Constance Dorothy Evelyn Peel (''née'' Bayliff; 27 April 1868 – 7 August 1934) was an English journalist and writer, known for her non-fiction books on cheap

household management Housekeeping is the management and routine support activities of running an organised physical institution occupied or used by people, like a house, ship, hospital or factory, such as tidying, cleaning, cooking, routine maintenance, shopping, ...

and

cookery Cooking, cookery, or culinary arts is the art, science and craft of using heat to Outline of food preparation, prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric ...

. She wrote with the name Mrs. C. S. Peel, taking the name of her husband, Charles Steers Peel. She is sometimes cited as Dorothy Constance Peel. After the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, she worked on behalf of women, sitting on governmental committees.

Early life

Constance Bayliff was born in Ganarew,

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

on 27 April 1868. She was the seventh child of Richard Lane Bayliff, a military captain, and his wife Henrietta . As a young child, Constance Bayliff lived in Wyesham, Monmouthshire, before she moved to

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. She was primarily educated at home and suffered from breathing problems. At seventeen, she moved to Folkestone and had a coming out at a military ball. In her childhood, she spent much time socialising with families much richer than her own; she had actually had a fairly frugal upbringing.

Career and marriage

Bayliff began a career in journalism when she and her family moved to

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

. An older sister was producing illustrations for a periodical called ''The Queen'', and Peel won a competition to write for ''Woman''.

Arnold Bennett Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 – 27 March 1931) was an English author, best known as a novelist. He wrote prolifically: between the 1890s and the 1930s he completed 34 novels, seven volumes of short stories, 13 plays (some in collaboratio ...

, then editor of the periodical, arranged for Peel to receive tutorship from a schoolteacher, and she also learnt from Bennett's editing. In December 1894, Bayliff married electrical engineer Charles Steers Peel, her second cousin, and the couple moved to Dewsbury. After this point, she wrote under the name Mrs. C. S. Peel. The couple had two daughters but lost a third child. Peel's first book, 1898's ''The New Home'', drew upon her experience of starting her household on modest means. Between 1903 and 1906, Peel edited the periodicals ''Hearth and Home'', ''Woman'' and ''Myra's Journal'', and authored a series of cookery books. Peel changed career after losing a child, opening a hat shop with Ethel Kentish, her friend. The shop was successful, and clientele included actress

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry, (27 February 184721 July 1928), was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and tour ...

. However, the business closed down due to Peel's ill health, and in 1913, she returned to writing. Peel became editor of ''The Queen'' and wrote for ''Hearth and Home'' and '' The Lady''. In 1914, she published the first of her four novels, this one called ''The Hat Shop''. Works of non-fiction written in the 1910s included ''Marriage on Small Means'', published in 1914, and ''The Labour Saving House'', published in 1917. During the

, Peel ran a Lambeth-based club for the wives of servicemen, and spoke on behalf of the United Workers' Association and the National War Savings Association. She co-directed, with

Maud Pember Reeves Maud Pember Reeves (24 December 1865 – 13 September 1953) (born Magdalene Stuart Robison) was a suffragist, socialist, feminist, writer and member of the Fabian Society. She spent most of her life in New Zealand and Britain. Early life Re ...

, the women's service of the

Ministry of Food An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

during the voluntary rationing of 1917-8, as well as publicly speaking about economical household food practices. She was editor of the

women's page The women's page (sometimes called home page or women's section) of a newspaper was a section devoted to covering news assumed to be of interest to women. Women's pages started out in the 19th century as society pages and eventually morphed into ...

of ''

The Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publishe ...

'' after being appointed to the post in 1918 by

Lord Northcliffe Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe (15 July 1865 – 14 August 1922), was a British newspaper and publishing magnate. As owner of the ''Daily Mail'' and the ''Daily Mirror'', he was an early developer of popular journal ...

, though she left the position after being diagnosed with

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

in 1920. She was awarded an OBE in 1919. After the war, Peel worked towards the improvement of women's domestic lives, sitting on committees addressing domestic service and working-class housing for the

Ministry of Reconstruction The Ministry of Reconstruction was a department of the United Kingdom government which existed after both World War I and World War II in order to provide for the needs of the population in the post war years. World War I The Ministry of Recons ...

, as well as committees organised by other organisations. She also became vice-president of the British Women Housewives' Association.

Later life and legacy

Peel produced memoirs spanning five volumes. Her autobiography, ''Life's Enchanted Cup: an Autobiography, 1872–1933'' was published in 1933. She died in Kensington, London, on 7 August 1934, due to her myocarditis and

, and was survived by her husband. An article in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' commented on Peel's highly varied career, saying that "her industry was astonishing, for she went down coalmines, inspected prisons, reformatories and factories, examined schools and studied diet for the young, in addition to regular journalism and four novels". The social historian John Burnett called her "the doyenne of writers on domestic economy".

References

External links

*
''A Year in Public Life''
Mrs. C. S. Peel, 1919. Hosted by

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peel, Constance 1868 births 1934 deaths English magazine editors English newspaper editors English food writers 20th-century English novelists English autobiographers English memoirists British women's rights activists Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Herefordshire Deaths from diabetes Women food writers British women memoirists Women newspaper editors English women novelists 20th-century English women writers Women cookbook writers English women non-fiction writers Women magazine editors Women's page journalists