Emily Underdown (1863–1947) was an English writer, novelist and poet. She is best known for popularising

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

(1265–1321) and for her children's books. Many of her works are written under the pseudonym Norley Chester, which name appears to have been taken from the village of

Norley Norley is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cheshire, England, north of Delamere Forest, near the village of Cuddington, Vale Royal, Cuddington. The population at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 1,169. Its ...

, Cheshire, near the town of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

. The use of pseudonyms was common with female writers of the time. She also illustrated the book ''The Pageant of The Year: A Garden Record In Verse''. According to ''Chaucer as Children's Literature: Retellings from the Victorian and Edwardian Eras'', Underdown's ''The Gateway to Chaucer'' "...is probably the most thoughtful presentation to children..." of the complicated work, and "...one of the most thoughtful collections with great philosophical and historical interest." She is also remembered as a "war poet" of the First World War for her work "The Gifts of War".

Biography

Emily Underdown was born on 28 July 1863 at

Higher Broughton Broughton is a suburb and district of Salford, City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, on the east bank of the River Irwell, it is northwest of Manchester and south of Prestwich. Historically in Lancashire, Broughton was a township ...

, Lancashire, England. Her parents were Lieutenant-Colonel Robert George Underdown and Lydia Underdown (née Dacombe). She was the second of four children. Not much is known about her early life other than her graduation from

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

in 1898 (UCL Record Office). She lived in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

during her early life, moving to London at some point after 1901. She did not marry. She died in London on 5 September 1947. Her brother, Herbert William Underdown (born 8 July 1864; Charterhouse; Cambridge (Pemberton) B.A. L.L.M), was a solicitor (Birkbeck Bank Chambers) and a well-known art collector and antiquarian scholar.Frederick Kennedy Wilson Girdlestone, Edward Trevor Hardman, Alexander Hay Todd, ''Charterhouse Register, 1872–1910'', Volume 1. Charterhouse School (Godalming, England). Printed for the Propietors at the Chiswick Press, 1911.

Selected bibliography

Books

*''Olga's Dream: a nineteenth-century fairy tale'' by Norley Chester, from original illustrations designed specially by

Harry Furniss Harry Furniss (26 March 185414 January 1925) was a British illustrator. He established his career on the ''Illustrated London News'' before moving to ''Punch (magazine), Punch''. He also illustrated Lewis Carroll's novel ''Sylvie and Bruno''. Bi ...

and Irving Montagu; London: Skeffington & Son, 1892. *''The Carved Box: a story from Switzerland'', London, Glasgow and Dublin: Blackie & Son Ltd, 1894. *''The Story of Fancy'' by Norley Chester. Chapter VIII in ''Aunt Mai's Annual'' by Fanny Hanson,

Ernst von Wildenbruch Ernst von Wildenbruch (3 February 184515 January 1909) was a German poet and dramatist. Biography Wildenbruch was born at Beirut in Lebanon, the son of the Prussian consul-general, Ludwig von Wildenbruch, who was himself an illegitimate son of ...

, Aunt Mai, Bessie Green, Emily Underdown, M. Hoysted and (editor) Mrs. Francis F. Steinthal. Illustrated by Alice Mitchell. Westminster, London: Archibald Constable and Co., 1894 . *''Dante Vignettes'', Elliot Stock, 1895. *''Peter, der Holzschnitzer''. Berlin: Christl. Zeitschriftenver, 1896. German language. *''Stories from Dante'', London/New York: F. Warne and Co., 1898. *''Songs and Sonnets'', London: Elliot Stock, 1899. *''A Plain Woman's Part'', London: Edward Arnold, 1900. *''Lohengrin: retold from Wagner''. With

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

. London: T. Nelson, 1900 *''Dante and Beatrice'', a play founded on incidents in Dante's ''Vita Nuova''. London: S. Sonnenschein & Co., 1903. *''A Double Crown'' by Norley Chester (p. 174-) in “The Passing of Victoria. The Poets’ Tribute”, containing poems by

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...

