19 February 1861 - 29 January 1938

     E.G. Swain was born in Stockport near Manchester,where his father was a church organist. Swain was educated at Manchester Grammar School and then went on to Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He became a Deacon in 1885 and was ordained by the Bishop of Rochester the following year. He was made the Curate of Camberwell until 1892.

     It was in that year he was appointed as the Chaplain of King's College, Cambridge. It was this that broughthim into contact with M.R. James, creating a friendship that would last their respective lives. In the mid-1890's James wrote some pantomimes to amuse the choiresters and Swain wrote the lyrics. It is believed that the 1902 play 'The First Day of the Holidays' credited to C.A. Pellanus was actually by Swain.

     In 1905 Swain became the vicar of Stanground near Peterborough. This was to provide him with inspiration for his own ghost stories which were published in 1912 as 'The Stoneground Ghost Tales'. Many local features and locations became sites for his elegant and restrained yarns.

     In 1916 Swain was made Rector of Greenford in Middlesex, though in 1923 he returned to the local area as a Minor Canon of Peterborough Cathedral. Here his jobs included Librarian, which suited his antiquarian nature.

     Swain wrote a 36 page 'Handbook of Peterborough Cathedral' in 1931 which the following year was expanded into'The Story of Peterborough Cathedral'. When he died in 1938 Swain ordered that his papers be destroyed, denying us the pleasure of further stories. His single collection has been reprinted a couple of times, most recently with a biographical introduction by Peterborough SF Club's Chair Cardinal Cox.

(With thanks to Alazäis Peterson)