Ada Buisson (26 March 1839 – 27 December 1866) was an English author and novelist remembered today for her ghost stories.

Biography

Ada Buisson was born in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, the third-born child of French-born merchant Jean François (aka 'John Francis') Buisson (1797–1871) and his

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

wife Dorothy Jane ( Smither; 1817–1852). Her eldest sibling was Leontine, who later became a teacher,

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

organiser,

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

and campaigner for women's rights in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

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. Her father was declared bankrupt in 1842, and in about 1850 she and her family moved to

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, where her mother died in 1852. From 1854 to 1855, along with her sisters Leontine and Irma, she studied Moral Philosophy and Natural History at the women-only Bedford College in London. Ada Buisson died in 1866 in

Boulogne-sur-Mer Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...

, aged 27.

Work

During her short lifetime Buisson published one novel, ''Put to the Test'' (1865), published by John Maxwell. The remainder of her work, consisting of a second novel, ''A Terrible Wrong: A Novel'' (1867), published by T. C. Newby, and various short stories were published shortly after her early death. Various of her writings appeared in ''

Belgravia Belgravia () is a Districts of London, district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of both the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' Tudor Period, during the ...

'', a magazine edited by her friend the novelist

Mary Elizabeth Braddon Mary Elizabeth Braddon (4 October 1835 – 4 February 1915) was an English popular novelist of the Victorian era. She is best known for her 1862 sensation novel ''Lady Audley's Secret'', which has also been dramatised and filmed several times. ...

, whom she met through Braddon's husband, Buisson's publisher John Maxwell. Buisson's writings were later mistakenly ascribed to Braddon by

Montague Summers Augustus Montague Summers (10 April 1880 – 10 August 1948) was an English author, clergyman, and teacher. He initially prepared for a career in the Church of England at Oxford and Lichfield, and was ordained as an Anglican deacon in 1908. He ...

, the noted authority on Gothic literature. Buisson's tale "The Ghost's Summons", published posthumously in ''Belgravia'' (January 1868), has been anthologised in collections of ghost stories. A collection of all five of her ghost stories, originally printed in ''Belgravia'', was published in 2022 as ''The Baron's Coffin and Other Disquieting Tales''.

References

External links

"The Ghost's Summons" by Ada Buisson (1868)
''Christmas Ghost Stories: Part 2'' – The Gothic Library. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Buisson, Ada 1839 births 1866 deaths 19th-century English women writers 19th-century English writers Alumni of Bedford College, London English fantasy writers English horror writers English people of French descent English short story writers English women novelists Ghost story writers People from Battersea Victorian novelists Victorian women writers Women horror writers Writers from London