Archibald Thomas Pechey

Who was Archibald Thomas Pechey?

Archibald Thomas Pechey often credited simply as Valentine, was a British lyricist and novelist. The pen name Valentine was derived from his mother's family the Vallentins, who were London distillers. Pechey's maternal grandfather Sir James Vallentin was Knight Sheriff of London, and Master of the Worshipful Company of Distillers. By the 1880s Pechey's uncle Grimble Vallentine was running the business in Lambeth. His cousin John Franks Vallentin was awarded the V.C.

Pechey as "Valentine" often wrote lyrics in conjunction with composer James W. Tate. Songs written by Valentine include "Love Will Find a Way" and "A Paradise for Two".

Pechey wrote stories, such as "The Adjusters" and "An Exploit of The Adjusters: The Man Who Scared The Bank", under the name Valentine. "The Adjusters" and its sequels are about a group of amateur crime fighters with complementary talents, who "adjust" the results of the law, often tricking criminals into trapping themselves using a logical analysis of the crime, so that the guilty are punished and the good are protected, released or compensated. The Adjusters characters are Daphne Wrayne, a sporting society girl; Sir Hugh Williamson, a noted African explorer; James Treviller, a handsome young nobleman; Martin Everest, a handsome lawyer; and Alan Sylvester, an actor.