Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Jim O’Hanlon, ‘Fackham Hall’ presents itself as an absurdist satire about the Davenports, who have held onto the eponymous estate for generations, but now risk losing it for good. Their only hope is to marry either of their daughters to their cousin, Archibald, who is a chauvinist. However, when Rose, the youngest daughter, falls in love with a conman named Eric, chaos begins to bubble up. Eric, as it turns out, is not here to steal anything from the elite but to deliver a letter. However, before he gets to do that, he finds himself turning into one of the Davenports’ many attendants, all to get closer to Rose and express how he really feels. As the period comedy movie progresses, Eric finds himself relying less on his good behavior and more on the many tricks that make him the fiercest conman in the city. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Eric Noone is Likely a Fictionalized Composite of Child Soldiers From WWI
Eric Noone, also known as Nathaniel Davenport, is a fictional character created by the combined creative forces of Jimmy Carr, Patrick Carr, Steve Dawson, Andrew Dawson, and Tim Inman. Among the most enigmatic characters in the film, Eric is largely presented as a skilled confidence trickster turned handyman for the Davenports, and is only later revealed to be the true heir to the mansion. This entire plot beat is exclusive to the invented world of ‘Fackham Hall,’ and does not appear to have any direct real-life antecedents. While that may be the case, some characteristics of Eric do seem to loosely resemble real-life, specifically when it comes to his time as a con artist and the fact that he was a child soldier during the First World War.
While Eric may not be based on a real person, his story can be split into two halves, both of which might be partially influenced by real history. The fact that he survived World War I as a child soldier is possibly a reference to real-life figures such as Sidney Lewis and George Maher, who were among the two youngest British soldiers to have fought in World War I. Sidney Lewis joined the East Surrey Regiment at the age of 12, whereas George Maher enlisted in the 2nd Battalion King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment at the age of 13, after lying to the officers about being an adult. Both children participated in several major battles and lived to tell the tale. Sidney’s story, in particular, wasn’t authenticated until 2013, when the Imperial War Museum conducted research into his past.
Eric Noone Draws a Vague Parallel to Some of England’s Most Notorious Conmen
Although it is possible that Eric’s time as a child soldier draws vague references from the participation of underage boys in World War I, it should be noted that Eric, then known as Nathaniel Davenport, is depicted as much younger than Sidney or George at the time of their enlistment. Another detail that stands out about Eric’s journey is how he spent much of his teen life in orphanages. In real life, the 1921 Census of the United Kingdom revealed that as many as 730,845 children had lost their fathers during and after the war. There is a chance that the creative team behind ‘Fackham Hall’ closely researched the lived experiences of post-war children, and all of that went into the construction of Eric as a heartfelt character.
Eric’s teenage and early adulthood is defined by his apparent mastery of tricks and cons, which turn him into one of the city’s most notorious figures. In reality, the years following World War I bore witness to some of the most infamous con artists and scam artists in England. One of them was Arthur Furguson, who allegedly became known for claiming to sell English national monuments and other historic buildings. Using that lie, he is believed to have tricked wealthy American tourists into “buying” monuments like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Nelson’s Column, with thousands of pounds as a down payment. While the historical accuracy of these anecdotes, as well as the existence of Furguson himself, has been questioned by historians, it is possible that the creators of ‘Fackham Hall’ were inspired by such legends in their creation of a larger-than-life character such as Eric.
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