Tutankhamun Centenary : Howard Carter : His Struggles in Childhood

Tutankhamun  Centenary : 2022

Howard  Carter : Egyptologist

 The Early Years: His  Childhood Struggles

  The  Mask  Slips  on  Howard Carter:  Part 3 ( of 3)

Some  Shocking  Childhood Details Revealed

Strange, touching  particulars  and co-incidences  have been unearthed by  William Cross  from  the  epic  Carnarvon, Carter,  Tutakhamun  legend for  inclusion in  his new book       " Carnarvon, Carter  and  Tutankhamun  Revisted : The  hidden truths  and doomed  relationships"

Recent researches  by  the  Society biographer  William Cross    - the author of “  Lordy !  Tutankhamun’s  Patron As  A Young Man “  -  who is currently  drafting a  new book on Lord George Carnarvon and  Howard  Carter -  have revealed some shocking new facts. 

South London

Howard Carter grew up mainly  in  South London  NOT  as is so often   stated   in Swaffham in rural  Norfolk

Howard Carter  was born in  South Kensington in 1874 , the last  of  the children of   Samuel John and Martha Carter.

Howard Carter’s   development years  were spent  largely in Kensington and  Chelsea in South West  London.  The existing    ( and in some cases respected ) narratives, including   chronology  from Carter himself,    that  give   his   birthplace as   Swaffham  in Norfolk   and dwell on his childhood years in rural  Norfolk are incorrect.

Carter family Cottage in Swaffham

Howard   was a sickly  child and needed regular  nursing  but this did not   involve    staying and only  being  hand  reared  by  two maiden aunts.   The  roots of Carter’s parents families  were in Swaffham, and Howard’s  grandparents would have known him as a small child.   

Howard Carter resented the rough  physical treatment  from his  female relatives and nurses who sought to help him  cope with his disabilities.

Swaffham  in  the    eastern County of  Norfolk was  home to   various   women who   featured  and strongly  influenced the  wider  Carter family.  

Whilst  it is   flawed, even contrived to place Howard Carter in Norfolk other than  for short stays  when visiting  relatives with his mother or father he was given   little privacy  and jostled about  by a variety of  female relatives, including those  resident with Martha Carter at the family homes in South London – this  near  manhandling  was  something  Howard loathed when looking back on his life.  

As a boy aged between  8 and 14  Lord Carnarvon ( when he was Lord  Porchester ) also fell under the  tight  control of  strong women an eccentric maiden aunt and a  highly conservative married  aunt,  both his father’s sisters.  

Tut As a Boy

Likewise  Tutankhamun was influenced by   his strong   female personalities.

This treatment – near  abuse by  female  relatives affected ALL three of the central figures  in the King Tut tale   especially as adults in forming  relationships with women 

Carter ‘s brothers’ childhood years  and  their whereabouts in Norfolk  are   misinterpreted  by   biographers  and wrongly  used   to  describe / represent  Howard’s  early years.

Howard Carter’s  brothers  were   boarded out to various relatives and  residents in Swaffham in Norfolk  and  over several years,  even before Howard was born;   from a  drill down into the whereabouts of   Howard’s older surviving brothers  it is clear  these  siblings  were  often mistaken as being  Howard and stories attributed  are not  about Howard but relate to his many older brothers.

Carter taking tea in Cairo

Howard Carter   had a form of  autism, with  serious  learning difficulties

Howard Carter  and  Lord George Carnarvon ( as Lord Porchester ) were never scholarly or intellectuals ,  they were slow  learners , in modern day terms they  may have suffered from a form of autism that  made them prone to   serious learning  difficulties, Carter’s    lack  of  a fundamental education made  him insecure  and robbed him of  a certain degree of confidence and literacy. 

He made up for this  by acquiring  skills as a tracer and an artist. This is a common reward for those with autism, sometimes their creative talent evolves faster  elsewhere  than their grasp of the three R’s.  In  Carnarvon’s case he was fluent in languages and could play the bango, but he was thrown out of Eton and Cambridge and not considered fit for purpose for the army.

