The Reverend Wladislaw Somerville Lach-Szyrma, M.A., F.R.H.S. (25 December 1841 – 25 June 1915) was a British curate, historian and science fiction writer. He is credited as one of the first science fiction writers to use the word "Martian" as a noun.
Wladislaw Somerville Lach-Szyrma
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|---|---|
| Born | (1841-12-25)25 December 1841 Devonport, Devon |
| Died | 25 June 1915(1915-06-25) (aged 73) Barkingside, Essex |
| Occupation | Curate, writer |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Brasenose College, Oxford |
| Period | Victorian era |
| Genre | Science fiction History |
| Subject | History of Cornwall English folklore |
| Literary movement | Victorian literature |
| Notable works | Aleriel, or A Voyage to Other Worlds (1883) |
| Relatives | Krystyn Lach Szyrma (father) |
Wladislaw Somerville Lach-Szyrma was the son of Krystyn Lach-Szyrma (1790–1866) and Sarah Frances Somerville (1802–1869). Krystyn was a Polish professor of philosophy who fled Poland c. 1830 to escape persecution amidst the November Uprising. He abandoned his teaching position at the University of Warsaw and started a new life in England, where he married Sarah Somerville of Plymouth. Their son Wladislaw was born on 25 December 1841 in the nearby town of Devonport - at that time Devonport and Plymouth were two separate and independent towns. Wladislaw's younger brother, Stanislaw Stuart Lach-Szyrma (18 February 1844 – 19 June 1844), died in infancy. Wladislaw married twice. His second wife, Rosina Atkinson (1846–1929), bore 13 children.
After studying the classics in a Literae Humaniores course at Brasenose College, Oxford, Wladislaw accepted a curacyinPensilva; so began a life of service to the Church of EnglandinCornwall. In 1869 he took the curacy at St Paul's in Truro, followed in 1871 by another in Carnmenellis. He became ill during a visit to Paris; after a short recovery, he returned to England to find that several newspapers had published his obituary.[1] For example, the following appeared in the Exeter paper The Western Times on 30 January 1871:[2]
Death of the Rev. W. G. Lach-Szyrma.—This gentleman, son of the late Col. Lach-Szyrma, a Pole, was born at Devonport. He was well known in this county, and also in Cornwall, having been for some time curate at St. Pauls, Truro. He was a young man of great talent and promise, and his untimely death at the age of 29 is a great loss. He was a high churchman, but he always spoke kindly of dissenters, and especially regarded Wesley and his works with great interest and favour. He often preached in the open air, and made a great impression upon the Moormen while residing at Prince Town, Dartmoor.
From 1873 until 1890 he served as vicar of St. Peter's Church in the port town of Newlyn.[3] Left Newlyn in 1886, but continued his interest in Cornwall, its history and language.[4][5]
Wladislaw Lach-Szyrma was keenly interested in the history of Cornwall. He wrote prolifically about the churches and antiquities there—especially those of the district around Penzance. He was also a pioneering writer of science fiction. His 1883 novel, Aleriel, or A Voyage to Other Worlds, was one of the first works to use the word Martian as a noun.[6][7]
He died in Barkingside, Essex on 25 June 1915.[8]
