Landscape, History and Creative Writing: The Massey Sisters
Lead Research Organisation:
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Department Name: Sch of English Communication and Philos
Abstract
This project interweaves research and creative writing to explore the depiction of landscape, history and the environment in the works of two women living in late 19th Century/early 20th Century Wales. The Massey sisters of Anglesey are important, though not widely known, figures in the island's - and Wales's - cultural history. Members of an Anglo-Welsh aristocratic family who lived during the late Victorian/Edwardian era they produced an extensive collection of botanical studies, illustrated with exquisite watercolour paintings, of the island's flora. These studies and illustrations provide an unparalleled picture of Anglesey's landscape and environment during this period in its history.
That picture is, however, only a partially revealing one. Behind the still and stylised portraits created by the sisters, presenting Anglesey as part of an immutable realm of natural history, was an era of significant social and environmental change, effecting both the physical and social world they lived in. The influence of the Anglo-Welsh gentry on the island's life was waning, while the introduction of modern agricultural techniques was altering its landscape (several of the specimens they described would soon be extinct).
The research in this project aims to recover and dramatise the connections between the Massey sisters' botanical works and this history. It will explore the specific circumstances and periods in which these studies and illustrations were created and relate them to a wider set of social, cultural and historical contexts.
As a creative writer I will achieve these objectives through an interweaving of original historical research and the creation of a number of works of historical fiction. These works will comprise of a series of fictional sketches and an historical novel based on the lives and work of the Massey sisters (both of which will be illustrated with reproductions of their paintings), exploring and dramatising the connections between them. There will also be a strong focus in the sketches and the novel on the landscape represented in the sisters' work. This focus will evoke, and ask questions about, the various social, cultural and historical meanings embedded in that representation.
Creative writing can offer a unique means of approaching these aspects of history and heritage. To explore this potential I will arrange an exhibition - in collaboration with the National Museum of Wales and Oriel Ynys Mon - of a selection of my fictional sketches alongside the paintings and studies on which they were based. In the course of preparing/organising this exhibition, I will examine the role creative writing can play in presenting cultural and social heritage. I will also arrange a series of readings and talks to accompany the exhibition, in order to introduce the issues and topics raised by it to the general public.
The Welsh language has two words for landscape: tirwedd and tirlun. The first refers to the physical landscape itself, while the second refers to the picture of the landscape. In effect they are not just complementary terms but indivisible ones: we inevitably see a landscape through the pictures we have created of it. This project on the work of the Massey sisters will explore the different mediums, viewpoints, and languages which have been knitted together to create the picture of a particular and unique landscape - that of Anglesey - while at the same time adding to it.
That picture is, however, only a partially revealing one. Behind the still and stylised portraits created by the sisters, presenting Anglesey as part of an immutable realm of natural history, was an era of significant social and environmental change, effecting both the physical and social world they lived in. The influence of the Anglo-Welsh gentry on the island's life was waning, while the introduction of modern agricultural techniques was altering its landscape (several of the specimens they described would soon be extinct).
The research in this project aims to recover and dramatise the connections between the Massey sisters' botanical works and this history. It will explore the specific circumstances and periods in which these studies and illustrations were created and relate them to a wider set of social, cultural and historical contexts.
As a creative writer I will achieve these objectives through an interweaving of original historical research and the creation of a number of works of historical fiction. These works will comprise of a series of fictional sketches and an historical novel based on the lives and work of the Massey sisters (both of which will be illustrated with reproductions of their paintings), exploring and dramatising the connections between them. There will also be a strong focus in the sketches and the novel on the landscape represented in the sisters' work. This focus will evoke, and ask questions about, the various social, cultural and historical meanings embedded in that representation.
