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Hester Burton (6 December 1913 – 17 September 2000) was an English writer, mainly of
historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
for children and young adults. She received the Carnegie Medal for her 1963 novel '' Time of Trial,'' which like many of her books was illustrated by
Victor Ambrus Victor Ambrus (born László Győző Ambrus, 19 August 1935 – 10 February 2021) was a Hungarian-born British illustrator of history, folk tales, and animal story books. He also became known from his appearances on the Channel 4 television ...
.


Early life

She was born Hester Wood-Hill on 6 December 1913, in
Beccles Beccles ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 and A12 roads, north-east of London as the crow fli ...
, Suffolk, where her father was elected town
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
three times. From 1925 to 1936, she attended Headington School, Oxford and then
St Anne's College, Oxford St Anne's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It was founded in 1879 and gained full college status in 1959. Originally a women's college, it has admitted men since 1979. It has some 450 undergraduate and 200 ...
, where she received an honours degree in English. In 1937, she married Reginald W. B. Burton, a Classics don at
Oriel College Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...
. They had three daughters.


Non-fiction

In 1949, Burton published a biography of Barbara Bodichon, the 19th-century feminist, artist and educationalist. She worked for Oxford University Press from 1956 to 1964, contributing two volumes to the Oxford Sheldonian English Series for secondary schoolchildren: ''Coleridge and the Wordsworths,'' 1953, and ''Tennyson'' in 1954. She worked as an assistant editor for the revised ''Oxford Junior Encyclopaedia'', and edited two 1959 anthologies: ''A Book of Modern Stories'' and ''Her First Ball''. In addition, Burton edited works by friends and colleagues, including ''Thomas Hardy: Distracted Preacher? Hardy's Religious Biography and its Influence on his Novels'' by Timothy R. Hands and Mike Esbester.


Fiction

Burton's first children's novel was ''The Great Gale'', published 1960 and inspired by the devastation of the
North Sea flood of 1953 The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm surge that struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, causing extensive flooding. The storm and flo ...
on her home county of
Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
. Her subject matter often reflects a radical approach popularised by
Geoffrey Trease (Robert) Geoffrey Trease FRSL (11 August 1909 – 27 January 1998) was a prolific British writer who published 113 books, mainly for children, between 1934 and 1997, starting with '' Bows Against the Barons'' and ending with ''Cloak for a Spy'' ...
. It includes the slave trade in ''To Ravensrigg'' and the
Captain Swing "Captain Swing" was a name that was appended to several threatening letters during the rural Swing Riots of 1830, when labourers rioted over the introduction of new threshing machines and the loss of their livelihoods. The name was made-up and ...
riots of the 1830s in ''No Beat of Drum'' and ''Otmoor for Ever.'' She sometimes covered similar themes for different age groups; ''Beyond the Weir Bridge'' is for teens, while the same issues and events appear for six to nine-year-olds in ''Through the Fire''. Several are set in Suffolk, many having a maritime or naval setting.Fantastic Fictio
"Hester Burton"
Rather than balancing divergent views, Burton presented her stories from the angles of individuals or groups, which she saw as more authentic. In a 1973 interview, she explained, "I am not all-wise or all-knowing... but neither were the people actually taking part.... It is a wise precaution for a writer of historical fiction to limit this range of vision... ndalso much better art." Many of her books, such as ''No Beat of Drum'' and ''A Time of Trial,'' reflect the impact of social inequalities on her protagonists, their willingness to challenge them, and the value they placed on education as a promoter of change. Her biography of the Victorian feminist Barbara Bodichon shows her abiding interest in women's issues; her novels have strong, independent heroines, and many of Ambrus's cover illustrations emphasise female character. The ''Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature'' summarises her novels as "featuring heroines with strong opinions; class tensions and social justice are recurring themes. Her writing is unsentimental... and her books accounts of ordinary young people affected by national events." In a letter of February 2006, one of Burton's daughters wrote, "I could always tell when Mum had another book on her mind, she would start to cook the meal while still wearing her overcoat and hat.''


Death

Hester Burton died on 17 September 2000 in Oxford, after a stroke suffered at the age of 86.


Bibliography


Fiction for older readers

*''The Great Gale'' (1960), also titled ''The Flood at Reedsmere;'' the
North Sea flood of 1953 The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm surge that struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, causing extensive flooding. The storm and flo ...
; *''Castors Away!'' (1962) on the
Napoleonic wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
*'' Time of Trial'' (1963) on free speech in the early 19th century *''A Seaman at the Time of Trafalgar'' (1963) on the Napoleonic wars at sea *''No Beat of Drum'' (1966) on social unrest in 1830 and transportation to
Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...
, modern
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
; *''In Spite of All Terror'' (1968) on the beginning of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
,
Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...
'' (1969, in the US as ''Beyond the Weir Bridge'') on the
English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
and after *''The Henchmans at Home'' (1970), also titled ''The Day That Went Terribly Wrong: And Other Stories;'' family life in Victorian
Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
; *''The Rebel'' (1971) on
Revolutionary France The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
*''Riders of the Storm'' (1972) on education and unrest in 18th-century England *''Kate Rider'' (1974) on the English Civil War: the
Siege of Colchester The siege of Colchester occurred in the summer of 1648 when the English Civil War reignited in several areas of Britain. Colchester found itself in the thick of the unrest when a Royalist army on its way through East Anglia to raise suppo ...
*''To Ravensrigg'' (1976) on the
Liverpool slave trade Liverpool, a port city in north-west England, was involved in the transatlantic slave trade. The trade developed in the eighteenth century, as Liverpool slave traders were able to supply fabric from Manchester to the Caribbean islands at very comp ...
; *''A Grenville Goes to Sea'' (1977) on
Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
's navy *''When the Beacons Blazed'' (1978) on the
Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...
*''Five August Days'' (1981), a contemporary adventure;


Fiction for younger readers

These were published as part of the Antelope Series, intended for readers of six-nine years. *''Otmoor for Ever'' (1968); Jake and his brother Seth resist as the
common land Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect Wood fuel, wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person ...
of
Otmoor Otmoor or Ot Moor is an area of wetland and wet grassland in Oxfordshire, England, located halfway between Oxford and Bicester. It is about above sea level, and has an area of nearly . It is encircled by the "Seven Towns" of Otmoor: Beckley, N ...
is enclosed by the local land-owners using fences and hedges. *''Through the Fire'' (1969); covers many of the themes of ''Thomas'' including the persecution of the
Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...
under
the Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...
. Rachel and Will ride into London with their father to take food to their imprisoned friends but are trapped when the
Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Thursday 6 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall, while also extending past the ...
breaks out. *''Tim at the Fur Fort'' (1977); in early 19th century Canada, Tim works as an accountant for the
Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...
in what is now
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
but wants to be an explorer. When disease strikes Fort Frederick, he has to prove himself by making the most dangerous journey of his life.


Non-fiction

*''Barbara Bodichon'' (1949), a short biography of the 19th century feminist, artist and educationalist Barbara Bodichon *''Coleridge and the Wordsworths'' (1953); Oxford Sheldonian English Series; *''Tennyson'' (1954); Oxford Sheldonian English Series;


References


External links

* (including 1 "from old catalog") {{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, Hester 1913 births 2000 deaths English children's writers English historical novelists Carnegie Medal in Literature winners People from Beccles People educated at Headington School Alumni of St Anne's College, Oxford Oxford University Press people English women novelists 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English novelists Women historical novelists