Christopher Sclater Millard facts for kids

Christopher Sclater Millard (born November 7, 1872 – died November 21, 1927) was an important writer and expert on the works of Oscar Wilde. He created the very first bibliography (a detailed list of all writings) of Wilde's books and articles. This work was super helpful for Wilde's literary helper, Robert Baldwin Ross, to protect the rights to Wilde's writings.

Early Life and Studies

Christopher Millard was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, on November 7, 1872. He was the second son of Dr. James Elwin Millard, who was a church leader and a Fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford. His mother was Dora Frances Sclater.

He went to school at Bradfield College and St Mary's Basingstoke. After that, he studied at Keble College, Oxford. At Oxford, Christopher studied theology, hoping to follow his father into the church. During his time at university, he became very interested in Jacobitism, which was a political movement supporting the old royal family. He later moved to Salisbury Theological College and then became a Roman Catholic.

After finishing his studies, Millard taught at Ladycross Preparatory School in Bournemouth. He then started his own Catholic school in Woodford Wells, Essex. He left this school in 1904. He continued to work as a tutor in Wadhurst, Sussex, and later in Iffley, near Oxford. At the same time, he started writing articles about Jacobitism. He also became interested in socialism and the Labour Party, which are ideas about how society should be organized. He joined a group called the Legitimist Jacobite League of Great Britain and Ireland.

After a challenging period, Millard moved in with his brother, the Rev. Elwin Millard, in Forest Gate, East London. Robert Ross helped him get a job at The Burlington Magazine, a well-known art magazine. Soon after, he met Charles Scott Moncrieff, who later became famous for translating books. Charles became a lifelong friend. Millard wasn't always happy in England and spent several months in France in 1907. However, he returned to London and lived there for the rest of his life.

Becoming an Expert on Oscar Wilde

Around 1900, Christopher Millard began seriously collecting and organizing information about Oscar Wilde. He worked with Robert Ross and another Wilde expert, Walter Edwin Ledger. He continued to gather materials about Wilde for most of his life. In 1904, he traveled to Bagneux, near Paris, with Wilde's friend Robert Sherard to visit Wilde's grave. He wrote that it was "a pilgrimage of love" where they showed their deep respect for the poet. Wilde's remains were later moved to Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

In 1905, Millard published his first book, a translation of a study about Wilde by André Gide. He used the pen name Stuart Mason for this. In November 1907, he published the first part of his important bibliography. This was a complete list of Wilde's poems, and he dedicated it to his friend Charles Scott Moncrieff.

In 1908, Millard released Oscar Wilde: Art and Morality, which defended Wilde's famous novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. That same year, he also published a private bibliography of Oscar Wilde. In 1910, he created The Oscar Wilde Calendar, which had a quote from Wilde for every day of the year. In early 1912, he published Oscar Wilde: Three Times Tried. This book was the first full story of the legal challenges Wilde faced. It later inspired the 1960 film The Trials of Oscar Wilde.

In July 1914, Millard's major work, Bibliography of Oscar Wilde, was published and received great praise. He wrote to Walter Ledger that it was "my life's work" and the main thing he would be remembered for. Ross called it an "astonishing and ingenious compilation," saying he learned more about Wilde's writings from it than Wilde himself ever knew.

In 1920, Millard published his last work about Wilde, Oscar Wilde and the Aesthetic Movement. This book looked at how Wilde was shown in cartoons and music during the 1880s.

Throughout his career, Millard worked hard to defend Wilde and to show when works were wrongly or falsely said to be by Wilde. In 1926, he faced a legal challenge from publishers for a letter he sent. He had claimed that a play called For Love of the King, supposedly by Wilde, was actually a fake. Even though the play was agreed to be a fake, the jury decided against Millard.

Working for Robert Ross

In 1911, Christopher Millard became the private secretary to Robert Ross. In 1914, he helped Ross in a legal case against Lord Alfred Douglas and Thomas William Hodgson Crosland. Millard showed great loyalty to Ross during this time.

Millard had met a young man named Charles Garratt in 1913. When Garratt faced legal trouble, Millard spoke up for him in court. This connection attracted the attention of Douglas. Although Millard faced personal challenges, Ross was impressed by his loyalty and later hired him again.

Later Years and Legacy

In 1916, Millard served as a private in the Royal Fusiliers during World War I. He was sent to France but later returned to England due to health issues and was discharged from the army in July 1917. After leaving the army, he worked in the War Office as a decipherer of telegram messages.

After a difficult period, Millard started a new job as a dealer of old and rare books and manuscripts. He ran his business from his home in St John's Wood, London. It was here that Millard first mentioned the novel Hadrian the Seventh to A. J. A. Symons. This sparked Symons' famous book, The Quest for Corvo, which was a study of Frederick Rolfe.

In 1922, through his friendship with young Anthony Powell, who was also a keen collector, Millard began gathering materials for a bibliography of the artist and publisher Claud Lovat Fraser. This book was published the following year.

Christopher Millard passed away from an aneurysm at the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth in London on November 21, 1927. He was buried at St Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green.