Creative writing can offer a unique means of approaching these aspects of history and heritage. To explore this potential I will arrange an exhibition - in collaboration with the National Museum of Wales and Oriel Ynys Mon - of a selection of my fictional sketches alongside the paintings and studies on which they were based. In the course of preparing/organising this exhibition, I will examine the role creative writing can play in presenting cultural and social heritage. I will also arrange a series of readings and talks to accompany the exhibition, in order to introduce the issues and topics raised by it to the general public.
The Welsh language has two words for landscape: tirwedd and tirlun. The first refers to the physical landscape itself, while the second refers to the picture of the landscape. In effect they are not just complementary terms but indivisible ones: we inevitably see a landscape through the pictures we have created of it. This project on the work of the Massey sisters will explore the different mediums, viewpoints, and languages which have been knitted together to create the picture of a particular and unique landscape - that of Anglesey - while at the same time adding to it.
Planned Impact
Although the Massey sisters made a significant contribution to knowledge and culture in North Wales in the late19th/early 20th Century they are not widely known beyond Anglesey, and even there their profile could be higher. This research will make a significant contribution to introducing the Massey sisters and their work to the general public.
The novel and fictional sketches about the sisters and their work will offer opportunities for readers nationally and worldwide to find out more about them, their work, and the landscape they depicted. A well researched work of historical fiction therefore provides a bridge to knowledge well beyond the reach of purely academic work.
Among the proposed outcomes of my project will be an exhibition combining the creative results of my research with displays of the Massey sisters' work. This will entail extensive collaboration with both The National Museum of Wales and Oriel Ynys Mon. This exhibition will be an opportunity to bring together local heritage, natural history, and creative writing as mutually revealing perspectives on the past, and to develop through collaboration with The National Museum of Wales and Oriel Ynys Mon various innovative approaches for presenting these ideas, information and images to the general public. In this way, the project will offer direct benefits to those working in the cultural and heritage industries.
I will create a forum, through a series of readings, discussions and talks to take place alongside these exhibitions, where members of the community can interact with myself as a writer, with relevant staff from the museum, and a selection of local historians and artists in order to gain an insight into the cultural and historical significance of the Massey sisters. These activities will also provide the general public with a detailed and specific example of the working practices of creative writers: how they relate to their subject matter; how they set about approaching their material; how they respond to a particular landscape; and how their approach differs/overlaps with that of practitioners in other fields.
The novel and fictional sketches about the sisters and their work will offer opportunities for readers nationally and worldwide to find out more about them, their work, and the landscape they depicted. A well researched work of historical fiction therefore provides a bridge to knowledge well beyond the reach of purely academic work.
Among the proposed outcomes of my project will be an exhibition combining the creative results of my research with displays of the Massey sisters' work. This will entail extensive collaboration with both The National Museum of Wales and Oriel Ynys Mon. This exhibition will be an opportunity to bring together local heritage, natural history, and creative writing as mutually revealing perspectives on the past, and to develop through collaboration with The National Museum of Wales and Oriel Ynys Mon various innovative approaches for presenting these ideas, information and images to the general public. In this way, the project will offer direct benefits to those working in the cultural and heritage industries.
I will create a forum, through a series of readings, discussions and talks to take place alongside these exhibitions, where members of the community can interact with myself as a writer, with relevant staff from the museum, and a selection of local historians and artists in order to gain an insight into the cultural and historical significance of the Massey sisters. These activities will also provide the general public with a detailed and specific example of the working practices of creative writers: how they relate to their subject matter; how they set about approaching their material; how they respond to a particular landscape; and how their approach differs/overlaps with that of practitioners in other fields.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Tristan Hughes (Principal Investigator) |
Publications

