Ruby Ferguson facts for kids
Ruby Ferguson (born Ruby Ashby, 1899–1966) was a British author. She wrote many popular books. These included stories for children, romance novels, and mystery books. Today, she is most famous for her "Jill" books. These are a series of exciting pony books. They are loved by children and young adults.
Contents
Ruby Ferguson's Life and Writing Career
Ruby Ferguson was born in Hebden Bridge. She grew up in Reeth, a village in North Yorkshire, England. Her father, David Ashby, was a minister. Ruby also became involved with the Methodist church.
She went to Bradford Girls Grammar School. Later, she studied English at St Hilda's College at the University of Oxford. She studied there from 1919 to 1922. She earned her first degree and later a Master's degree.
After college, Ruby moved to Manchester. She worked as a secretary. To earn extra money, she wrote a column for a newspaper. She also reviewed books for a publisher. Her writing career truly began when she entered a detective story contest. This contest was held by the Manchester Evening News.
Her first full novel came out in 1926. She continued to write novels and stories. She used the name "R.C. Ashby" for these early works. This continued until the mid-1930s.
In 1934, she married Samuel Ferguson. He was a widower with two sons. Three years later, she published Lady Rose and Mrs. Memmary. This was a very popular romantic novel. Her biggest success came between 1949 and 1962. During this time, she wrote the "Jill" books. She wrote them for her step-grandchildren. Her last book, Children at the Shop, tells the story of her own childhood.
Discovering the Jill Pony Books
The "Jill" books are a series of nine children's novels. They follow a young girl named Jill Crewe. She loves horses and has many adventures. Her two ponies are named Black Boy and Rapide.
In newer versions of the books, some small changes were made. This was to make them easier for new readers to enjoy. For example, mentions of smoking were removed. Also, "Black Boy" was renamed "Danny Boy." This was to be more politically correct. The series shows Jill growing up. She goes from a beginner rider at age twelve to a prize-winning rider at fifteen.
Jill's First Pony and Adventures
In the first book, Jill's Gymkhana, Jill's father has recently passed away. Jill and her mother move to a small home called Pool Cottage. It is near a made-up village called Chatton. Her mother hopes to earn money by writing children's books.
At first, Jill feels like an outsider in Chatton. This is because she does not own a pony. She also cannot ride. But then, her mother's stories start to sell well. With the first money she earns, Jill's mother buys her a pony. This pony is "Black Boy."
Jill works very hard to learn to ride. She gets help from Martin Lowe. He is a former Royal Air Force pilot who uses a wheelchair. With his help, Jill becomes a star rider in Chatton.
Jill is thankful for her mother's success. However, she often says she "can't get on" with her mother's books. She finds them too sweet and dreamy. In contrast, Ruby Ferguson's Jill is active and independent. She is also very witty. Jill does not act like girls were expected to after World War II. She treats boys her age as equals. She also works hard to reach her goals. This makes Ferguson's writing special. It stands out in pony stories and children's books.
Fun Extracts from the Jill Books
Here are some funny parts from the "Jill" books:
Jill's Summer Holiday Dilemma
Jill has just found out she must spend the summer away from her pony, Black Boy. Her mother is going on a book tour in the United States. This part is from A Stable for Jill, Chapter 1.
I tried my best to find a good side to this, but I honestly couldn't. My Mummy had a book called Barbie Bright Side. It was about a girl who lost both her legs in a car crash. But she was so good at finding the bright side. Everyone in town would ask her to find a bright side for them. And she always did.
"Wow!" I said out loud. "If Barbie could find a bright side in this, she should get the V.C.."
Tea with Snooty Susan Pyke
Jill and her friends are having tea with Susan Pyke. Susan is a bit snobby and has rich parents. She rides very well and is often Jill's rival. Here, Susan's mother talks about her own horse riding past. This is from Jill's Gymkhana, Chapter 16.
'When I was a child,' said Mrs Pyke, 'I was the youngest rider to hounds in the county. I remember the M.F.H. once lifted me onto my pony himself. I sat there in my little riding outfit. My long blonde curls hung down to my waist. Children had the most lovely hair back then.'
