Lucy Bethia (Colquhoun) Walford (17 April 1845 – 11 May 1915) was a Scottish novelist and artist, who wrote 45 books, the majority of them "light-hearted domestic comedies". Accurate writing was a big consideration for her.

Life

Walford was born Lucy Bethia Colquhoun on 17 April 1845 at

Portobello Portobello, Porto Bello, Porto Belo, Portabello, or Portabella may refer to: Places Brazil * Porto Belo Ireland * Portobello, Dublin * Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin formerly ''Portobello Barracks'' New Zealand * Portobello, New Zealand, on Ot ...

, a seaside resort then outside

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

, the seventh child of Frances Sarah Fuller Maitland (1813–1877), a poet and hymn writer and John Colquhoun (1805–1885) of

Luss Luss (''Lus'', 'herb' in Gaelic) is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, on the west bank of Loch Lomond. The village is within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. History Historically in the County of Dunbarton, its origina ...

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, author of ''The Moor and the Loch''. Her paternal grandmother, Janet Colquhoun (1781–1846), was a religious writer, and her aunt, Catherine Sinclair (1800–1864) was a prolific novelist and children's writer.ODNB entry. A bubble by L

Walford was educated privately by German governesses. Her reading included works by

Charlotte Mary Yonge Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823–1901) was an English novelist, who wrote in the service of the church. Her abundant books helped to spread the influence of the Oxford Movement and show her keen interest in matters of public health and sanitation. ...

and Susan Ferrier, and in later years Jane Austen. The family moved to Edinburgh in 1855, where guests included the artist Noël Paton, who encouraged her to take up painting. In 1868 and several succeeding years she exhibited at the annual exhibition of the Royal Scottish Academy. Her first short piece of writing appeared in the ''

Sunday Magazine A Sunday magazine is a publication inserted into a Sunday newspaper. It also has been known as a Sunday supplement, Sunday newspaper magazine or Sunday magazine section. Traditionally, the articles in these magazines cover a wide range of subject ...

'' in May 1869. On 23 June 1869 she married Alfred Saunders Walford (died 1907), a magistrate of Ilford,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

, and they moved to London. They had five daughters and two sons. Their children were said to be "never put aside for her work" and "constantly with their mother".Black, ''Notable women authors'', 1906, p. 26 ff. She died on 11 May 1915 at her home in Pimlico, London.

Works

When writing, Walford sought to be as accurate as possible. Her brothers were approached to answer questions she had on military life. Her father was an expert on sports. The protagonist of her first novel, ''Mr. Smith: a Part of his Life'' (1874) was taken from an actual man named Smith who was found dead, as described in her novel. It pleased

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

and led to her being received at court. It was also admired by

Coventry Patmore Coventry Kersey Dighton Patmore (23 July 1823 – 26 November 1896) was an English poet and literary critic. He is best known for his book of poetry '' The Angel in the House'', a narrative poem about the Victorian ideal of a happy marriage. ...

. By the age of 65 Walford had written 45 full-length novels, including ''Pauline'' (1877), ''The Baby's Grandmother'' (1884), ''Stiff Necked Generation'' (1889), and ''The Havoc of a Smile'' (1890). She also wrote for London journals. Her last novel, ''David and Jonathan on the Riviera'', appeared in 1914.ODNB entry; Krugman, Andrew

A Scottish Novelist; Mrs. L. B. Walford's "Recollections of a Lifetime of Sixty-five Years" (''New York Times'', 19 February 1911).

Partial bibliography

Fiction: *''Mr. Smith: A Part of His Life'' (187

*''Nan and Other Tales'' (1875) *''Pauline'' (187

*''Cousins'' (187

*''Troublesome Daughters'' (1880) *''Dick Netherby'' (188

*''The Baby's Grandmother'' (188

*''The History of a Week'' (1886) *''A Stiff-Necked Generation'' (188

*''Her Great Idea'' (188

*''A Mere Child'' (188

*''A Sage of Sixteen'' (188

*''Havoc of a Smile'' (1890) *''The Mischief of Monica'' (189

*''The One Good Guest'' (189

*''For Grown-up Children'' (1892) *''The Matchmaker'' (189

*''A Question of Penmanship'' (1893) *''Ploughed'' (189

*''A Bubble'' (189

*''Frederick'' (189

*''Successors to the Title'' (189

*''Iva Kildare'' (189

*''Leddy Marget'' (189

*''The Intruders'' (1898) *''The Archdeacon'' (189

*''Sir Patrick the Puddock'' (1900) *''A Little Legacy and Other Stories'' (190

*''One of Ourselves'' (1900) *''Charlotte'' (1902) *''A Dream's Fulfilment'' (1902) *''David and Jonathan on the Riviera'' (1914) Non-fiction *''Twelve English Authoresses'' (189

*
Recollections of a Scottish Novelist
' (London, Williams and Norgate, 1910) *
Memories of Victorian London
' (London, E. Arnold, 1912)

References

External links

Emory Women Writers Resource ProjectVictorian Fiction OnlineWorldcat Results
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Walford, Lucy Bethia 1845 births 1915 deaths Victorian women writers Victorian writers 20th-century British women writers 19th-century British novelists 20th-century British novelists 19th-century Scottish writers Scottish women novelists Scottish autobiographers People from Portobello, Edinburgh 19th-century British women writers 19th-century British writers Writers from Edinburgh

Life

Works

Partial bibliography

References

Further reading

External links