A Swarm in May by William Mayne
**Overview of "A Swarm in May" by William Mayne**
"A Swarm in May" is a novel centered around John Owen, the youngest Singing Boy at a cathedral choir school, who grapples with the unexpected responsibility of serving as Beekeeper, a position with ceremonial significance despite the cathedral having not kept bees for centuries. Faced with the challenge of learning Latin and singing a solo, Owen attempts to persuade another boy, Iddingley, to take his place, leading to conflict with the school's strict headmaster and other staff members. The narrative unfolds as Owen, alongside his friend Trevithic, uncovers the mystery of an old legend related to the cathedral's abandoned beehives, reigniting his interest in the Beekeeper's duties. The story explores themes of friendship, responsibility, and personal growth as Owen ultimately embraces his role, culminating in a successful performance that restores his self-esteem and reputation. Mayne's work is notable for its rich depiction of the cathedral setting, which plays a significant role in shaping the characters' lives and experiences. The novel is part of a broader series reflecting Mayne's own experiences at choir school and is known for its blend of realism and elements of mystery.
On this Page
Subject Terms
A Swarm in May by William Mayne
First published: 1955; illustrated
Type of work: Domestic realism/mystery
Themes: The arts, coming-of-age, education, and friendship
Time of work: The mid-twentieth century
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Locale: A cathedral boys’ choir school in Great Britain, modeled upon the Canterbury Choir School in Kent
Principal Characters:
John Owen , a cheerful, rather feckless Welsh youth, who is the youngest Singing Boy in the cathedral choirTurle , the genial, psalm-quoting watchman, whom the boys fondly callTurtle Mr. Ardent , the occasionally acid-tongued, sometimes indulgent headmaster, affectionately calledTweedledee Dr. Sunderland , the portly, good-humored organist and choirmaster, who also is known asTweedledum Mr. Charles Unwin Sutton , the elderly, sharp-tongued Latin Master, calledBrass Button Trevithic , the adventurous, sometimes cheeky Head ChoristerMadington , a serious, officious senior boy, who is good at LatinIddingley , a junior singing boy, who reluctantly agrees to serve as Beekeeper but yields with relief to Owen
The Story
The novel’s central conflict is indicated when usually good-natured, unassuming John Owen returns to cathedral choir school after spring holidays and is dismayed to discover that as youngest Singing Boy, he is expected to serve as Beekeeper one week later. Although the cathedral has kept no bees for four hundred years, the position holds ceremonial significance and falls automatically to the youngest boy, who must deliver a new wax candle to the bishop and sing the Introit on the Sunday after Ascension Day. Unwilling to expend the effort to learn the Latin and dreading to sing solo, Owen persuades Iddingley, next youngest, to replace him in return for the customary salary of five shillings.
Owen’s refusal arouses the displeasure of Mr. Ardent, the school’s perceptive, acerbic headmaster, who maintains that the boys should cheerfully assume whatever responsibilities come their way; of Mr. Sutton, the elderly no-nonsense Latin master, called Brass Button; and occasionally of the boys. Among them are Iddingley, who was not keen about the office in the first place and becomes less enthusiastic when he realizes how much Latin is involved; Madington, a conscientious senior; and Head Chorister Trevithic, a quick, clever, adventurous, fun-loving senior from Cornwall, who deplores Owen’s dereliction of duty but remains loyal. In spite of pointed banter, barbed remarks, and increasing isolation, Owen refuses to change his mind.
Matters take a turn when, on a trip to the storage room in the old Norman tower to fetch Owen’s Welsh dictionary from his trunk, Owen and Trevithic hear the music of the Beekeeper’s Introit. They remember the legend about a beekeeper lost in the cathedral, shut in by mistake when, at the time of Henry VIII, old Prior Tollelege decided not to keep bees anymore and sealed up the bee room. They investigate, careful to avoid Turle, the slow-moving yet seemingly omnipresent watchman called Turtle, and find a key connected to a chain bearing a smooth white ball that exudes a mysterious, enticing odor when warm. They fit the key to the crumbling lock of a small room at the head of a spiral staircase and discover the remains of the Prior’s beehives.
Invited to view the swarming bees of affable Dr. Sunderland, choirmaster and organist, Owen prevents a small swarm from leaving by singing to them and allowing them to cling to the little white ball, which holds a peculiar fascination for them. Now interested in bees, Owen gets the idea of reenacting the old ritual, in which the Beekeeper brings the bishop a swarm for the tower room as well as a candle for the service.
Trevithic and Dr. Sunderland help Owen gather the old wax and fashion a candle, and Madington and especially Brass Button help him learn the Latin. The Ascension Day Sunday service goes beautifully. Turtle leads the procession, Owen carries the swarm dangling from the white globe, the bishop is properly impressed, Mr. Ardent compliments Owen, the old ritual is reinstituted, Owen’s self-esteem is restored, and his reputation with masters and boys is redeemed.
Context
A Swarm in May is the first of William Mayne’s several choir school novels that are loosely based on his own youth at the Canterbury Choir School. Choristers’ Cake (1956), the best known of the sequels, employs the plot pattern of A Swarm in May in having a boy come of age by entering a club under the friendly but firm persuasion of peers and masters. Mayne’s choir school stories enlivened a subgenre fallen from popularity.
Friendship and detecting or solving a mystery appear elsewhere in Mayne’s books. In The Blue Boat (1957), two brothers united against an unsympathetic guardian enter into an unusual friendship with outsiders from society, circus freaks. In The Member for the Marsh (1956), four boys who have formed a singing group on their school bus seek the source of mysterious noises in the local marsh. A Grass Rope (1957) has two sisters and two schoolboys unravel the mystery behind a local legend involving a lost treasure. In Ravensgill (1970), two young people solve an old murder mystery and lay to rest the feud between their families, forming a friendship at the same time.
Regional or tightly restricted landscapes and local color assume importance in Mayne’s stories. The music, religion, and traditions in the cloistered setting of A Swarm in May direct the lives of the inhabitants to such an extent that the cathedral functions almost as a character in its own right. Yorkshire dialect, ways, and outlook affect the action in Ravensgill, A Grass Rope, and The Member for the Marsh, while the coastal setting of A Year and a Day (1976), about a strange foundling discovered on the Cornish shore, strengthens the book’s mystical, fairy-tale quality. Highly regarded for realism, Mayne has also attained prominence for fantasy. Earthfasts (1966), which improvises on Arthurian legend, was named to the Lewis Carroll Shelf, A Year and a Day appears on the Horn Book Fanfare list, and A Game of Dark (1971), a shrewd psychological study tight with emotion, is an honor book for the Children’s Literature Association Phoenix Award.