference Resources
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Newsletter
    • Leadership Reflections
    • Editorial Policy
  • Careers
    • Post a Vacancy
    • Vacancies
    • Why Teach in a Catholic School?
  • Membership
    • Member Benefits
    • Membership Types
    • Join Us
  • Contact
0
Your cart is empty. Go to Shop.
27 February 2016

Undiscovered Tolkien Poems Found at Our Lady’s Abingdon

CISC Author News

Works by ‘Lord of the Rings’ author found at Our Lady’s Abingdon, eighty years after they were published in school magazine.

Two previously undiscovered poems by the Oxford professor and author of ‘The Lord of the Rings’, J.R.R. Tolkien, have been found at Our Lady’s, Abingdon. Stephen Oliver, the Principal, found the poems when looking through a copy of an old school magazine, originally published in 1936.

One of the poems, ‘The Shadow Man’, is an earlier version of a poem Tolkien eventually published in 1962 in his collection ‘Adventures of Tom Bombadil’. The other, ‘Noel’, is a Christmas poem, celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Stephen Oliver, himself a published novelist as well as the head of OLA, found the poems after being contacted by the American Tolkien scholar, Wayne G. Hammond. From a note made by Tolkien himself when making a list of his poetry, Hammond knew that Tolkien had published two poems in a magazine he called ‘The Abingdon Chronicle’.

Further research revealed this to be the 1936 ‘Annual’ of Our Lady’s School, at that time run by the Sisters of Mercy. Hammond contacted the school, which then began a hunt for the poems. Mr Oliver explains what happened next.

‘At first we couldn’t find the 1936 edition and referred Mr Hammond to the archives of the Sisters of Mercy in London. Then, while preparing for an event for former pupils of the school, we uncovered our own copy and I saw the two poems Mr Hammond had been looking for. My excitement when I saw them was overwhelming. I am a great Tolkien fan and was thrilled to discover the connection with the school.’

It is thought that Tolkien, a devout Catholic, got to know Our Lady’s school while living at Northmoor Road in Oxford, when he was the university’s Professor of Anglo-Saxon. It was during his time at Oxford that he wrote ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’.

‘We intend to make the poems the centre piece of an exhibition on the rich history of our school, which also has fascinating links with Florence Nightingale,’ said Mr Oliver. ‘As a writer myself, I feel privileged to have been part of the discovery of these lost works.’

Former Mayfield Girl Making Her Mark in the World! Prior Park Prep School’s Budding Young Photographers Capture the School from a New View Point – and all on just the iPad

Related Posts

Annual-Conference-SQ

Events, Leadership Reflections, News

Annual CISC Conference – a video message from Antony & Mo

Screenshot 2021-01-12 at 14.21.57

Events, News, Study Days

Faith Enriching Leadership

Screenshot 2021-01-12 at 14.10.17

News

Welcome to Ms Faith Hagerty – new Head at More House School

Search

News

  • Annual-Conference-SQAnnual CISC Conference – a video message from Antony & Mo
  • Screenshot 2021-01-12 at 14.21.57Faith Enriching Leadership
  • Screenshot 2021-01-12 at 14.10.17Welcome to Ms Faith Hagerty – new Head at More House School
  • Deputy-Head-Reach-OutDeputy Head’s Reach Out
  • Annual-Conference-SQCISC Conference 2021 – Change of Date

Leadership Reflections

  • Annual-Conference-SQAnnual CISC Conference – a video message from Antony & Mo
  • 200-x-200-Maureen-GlackinA Christmas message from Mo
  • AntonyHudsonMessage from the Chair of CISC
  • Patrick-TobinAbsent Friends
  • AntonyHudsonMessage from the Chair of CISC

Basket

Headline Sponsors

Follow us on Twitter

My Tweets
Catholic Independent Schools' Conference
Dr Maureen Glackin
19 South Road,
Hampton, Middlesex,
TW12 3PE
U.K.
T: +44 (0)7595 089928
E: info@catholicindependentschools.com

Useful Links

Events & Training
Become a Member
Find a School
Careers
Latest News
Newsletter

Leave Us A Message

Use Contact Us form
Send us an email
Write to us
Message on Twitter

© Catholic Independent Schools' Conference
E: info@catholicindependentschools.com | Dr Maureen Glackin, 19 South Road, Hampton, Middlesex, TW12 3PE
Company Limited by Guarantee No 03407765 | Registered Charity No 1063645
Registered Address: 19 South Road, Hampton, Middlesex, TW12 3PE
Website Designed and Maintained by Xelium Ltd
Near me
40 miles