Gillian Honorine Mary Herbert, Baroness Hemingford, (née Bliss; 29 April 1937 – 18 October 2020), known professionally as Jill Paton Walsh, was an English novelist and

children's writer Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

. She may be known best for her

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...

-nominated novel '' Knowledge of Angels'' and for the

Peter Wimsey Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey (later 17th Duke of Denver) is the fictional protagonist in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers (and their continuation by Jill Paton Walsh). A dilettante who solves mysteries for ...

–

Harriet Vane Harriet Deborah Vane, later Lady Peter Wimsey, is a fictional character in the works of British writer Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957). Vane, a mystery writer, initially meets Lord Peter Wimsey while she is on trial for poisoning her lover (' ...

mysteries that continued the work of

Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy Leigh Sayers (; 13 June 1893 – 17 December 1957) was an English crime writer and poet. She was also a student of classical and modern languages. She is best known for her mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between th ...

Personal life

Gillian Honorine Mary Bliss was born on 29 April 1937 to John Bliss, an engineer for the BBC who at his death had 363 patents to his name, and Patricia Paula DuBern, a homemaker. She went with her mother and siblings to live with grandparents in

St. Ives, Cornwall St Ives ( kw, Porth Ia, meaning " St Ia's cove") is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent ...

, when she was three years old because of the

World War II 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 ...

bombings. In 1944, after the grandmother had died, Bliss returned to London to live with her mother and her younger siblings, who had returned to London earlier. Bliss was educated at St. Michael's Convent,

North Finchley North Finchley is a suburb of London in the London Borough of Barnet, situated 7 miles (11 km) north-west of Charing Cross. North Finchley is centred on Tally Ho Corner, the junction of the roads to East Finchley, Church End, Friern Ba ...

, London. She attended St. Anne's College, Oxford, graduating in 1959, and lived in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

. After graduating, Bliss taught English at Enfield County Grammar School for Girls, but left her position in 1962, as she was expecting her first child. The year before, in 1961, she had married Antony Edmund Paton Walsh; they settled in Richmond, south-west London, and had one son and two daughters. In the early 1970s, Jill met

John Rowe Townsend John Rowe Townsend (19 May 1922 – 24 March 2014) was a British children's writer and children's literature scholar. His best-known children's novel is ''The Intruder'', which won a 1971 Edgar Award. His best-known academic work is a reference se ...

and they began an affair. She left her first husband only in 1986, when their youngest daughter turned 18. Antony did not want a divorce because of his Roman Catholic faith. Jill and Townsend were married only in 2004, after Antony's death on 30 December 2003. Townsend died in 2014. In February 2020, she met

Nicholas Herbert, 3rd Baron Hemingford Dennis Nicholas Herbert Herbert, 3rd Baron Hemingford, (25 July 1934 – 17 December 2022), known professionally as Nick Herbert, was a British peer and journalist who collaborated with publications such as ''The Times'' and the ''Cambridge Eve ...

, and they married in September of that year. She died a month later, in October, of

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blood ...

and

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

in hospital at Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

Honours

In 1996, Paton Walsh received the

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for services to literature and was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...

. In 1998, she won the

Phoenix Award The Phoenix Award annually recognizes one English-language children's book published twenty years earlier that did not then win a major literary award. It is named for the mythical bird phoenix that is reborn from its own ashes, signifying the bo ...

from the

Children's Literature Association The Children's Literature Association (ChLA) is a non-profit association, based in the United States, of scholars, critics, professors, students, librarians, teachers, and institutions dedicated to studying children's literature.Margaret W. Denman- ...

, recognising ''A Chance Child'' as the best children's book published twenty years earlier that did not win a major award.

On writing for children

In an essay on realism in children's literature, Paton Walsh stated that realism (like fantasy) is also metaphorical, and that she would like the relationship between the reader and her characters Bill and Julie in ''Fireweed'' to be as metaphorical as that between "dragons and the reader's greed or courage".

Works

'' Knowledge of Angels'' (1993), a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

philosophical novel Philosophical fiction refers to the class of works of fiction which devote a significant portion of their content to the sort of questions normally addressed in philosophy. These might explore any facet of the human condition, including the func ...

, was shortlisted for the 1994

. Other adult novels include: * ''Farewell, Great King'' (1972) * '' Lapsing'' (1986), about Catholic university students * ''A School for Lovers'' (1989), reworking of the plot of

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

's ''

Cosi fan tutte Cosi, COSI or CoSi may refer to: * ''Così'', a 1992 play by Louis Nowra ** ''Cosi'' (film), 1996, based on the play * Così (restaurant), an American fast-casual restaurant chain * Compton Spectrometer and Imager, or COSI, a NASA telescope to be ...

