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Gillian Mary Baverstock (born Pollock; 15 July 1931 – 24 June 2007) was a British author, non-fiction writer and memoirist. She was the elder daughter of English novelist Enid Blyton and her first husband, Hugh Pollock. She wrote and spoke to audiences and the media extensively about her mother as well as her own childhood and life.

Early life

Gillian Mary Pollock was born on 15 July 1931, the elder daughter of the children's author Enid Blyton (1897–1968) and her first husband, Major Hugh Pollock (1888–1971), a World War I veteran. On 27 October 1935, her younger sister, Imogen Mary Pollock, was born. When she was 10 and her sister was 6, their parents divorced. Her mother later married the surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters (1892–1967); and her father married the writer Ida Crowe, with whom he had a daughter, Rosemary Pollock.

After divorce and remarriage, her mother decided that the best thing for Gillian and her sister was not to have contact with their father, of whom they had not seen much during World War II. Enid even changed her daughters' surname to "Darrell Waters". Years later, Gillian tried to contact her father Hugh; but she was never to see him again, although she did establish a relationship with her half-sister Rosemary Pollock, who also became a writer.

Pollock was educated at Benenden School, a boarding independent school for girls in Kent in South East England, followed by the University of St Andrews in Fife in Scotland.

Career

Baverstock worked as a primary school teacher at Moorfield School, Ilkley, and wrote and spoke to audiences and the media extensively about her mother as well as her own childhood and life. She was estranged from her younger sister, Imogen, who - in contrast to Gillian - did not remember her childhood or Blyton's qualities as a mother fondly.

Quill Publications, Ltd.

In 1999, Baverstock founded Quill Publications Ltd., with comic writer Tim Quinn, to produce twelve editions of the children's comic book Blue Moon. She wrote a series of stories which were based on popular fairy tales like "Sleeping Beauty" and "Little Red Riding Hood". The comic is no longer in production.

In 2005, Baverstock defended her mother's book The Mystery That Never Was after claims that it contained 'racist overtones'.

Appearances

• Starred in the 1974 BBC Documentary, "Success Story Enid Blyton".
• The Edinburgh Book Festival, "Growing Up with Enid Blyton", 26 August 2006.
• Oxford Literary Festival, "Enid Blyton", 25 March 2007.

Personal life

In 1957, Pollock married Donald Baverstock, a BBC producer and executive, at St James's Church, Piccadilly; they had four children: Glyn (b. 1961, d. 1983, car accident), Sian (b. 1958, d. 2006, heart attack), Sara, and Owain. For years, and after her husband's death, she lived in Ilkley, England.

Death

At her death from disease on 24 June 2007 in Ilkley, at the age of 75, Baverstock was survived by two of her four children and five grandchildren; Glyndwr, Dominic, Zoe, Alec and Georgina.

Bibliography

• Gillian Baverstock, Enid Blyton, Tell Me About Series, Evans Brothers, 1997 ISBN 0-237-51751-5
• Gillian Baverstock, Memories of Enid Blyton, Telling Tales Series, Mammoth, 2000 ISBN 0-7497-4275-5

References and notes

1. ^ Enid Blyton Society website, Chronology
2. Telegraph and Argus website, Happy Days with the Dad I Lost, article dated May 11, 1999
3. Scottish Herald website, Gillian Baverstock, article dated July 21, 2007
4. Unhappy families by Gyles Brandreth in The Daily Telegraph, 30 March 2002 (accessed 19 November 2009)
5. Publisher rejected Blyton tale for being 'xenophobic' by Chris Hastings (Arts Correspondent) in The Daily Telegraph, 19 November 2005 (accessed 25 August 2007)
6. "Success Story: Enid Blyton". BBC. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
7. "Growing Up with Enid Blyton", Audio recording and transcript (Accessed 20 May 2009)
8. Oxford Literary Festival 2007 Archived 21 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 10 May 2007) A critical response to her appearance is at http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/reviews/feature/1765/Sunday-Times-Oxford-Literary-Fest

• 1931 births
• 2007 deaths
• 20th-century English memoirists
• 20th-century English women writers
• English women non-fiction writers
• People from Wycombe District
• British women memoirists
• Alumni of the University of St Andrews
• English comics writers
• Female comics writers