We all have our guilty pleasures—those little indulgences that bring us secret joy, even if they make us squirm. One of mine is reading the novels of Dornford Yates. Though his name has largely faded into obscurity, Yates was one of Britain’s most popular writers during the interwar period.
Born Cecil William Mercer in 1885, Yates combined the surnames of his grandmothers to create his pen name. After studying law at Oxford, where his focus on student drama may have contributed to his lackluster academic performance, he found his way into law through his father’s influence. But it was writing, not the courtroom, that captured his heart, and he soon left the legal world behind to become a full-time author.
Yates’ novels can be categorized into three groups: the Berry books, the Chandos thrillers, and various other adventure stories. The Berry books are lighthearted, romantic tales set against a backdrop of upper-class Edwardian life. The series revolves around Bertram ‘Berry’ Pleydell, his wife Daphne, her brother Boy Pleydell, and their cousins, Jonah Mansell and Jill. Together, they form a charming ensemble known as “Berry and Co.”
These characters drift through the Home Counties and continental Europe in Rolls-Royces, visiting grand estates and entangling themselves in humorous adventures. Snobbish, elitist, and dripping with class-consciousness, these stories capture a lost world of privilege and leisure between World War I and what Yates euphemistically referred to as “Corporal Hitler’s Unpleasantness.”
As societal attitudes shifted, Berry and his cohorts’ fortunes declined, mirroring Yates’ own life. They relocated to France and built a new home, Gracedieu, echoing Yates’ personal move to Pau in the French Pyrenees, where he built his house, Cockade.
The Chandos novels, on the other hand, take on a darker, more action-packed tone. These thrillers follow Richard Chandos, George Hanbury, and Jonathan Mansell (a recurring character from the Berry books), as they fight crime, hunt for treasure, and save damsels in distress. They’re classic “Boy’s Own” adventures filled with daring Englishmen, nefarious villains, and plenty of action—a cross between the worlds of Bulldog Drummond and Richard Hannay.
The characters are all veterans of a “good” war, though their creator’s own military service was less illustrious. Mercer was stationed in Egypt during World War I, where he contracted severe muscular rheumatism and was sent home. Unlike his cousin, H.H. Munro (better known as the writer Saki), who was killed in action at the Battle of the Somme, Mercer survived and carried the title of captain for the rest of his life.
Yates fled Pau after the German invasion of France during World War II and resettled in Rhodesia, where he died in 1960. Despite his literary success, Mercer was reportedly an unpleasant man, known for his cantankerous demeanor.
One of the more macabre stories connected to Yates is his tangential involvement in the infamous trial of Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen, a case that gripped the public’s imagination in 1910. Crippen, an American homeopathic doctor, was convicted of murdering his wife, Cora, and disposing of her body in the cellar of their London home. His crime was notable as the first murder solved with the aid of wireless telegraphy. After fleeing to Canada with his mistress Ethel Le Neve, disguised as a boy, Crippen was apprehended aboard the SS Montrose following a tip-off from the ship’s captain. Crippen’s trial became a media sensation, and Yates, then a junior barrister, participated in the proceedings.
In a scene from The House That Berry Built, Yates references his own experience at the Crippen trial. In the story, Boy Pleydell confronts the murderer Shapely, who has attempted to dispose of a body using quicklime, a method that famously failed Crippen. Boy remarks, “I remember using these words—‘Quick lime destroys, but slaked lime preserves.’” When Shapely asks, “You helped to prosecute Crippen?” Boy simply replies, “I did.” This nod to history adds a layer of authenticity to Yates’ work, linking his fictional worlds with real-life events.
The Crippen case was a turning point in criminal investigation, showcasing how new technology could outpace even the most cunning fugitive. After Crippen’s conviction, he was hanged at Pentonville Prison, while Ethel Le Neve was acquitted of being an accessory. She later moved to the U.S., married, and started a family, forever distancing herself from the grisly crime.
Though Dornford Yates’ stories may seem quaint, snobbish, or out of step with modern sensibilities, they offer a window into a bygone era. His characters, with their firm jaws and stiff upper lips, personify a world of privilege, adventure, and unapologetic elitism. Yates’ work endures not just as a nostalgic glimpse of the past but as a testament to the complexities of human nature and the ever-present allure of guilty pleasures. Whether it’s the thrill of a high-stakes chase, the wit of a well-timed quip, or the dark intrigue of a notorious trial, Yates’ novels remind us that sometimes, indulgence in a forgotten author’s world is the best escape of all.