, V. E. Henley, A. C. Benson, Sir

Lewis Morris Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continen ...

Flora Annie Steel Flora Annie Steel (2 April 1847 – 12 April 1929) was a writer who lived in British India for 22 years. She was noted especially for books set in the Indian sub-continent or connected with it. Her novel ''On the Face of the Waters'' (1896) desc ...

Violet Fane Violet Fane is the literary pseudonym of Lady Mary Montgomerie Currie (''née'' Lamb, 24 February 1843 – 13 October 1905). A poet, a writer, and later an ambassadress, who was active in the British literary scene from 1872 until her death ...

and others. Edited by J. A. Hammerton. London: Horace Marshall & Son. *''Cristina: a romance of Italy in olden days''. London: Swan Sonnenschein, 1903. *''Mick, An Ugly Dog''. No publisher, 1905. *''Medallions from Early Florentine History'', London: Swan Sonnenschein, 1906, viii + 254 pp. *''Knights of the Grail: Lohengrin, Galahad''. London and New York: T. Nelson, 1908. *''Tristram and Iseult'', by Emily Underdown in ''The Girl's Budget of Short Stories'' (Jean McIntosh, ed.), Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1912. *''The Rose and the Ring'', London, Edinburgh, Dublin and New York: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1912. *''A Hero's Helpmeet and Other Stories'', Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1913. *''Stories from Chaucer'', Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1913. *''The Dumb Princess'', London: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1913. *''The Gateway To Chaucer'', Thomas Nelson, 1914. *''War Songs'', London: Riley, 1914. *''Anita Garibaldi'', by Emily Underdown in ''Wild Thyme'' (Mrs Herbert Strang, ed.). Oxford University Press, 1918. *''The Adventures of Don Quixote'', Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1921. Abridged and adapted for children. *''Three northern romances: Siegfried-Lohengrin-Undine. Old Tales Retold''. With Richard Wilson. London: Thomas Nelson, 1925. *''Stories from William Morris'', Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1925. Previously published as ''Gateway To Romance'', this is a retelling of a selection of stories from ''

The Earthly Paradise ''The Earthly Paradise'' by William Morris is an epic poem. It is a lengthy collection of retellings of various myths and legends from Greece and Scandinavia. Publication began in 1868 and several later volumes followed until 1870. The volumes w ...

'' by

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

. *''The Pageant of The Year A Garden Record in Verse'', Simkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co, 1924. Illustrated by Emily Underdown. *''The Approach to Chaucer'', Nelson, 1926. *''The Approach to Spenser'', London: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1932.

Essays (by Norley Chester)

*"Early Tuscan Poets", in Sylvanus Urban (ed.), ''Gentleman's Magazine'', London: Chatto & Windus, 1899 (pp. 329–339). *"How I didn’t become an Author". An essay in the ''Temple Bar Journal''; reproduced in “The Living Age”, 7th series, Vol. VIII, July, August and September 1900. Published by Living Age Co., 1900. Editors Eliakim Littell and Robert S. Littell. Vol. 226. *"Historical Influences of the 'Divine Comedy'", in Sylvanus Urban (ed.), ''Gentleman’s Magazine'', Vol. CCLXXXVIII, January to June 1900, London: Chatto & Windus, 1900 (pp. 167–176). Originally in February 1900 edition of ''Gentleman’s Magazine''.

References

*Nosheen Khan, ''Women's Poetry of the First World War'', The University Press of Kentucky, 1988. *Linda Peterson, ''Becoming a Woman of Letters: Myths of Authorship and Facts of the Victorian Market''.

Princeton University Press Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large. The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financial su ...

, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Underdown, Emily 1863 births 1947 deaths People from Broughton, Lancashire English women novelists English women poets 19th-century English poets 20th-century English poets Alumni of University College London 20th-century English women writers 19th-century English women writers