This is a research draft from  the new book  

“ Carnarvon, Carter  and Tutankhamun Revisited  : The hidden truths and doomed relationships” 

By William Cross, FSA Scot

Due for publication 4 November 2016

Short Title for this 3 part article is  

“ Howard  Carter : Egyptologist :  Early Years    

 The  Mask  Slips on  Howard Carter"

Any comments or queries please contact the Author

William Cross, FSA Scot  by e-mail

williecross@aol.com

williecross@virginmedia.com

3 January 2016

COPYRIGHT WILLIAM CROSS AND BOOK MIDDEN PUBLISHING

Tutankhamun Centenary : Howard Carter : Some Shocking Childhood Details Revealed

Tutankhamun  Centenary : 2022

Howard  Carter : Egyptologist

 The Early Years: His Childhood  Struggles

  The  Mask  Slips  on  Howard Carter:  Part 2( of 3)

Some  Shocking  Childhood Details Revealed

Strange, touching  particulars  and co-incidences  have  been unearthed by  William Cross  from  the  epic  Carnarvon, Carter,  Tutakhamun  legend for  inclusion in  his new book      “ Carnarvon, Carter  and  Tutankhamun  Revisted : The  hidden truths  and doomed  relationships“ 

NEW BOOK BY WILLIAM CROSS

Carter   had  a weak constitution  as  a child not surprising since  he  was  fed only by  wet nurses

A Wet Nurse -19th Century

Howard Carter, like Lord George Carnarvon,  his  patron of  later years  and also the Boy King  Tutankhamun experienced  a potentially bad start in life since they  never  tasted their own mother’s milk. Martha Carter ‘s last child Howard was fed by a wet nurse.

Tutankhamun's Wet Nurse

Wet nurses were employed when the mother  was unable or chose not to nurse the child herself.  Martha was well enough off to afford the luxury. Recent news from the Valley of the Kings is that the child who grew up to be King Tut was in fact breast -fed by his own  sister. The image above shows the evidence.

As babies   all  three   figures in the  Old Tut tale were deprived of the essential  vitamins and body  fluids that were likely to fight off  infection and even give them  immunities, as well as strengthen the   maternal bond between child and mother . All these building blocks were sacrificed  in favour of  them  being milked  by emotionally unattached  wet nurses.  

The consequence of this  was an inevitable  propensity  for  the child to    develop  a weaker constitution  than  it would have had  if fed by its own mother’s natural  milk and   with it  a greater risk too  of   contracting unknown  diseases  with  infections being  passed on  causing  potentially degenerate  organs  and  stunted growth. 

Carter helped by a walking stick 

 Howard Carter  was  born seriously Disabled

Howard Carter was born  seriously physically  disabled, remarkably  this was something  else  he  shared  with Lord  Carnarvon and the Boy  King  Tutankhamun. The disabilities – including congenital mobility   problems  were passed down through  the  bad genes in  their  family histories coupled with the affects of  inbreeding : the  afflictions were left uncorrected . Carter and Carnarvon were under the supervision by  quack doctors for decades, they were  only operated on as adults to correct their  innate  and inherited conditions.

Old King Tut, born with a club foot 

Carter as a young man

Howard Carter  ‘the freak, the cripple’   was mocked and snubbed as a child

Howard Carter, Lord Carnarvon (  when known as Lord Porchester ) and the Boy Prince Tutankhamun  stood out as  nothing less than  freaks   as   young  boys they were  mocked  and  snubbed  by their  siblings and  relatives

Carter was no good at games, sports, social activities and his older siblings  leaned on him, he took this ribbing hard, he inevitably felt dejection.

Carter as a young boy

Carter suffered a major trauma  aged  9

Howard Carter, Lord  George  Carnarvon ( when known as Lord Porchester ) and the Boy  Prince Tutankhamun  ALL  suffered a major  psychological trauma at the ages of 8 to 9 years, this affected their entire personalities,   development years  and  they  were  emotionally damaged from the fall out :  this affected  their character traits for  the rest of their lives.

In short childhood ended for all three boys as a result of the events that they were caught up in as young boys.

Martha Carter

Carter’s dotting mother was his  chief protector

Martha Carter  ( Howard Carter’s ‘Dearest Mater’) was life-long protector over her son early years, she hoped  ( as did  Lady Evelyn Stanhope,  4^th Countess Carnarvon, mother of  Lord George Carnarvon as Lord Porchester ) for  a  son who would overcome his  birth  problems and   adversities and ultimately enjoy a normal life.

Samuel Carter : A Bully

Carter was bullied by  his absentee  father,  Samuel Carter

Howard Carter   as well as Lord Carnarvon and the young Tutankhamun  ALL  suffered the  wrath of their  absentee fathers, ambitious, self -centred   men who were engaged in  furthering their careers first and last before  giving any  attention or affection to their children.  Their  stressful occupations  turned them into  brutal, irrational  and  bullying fathers  which affected  the later  behaviour of ALL  of their children . In particular, Samuel Carter refused  to molly cuddle his son Howard,   the young Carter was forced to improve himself   and the same experience was dished out to Lord   Carnarvon ( as Lord  Porchester ) his father  Henry Herbert, the 4^th Earl wanted him dead.

