Jane Lane (27 May 1905– 6 January 1978) was the pen name of Elaine Kidner Dakers, an English novelist and

biographer Biographers are authors who write an account of another person's life, while autobiographers are authors who write their own biography. Biographers Countries of working life: Ab=Arabia, AG=Ancient Greece, Al=Australia, Am=Armenian, AR=Ancient Rome ...

. Her best-known books are historical novels set in the 17th and 18th century.

Biography

Jane Lane was born on 27 May 1905 in

Ruislip Ruislip ( ) is an area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in West London, and in the historic county of Middlesex. Ruislip lies west-north-west of Charing Cross, London. The manor of Ruislip appears in the Domesday Book, and some of the ear ...

, Middlesex, England. She was descended from

Jane Lane, Lady Fisher Jane Lane (c. 1626 – 9 September 1689) played a heroic role in the escape of Charles II in 1651 after the Battle of Worcester. She rode with Charles, disguised as her servant, from Staffordshire to Somerset. Origins Jane was the daughter of Th ...

. She is best known for her books about the

Stuart period The Stuart period of British history lasted from 1603 to 1714 during the dynasty of the House of Stuart. The period ended with the death of Queen Anne and the accession of King George I from the German House of Hanover. The period was plagu ...

in English history and 18th-century Scotland, written from a Catholic and

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

perspective. Her novel, ''A State of Mind,'' is set in a dystopian future. ''

The Tablet ''The Tablet'' is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Brendan Walsh, previously literary editor and then acting editor, was appointed editor in July 2017. History ''The Tablet'' was launched in 1840 by a Quaker convert ...

'' has described Lane as "one of the few contemporary writers who excel both as novelists and historians".Jacket of Peter Davies's re-issue of ''Conies in the Hay'', 1973. Jane Lane died on 6 January 1978.

Selected works

Novels *''Sir Devil-May-Care'' (1937) (

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 ...

) *''He Stooped to Conquer'' (1944) (

Massacre of Glencoe The Massacre of Glencoe ( gd, Murt Ghlinne Comhann) took place in Glen Coe in the Highlands of Scotland The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Cultur ...

) *''Gin and Bitters'' (1945) (early 18th Century London and the South Sea Bubble) *''His Fight is Ours'' (1946) (background to the 1745 Rising) *''London Goes To Heaven'' (1947) (London under the Commonwealth and

Protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...

) *''Parcel of Rogues: The Plot Against Mary of Scotland'' (1948) (

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

and the regencies) *''Fortress in the Forth'' (1950) ( Jacobite prisoners on

Bass Rock The Bass Rock, or simply the Bass (), ( gd, Creag nam Bathais or gd, Am Bas) is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. Approximately offshore, and north-east of North Berwick, it is a steep-sided volca ...

1691–94) *''Dark Conspiracy'' (1951) (

Rye House Plot The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a plan to assassinate King Charles II of England and his brother (and heir to the throne) James, Duke of York. The royal party went from Westminster to Newmarket to see horse races and were expected to make the ...

against Charles II) *''The Sealed Knot'' (1952) (English Civil War) *''Lady of the House'' a.k.a. ''The Countess at War'' (1953) (English Civil War) *''The Phoenix and the Laurel'' (1954) (

John Graham of Claverhouse John Graham, 7th of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount Dundee (21 July 1648 – 27 July 1689) was a Scottish soldier and nobleman, a Tory and an Episcopalian. He was responsible for policing southwest Scotland during and after the religious unrest and r ...

) *''Thunder on St. Paul's Day'' (1956) (

Titus Oates Titus Oates (15 September 1649 – 12/13 July 1705) was an English priest who fabricated the "Popish Plot", a supposed Catholic conspiracy to kill King Charles II. Early life Titus Oates was born at Oakham in Rutland. His father Samuel (1610� ...

and the " Popish Plot") *''Conies in the Hay'' a.k.a. ''Rabbits in the Hay'' a.k.a. ''The Cross and the Tower'' (1957) (

Babington Plot The Babington Plot was a plan in 1586 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I, a Protestant, and put Mary, Queen of Scots, her Catholic cousin, on the English throne. It led to Mary's execution, a result of a letter sent by Mary (who had been imp ...

1586) *''Sow the Tempest'' (1960) ( Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon) *''Farewell to the White Cockade'' (1961) (

Bonnie Prince Charlie Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...

) *''The Crown for a Lie'' (1962) (How James II lost the throne) *''A State of Mind'' (1964) (post-atomic future) *''A Wind through the Heather'' (1965) ( Highland Clearances) *''From the Snare of the Hunters'' (1968) (Last days of Jesus of Nazareth) *''The Young and Lonely King'' (1969) ( Prince Charles, Duke of Albany) *''The Questing Beast'' (1970) (English Civil War) *''Ember in the Ashes'' (1970) ( Roman Catholics in 18th century England) *''The Severed Crown'' (1972) (

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

) *''Bridge of Sighs'' (1973) ( Mary of Modena) *''Heirs of Squire Harry'' (1974) (

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...

) *''A Summer Storm'' (1976) ( Peasants' Revolt, 1381) *''A Secret Chronicle'' (1977) ( Edward II) The Escape series (for younger readers) *''The Escape of the King'' (1957) (The young Charles II) *''The Escape of the Queen'' (1957) (

) *''The Escape of the Prince'' (1958) (

) *''The Escape of the Duke'' (1960) (Charles I's son James, Duke of York) *''The Escape of the Princess'' (1962) (

Clementina Sobieski Maria Clementina Sobieska ( pl, Maria Klementyna Sobieska; 18 July 1702 – 18 January 1735) a titular queen of England, Scotland and Ireland by marriage to James Francis Edward Stuart, a Jacobite claimant to the British throne. The granddaughte ...

) Non-fiction *''King James the Last'' (1942) *''Titus Oates'' (1949) *''Puritan, Rake and Squire'' (1950)

References

External links

Jane Lane at Fantastic Fiction
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Jane 20th-century British women writers British women novelists British historical novelists 1905 births 1978 deaths 20th-century British novelists British biographers Women historical novelists Pseudonymous women writers Writers of historical fiction set in antiquity Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period British women biographers 20th-century pseudonymous writers