'' * ''The Serpentine Cave'' (1997), based on a lifeboat disaster in St Ives * ''A Desert in Bohemia'' (2000), which follows a group of characters in England and in an imaginary Eastern European country through the years between World War II and 1989

Imogen Quy

Paton Walsh wrote four detective stories that featured part-time college nurse Imogen Quy, and were set in the fictional St. Agatha's College,

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

: * ''The Wyndham Case'' (1993) * ''A Piece of Justice'' (1995) * ''Debts of Dishonour'' (2006) * ''The Bad Quarto'' (2007)

Lord Peter Wimsey

In 1998, she completed

's unfinished

Lord Peter Wimsey Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey (later 17th Duke of Denver) is the fictional protagonist in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers (and their continuation by Jill Paton Walsh). A dilettante who solves mysteries for ...

–

novel, ''

Thrones, Dominations ''Thrones, Dominations'' is a Lord Peter Wimsey– Harriet Vane murder mystery novel that Dorothy L. Sayers began writing but abandoned, and which remained at her death as fragments and notes. It was completed by Jill Paton Walsh and published ...

''. In 2002, she followed this up with another Lord Peter novel, ''

A Presumption of Death ''A Presumption of Death'' is a 2002 Lord Peter Wimsey– Harriet Vane mystery novel by Jill Paton Walsh, based loosely on ''The Wimsey Papers'' by Dorothy L. Sayers. The novel is Walsh's first original Lord Peter Wimsey novel, following ''T ...

''. In 2010, she published a third, ''

The Attenbury Emeralds ''The Attenbury Emeralds'' is the third Lord Peter Wimsey- Harriet Vane detective novel written by Jill Paton Walsh. Featuring characters created by Dorothy L. Sayers, it was written with the co-operation and approval of Sayers' estate. It was ...

''. Her last addition to the series, ''

The Late Scholar ''The Late Scholar'' is the fourth Lord Peter Wimsey- Harriet Vane detective novel written by Jill Paton Walsh. Featuring characters created by Dorothy L. Sayers, it was written with the co-operation and approval of Sayers' estate. It was publ ...

'', was published 5 December 2013 in the UK, and 14 January 2014 in North America. A fifth novel was reportedly incomplete at the time of her death.

Children's books

* '' Hengest's Tale'' (St Martin's Press, 1966), fiction, illustrated by Janet MargrieHengest's tale
Library of Congress Catalog Record. Retrieved 26 August 2013. * ''The Dolphin Crossing'' (1967), adapted for the stage by Ed Viney (2012) * ''Word Hoard: Anglo-Saxon stories'' (1969?), by Paton Walsh and

Kevin Crossley-Holland Kevin John William Crossley-Holland (born 7 February 1941) is an English translator, children's author and poet. His best known work is probably the Arthur trilogy (2000–2003), for which he won the Guardian Prize and other recognition. Cros ...

* ''Fireweed'' (1969) * ''Goldengrove'' (1972) * ''The Dawnstone (1973) Published by Hamish Hamilton * ''Toolmaker'' (1973), picture book illus. Jeroo Roy * ''The Emperor's Winding Sheet'' —

Whitbread Prize The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...

for children's books, 1974 * ''The Butty Boy'' (1975), illus. Juliette Palmer * ''The Huffler'' (1975), illus. Palmer * ''The Island Sunrise: prehistoric Britain'' (1975); US subtitle, —nonfiction * ''Unleaving'' (1976), sequel to ''Goldengrove'' —

Boston Globe–Horn Book Award The Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards are a set of American literary awards conferred by ''The Boston Globe'' and ''The Horn Book Magazine'' annually from 1967. One book is recognized in each of four categories: Fiction and Poetry, Nonfiction, and P ...

for fiction, 1976 * ''Crossing to Salamis'' (1977), picture book illus. David Smee * ''The Walls of Athens'' (1977), picture book illus. Smee * ''A Chance Child'' (1978) * ''Children of the Fox'' (1978), illus. Robin Eaton * ''The Green Book'' (1981), illus. Lloyd Bloom * ''Babylon'' (1982) * ''A Parcel of Patterns'' (1983) * ''Gaffer Samson's Luck'' (1984) —

Smarties Prize Smarties are colour-varied sugar-coated chocolate confectionery. They have been manufactured since 1937, originally by H.I. Rowntree & Company in the United Kingdom, and now by Nestlé. Smarties are oblate spheroids with a minor axis of abo ...

, 1985 * ''Birdy and the Ghosties'' (1989) * ''Grace'' (1991) * ''When Grandma Came'' (1992), picture book illus. by Sophy Williams * ''Thomas and the Tinners'' (1995) — 1995 Carnegie Medal longlist

Bibliography

* With foreword by Jill Paton Walsh.

References

External links

* wit
biography
an

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paton Walsh, Jill 1937 births 2020 deaths English children's writers English mystery writers 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists Hemingford Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature People educated at St. Michael's Catholic Grammar School Alumni of St Anne's College, Oxford Women mystery writers English women novelists 21st-century English women writers 20th-century English women writers Writers from London