Personally, I thought (a) it was impossible to imagine Mrs Pyke as a child at all. And (b) curls down to your waist must have looked pretty awful. They would be waving in the breeze like floating corkscrews... I mean, there are always braids.
A Great Day at Chatton Show
Jill is finishing a wonderful day at the Chatton Show. This is the biggest horse event of the year. Her best friend, Ann Derry, also did very well. This part is from Jill's Gymkhana, Chapter 18.
'Good job,' said Martin as we walked up. We both felt proud.
'Mine was just luck,' said Ann. 'But Jill's riding like a cyclops.'
'You mean, if she had two eyes, she'd be riding like a centaur,' said Martin. We all laughed. We ate our sandwiches and lots of ice cream. Then we went to see the ponies. We made a fuss over them for doing so well. We found them resting quietly in the shade. They made soft little happy noises when they heard us. They saw the handfuls of oats we held out to them.
A Midnight Scare with Blue Smoke
Mrs. Darcy, a local riding teacher, has gone to London. Jill and her friends are looking after the riding school. This includes caring for Blue Smoke. He is Mrs. Darcy's beautiful hunter horse, worth a lot of money. But Blue Smoke gets very sick in the middle of the night. Jill and Wendy are called to the riding school to help get the vet. This is from Jill Has Two Ponies, Chapter 11.
'Alright, girls, clear out,' said the vet, cheerfully. 'Let me have a look. Go make me a cup of tea. I've been up with a cow for hours.'
We thought it was very heartless of the vet to want tea. But we went into the house and made him a cup. We didn't make any for ourselves; we couldn't have swallowed it. Every time I looked at Wendy, she gulped. And every time Wendy looked at me, I gulped. We just kept gulping at each other. I walked down the yard with the vet's tea. I spilled it all into the saucer. Then suddenly I saw the vet in front of me. The heartless man was grinning all over his face.
'She's just been playing you up,' he said. 'A touch of a toothache, that's all. But you know what these thoroughbreds are like. The least bit of pain and they act as if they're dying.'
Other Books by Ruby Ferguson
Besides the "Jill" series, most of Ruby Ferguson's books are hard to find now. They are no longer printed. But one exception is Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary. This book was recently printed again by Persephone Books.
When it first came out, The Queen Mother reportedly loved the book so much. She even invited Ruby Ferguson to dinner at Buckingham Palace. The new edition also got good reviews. It was even listed as one of the "Books of the Year" by The Spectator magazine.
List of Ruby Ferguson's Books
The Jill Series
- Jill's Gymkhana (1949) – Sometimes sold with A Stable for Jill.
- A Stable for Jill (1951)
- Jill has Two Ponies (1952)
- Jill Enjoys her Ponies (1954) – Later republished as Jill and the Runaway.
- Jill's Riding Club (1956)
- Rosettes for Jill (1957)
- Jill and the Perfect Pony (1959)
- Pony Jobs for Jill (1960) – Later republished as Challenges for Jill.
- Jill's Pony Trek (1962)
Other Works by Ruby Ferguson
- Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary (1937) – Republished in 2004.
- The Moment of Truth (1944)
- Our Dreaming Done (1946)
- Winter's Grace (1948)
- Turn Again Home (1951)
- Apricot Sky (1952)
- A Paintbox for Pauline (1953)
- The Leopard's Coast (1954)
- For Every Favour (1956)
- Doves in My Fig-tree (1957)
- The Cousins of Colonel Ivy (1959)
- The Wakeful Guest (1962)
- A Woman With a Secret (1965)
- Children at the Shop: The Charming Autobiography of Childhood (1967)
- The Queen's Book of the Red Cross (1939) – Ruby Ferguson was a contributor to this book. It had a message from Her Majesty the Queen. It also had contributions from many British authors and artists. The book helped raise money for the Red Cross and the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.
Books by R.C. Ashby (Early Works)
- The Moorland Man (1926)
- The Tale of Rowan Christie (1927)
- Beauty Bewitched (1928)
- Death at Tiptoe (1931)
- Miss Graham's Guest (1932)
- Plot Against a Widow (1932)
- He Arrived at Dusk (1933)
- One Way Traffic (1933)
- Out Went the Taper (1934)