 TO BE CONTINUED

The  final  part  of this piece will follow shortly 

Howard  Carter : Egyptologist 

  

 The  Mask  Slips on  Howard Carter

Any comments or queries please contact the Author

William Cross, FSA Scot  by e-mail

williecross@aol.com

williecross@virginmedia.com

3 January 2016

COPYRIGHT  WILLIAM CROSS AND BOOK MIDDEN PUBLISHING

Tutankhamun Centenary : The Mask Slips on Howard Carter of Tutankhamun : Childhood Years

Tutankhamun  Centenary : 2022

Howard  Carter : Egyptologist

 The Early Years: His Childhood Struggles

  The  Mask  Slips  on  Howard Carter

  Part 1( of 3)  From William Cross, FSA Scot

Some  Shocking  Childhood Details Revealed

Strange, touching  particulars  and co-incidences  have been unearthed by  William Cross  from  the  epic  Carnarvon, Carter,  Tutakhamun  legend for  inclusion in  his new book “ Carnarvon, Carter  and  Tutankhamun  Revisted : The  hidden truths  and doomed  relationships“  

New Book from William Cross

Recent researches  by  the  Society biographer  William Cross    - the author of “  Lordy !  Tutankhamun’s  Patron As  A Young Man “  -  who is currently  drafting a  new book on Lord George Carnarvon and  Howard  Carter -  have revealed some shocking new facts on the men  who hoovered up an entire desert to satisfy their ego.

These latest  facts have  previously been overlooked by the many scribes, learned and otherwise,   who have written about the famous  Old  King Tut  duo, the  bold adventurers  who are  rightly proclaimed as the  co-discoverers of  the  fabulous,  unique  tomb of  Tutankhamun, in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings in 1922.

                                The Boy King Tutankhamun

Cross comments  : “  This  short  summary  of the new material  below ( see   Part 2 of this blog, to be published shortly )    is the result of  just  making  a tiny start in the process of shining a  light on  Howard Carter, by  looking  behind the  mask he always  hid under.

Carter’s own biographical sketches  are contradictory and incomplete,    it is hard to  hone in on his  secrets and lies.  But this  list ( to be expanded upon in the new book)    attempts to explain  some of the reasons why  ‘grumpy old  Carter’ – as he is often portrayed -  was such an odd ball character in his adult life.  Moreover it highlights some peculiar  overlaps  and attributes   between the   two  men  who are    synonymous  with  the story of  searching for Old King Tut’s tomb and who gained  iconic celebrity status almost 100 years ago. 

Carter, King Tut and Carnarvon

Sometimes  all three  historical  celebrities   Howard Carter , Lord George Carnarvon and  Tutankhamun  have  things in common that happened to them  and  even more bizarrely,  they  shared some   similar  childhood experiences ;  one of these  is indicated below. It  was a truly  breathtaking moment to find that  all three of them  suffered a major emotional trauma at about  the same  critical stage  in  their childhood between 8 and  9 -years- old.  This was where their childhoods   ended abruptly."

William Cross

Cross is naturally coy about giving too much away on the detail of the calamitous events that changed the lives of these men as children.  

He warns readers:  “ It will all be explained in the book, and it will certainly  shock.”

Cross is determined to continue his quest for truth. 

He adds :“ As we move towards the  Tutankhamun  Centenary in 2022  I  am determined to  exhaust the  story once and for all and  see that the  further facts and truths  are told and the lies and inaccuracies  exposed...  this  begins  here  in a  sense  with  looking at some of the  elements  that  forged the main characters  as  children,  starting with Howard Carter,   this is an angle  on the troubled  archaeologist  that has been largely  ignored, and is truly  staggering . ”

TO BE CONTINUED

The  next  part  of this piece will follow shortly  

“ Howard  Carter : Egyptologist :  Early Years    

 The  Mask  Slips on  Howard Carter

Any comments or queries please contact the Author

William Cross, FSA Scot  by e-mail

williecross@aol.com

williecross@virginmedia.com

3 January 2016

COPYRIGHT WILLIAM CROSS AND BOOK MIDDEN PUBLISHING