Hughes T
(2019)
'The Dragon and the Island'

Hughes Tristan
(2017)
Hummingbird

Tristan Hughes
(2017)
'Up here'

Tristan Hughes
(2016)
Blackthorn Winter

Tristan Hughes
(2016)
'The Giantess's Apron'

Tristan Hughes (Author)
(2014)
'The Mona Complex'
in Planet: The Welsh Internationalist

Tristan Hughes (Author)
(2015)
'An Elephant In Aberaeron'
in New Welsh Review
Title | 'An Elephant In Aberaeron' |
Description | Short Story |
Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Impact | This story drew on my research finding into the use of place, history and landscape in Creative Writing. I received messages from the general public who had been intrigued and moved by this piece of fiction. |
Title | 'Blackthorn Winter' |
Description | short story |
Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Impact | Short story recently published in The Literary Review |
Title | 'Homecoming' - anthologised in Story: The Library of Wales Short Story Anthology |
Description | short story |
Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
Year Produced | 2014 |
Impact | This short story was included in an ambitious and landmark anthology of the short story in Wales, published as part of the Library of Wales - a Welsh Government initiative which highlights and celebrates Wales's literary heritage in the English language. It was given substantial coverage at its launch and will contribute widely to popular and academic access to, and discussion of, historical and contemporary short fiction in Wales. |
URL | http://www.thelibraryofwales.com |
Title | 'The Giantess's Apron' |
Description | A short story - to be part of the collection of the same name. |
Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Impact | This was recently published in The Southern Review. |
Title | 'Up Here' |
Description | Short Story |
Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Impact | This story has recently been accepted for publication in the winter of 2016/17 |
Title | Hummingbird |
Description | novel |
Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Impact | This novel has now been submitted to a literary agent in order to arrange publication. Novel is now accepted for publication in summer 2017. |
Title | The Giantess's Apron |
Description | Collection of Short Fiction |
Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Impact | This collection of short fiction will be submitted to a literary agent in the summer 2016 in order to arrange publication |
Description | The focus of this research was upon exploring literature, history and landscape through creative writing. The main results of this research have taken the form of a novel, Hummingbird, and a collection of short fiction, The Giantess's Apron, inspired by the botanical illustrations of the Massey sisters of Anglesey. These works examine the connections between the past and the present and dramatise the natural and human history of place. They employ literary fiction - both historical and contemporary - to investigate the use of landscape in creative writing and to portray the changing social, physical and cultural geography of rural communities in north Wales and beyond. This fiction brings together these various perspectives and contexts to trace the subtle links leading from the local to the global, to unveil how history reveals the multiple identities of place, and how apparently isolated communities connect to the wider world. As well as the historical research that has enabled the writing of these books, I have also been able to interrogate and describe in presentations and an academic paper how my writing has drawn upon, and responded to, previous literary/historical representations of the island of Anglesey, including travel accounts, histories, and memoirs, as well as fiction and poetry. This has made it possible for me to situate and understand my own literary practice in terms of a long and varied tradition of representation, and to contribute to presenting and furthering this rich cultural heritage. Through this research, I have also been able to place my own creative work in dialogue with developments in other academic fields, such as cultural geography, literary studies, and history. This has allowed me to discover how creative writing can overlap with, benefit from, and contribute to other discipline areas in order to explore and illuminate ideas of community, place, and identity. These discoveries resulted both in an academic presentation and in three pieces of short fiction based on the notion of 'homecoming' ('A Sort of Homecoming'), the hidden legacies of the past ('An Elephant In Aberaeron'), and natural history and the idea of rootedness ('Up Here'). They also resulted in a piece of creative non-fiction based on the recent opening of the Anglesey coastal footpath ('The Mona Complex'). |
Exploitation Route | The body of work developed through this research will help contribute to the innovative presentation and understanding of cultural and natural heritage. The immediate academic beneficiaries will be those carrying out research and research-led teaching within creative writing, as well as those exploring the cross-disciplinary potential of creative writing as an academic subject. It will also benefit researchers within the fields of literary studies, cultural geography, history, and museum studies. The publication of the creative works will also act as a bridge to knowledge for non-academic readers both nationally and internationally. |
Sectors | Creative Economy Education Environment Culture Heritage Museums and Collections |
Description | In April I took part in a reading and discussion panel at the AWP writers' conference ('Flash Fiction and Visual Description') in which I was able to discuss the finding of my research project as part of a wider discussion of the relationship between writing and visual art for the benefit of a non-academic audience. Of the two primary objectives for this research, the novel Hummingbird has been already been submitted to an agent for publication, while the collection of short fiction, The Giantess's Apron, will be submitted this summer. I intend to use the publication of these books as a means of generating public discussion of the findings of my research at literary festivals, readings, and through reviews and interviews. These events and appearances will act as a bridge to knowledge for non-academic readers both nationally and internationally, providing a detailed and specific example of the working practices of a creative writer: how they relate to their subject matter; how they set about approaching their material; how they respond to a particular landscape; and how their approach differs/overlaps with that of practitioners in other fields. |
First Year Of Impact | 2015 |
Sector | Creative Economy,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
Impact Types | Cultural |
Description | 'Crossing the Bridge and Writing Home' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | Keynote lecture for Annual Conference of the Association for Welsh Writing in English, on the theme 'Literary Topographies'. Delivered keynote lecture to the conference on 'Literary Topographies' organized by the Association of Welsh Writing in English |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | 'Writing and Landscape' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | Paper delivered to the Culture, Imagination and practice Research Group, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University Delivered paper to the Culture, Imagination and Practice research Group, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University. This paper explored where my research and creative practice overlapped with research areas in the social sciences concerning culture, |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
Description | Article on writing place and landscape for Writing Magazine |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Article giving advice on writing place and landscape in fiction, helping to engage with a non-academic audience. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Author interview for regional news |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Author interview describing artistic practice and inspiration, to help engage with non-academic audiences |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Magazine article on north Wales coast |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Wrote article on the north Wales landscape associated with a particular train journey (to contribute to the 'Reading Between the Lines' series, exploring the Welsh landscape). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |