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Born near Alnwick, Northumberland in 1932, Henry Brewis was one
of a clan of farmers in the area. He spent much of his life running
a mixed arable and livestock farm at Hartburn, near Morpeth, Northumberland.
In the 1970s he began drawing cartoons and writing regularly for farming magazines,
including the West Cumberland Farmers Journal, regional NFU journals and Livestock
Farming. Booklets of his collected pieces were immensely popular.
Farming Press issued the first of Henry's full collections of cartoons
in 1983. Funnywayt'mekalivin' was
the star attraction of that year's
Smithfield Show when Henry signed copies on the Farming Press stand. Henry sold
his farm on a lease-back arrangement and began to devote more time to writing
and drawing. A small industry grew up around him, with Christmas cards, licensed
prints, statuettes, decorated beer mugs, tee-shirts and audio-tapes. He was also
in demand as an after-dinner speaker.
In his youth Henry had been a keen cricketer, fielding at silly mid-off, and
despite many years of illness he continued to enjoy sport, particularly golf.
Henry died in 2000 leaving three children and two grandchildren.
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Henry Brewis working in his studio, converted from a byre, on his farm
at Hartburn.
On the Farming Press stand at the Smithfield Show, December 1986,
Henry is making his views clear to Minister of Agriculture Michael
Jopling (on the left). In the centre is Geoffrey Rumsey, the highly
respected editor of Arable Farming magazine.
One of Henry’s ancestors was the 19th century diarist William Brewis … more
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Books
Chewing the Cud, 1990
Clarts & Calamities,
1988
Country Dance, 1992
Don’t Laugh
Til He’s Out of Sight, 1984
Funnywayt’mekalivin’, 1983
Goodbye Clartiehole, 1994
Harvey and the Handy Lads,
1996
Last Round-Up, 2000
Night Shift, 1996
The Magic Peasant, 1986
A Stroll in the Country, 1999
Audio CD
Rural Stew and Country Casserole, 2007
Audio cassette
Shepherd’s Pie and Second Helpings, 1995
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