Charlotte Anne Elizabeth Moberly (1846–1937) was an English academic, and first Principal of

St Hugh's College, Oxford St Hugh's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. It is located on a site on St Margaret's Road, to the north of the city centre. It was founded in 1886 by Elizabeth Wordsworth as a women's college, and accepte ...

. Her time-travel book ''An Adventure'', written in 1911 with fellow academic

Eleanor Jourdain Eleanor Frances Jourdain (16 November 1863 – 6 April 1924) was an English academic, Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford, 1915 to 1924. She died of a sudden heart attack after being forced to resign her post. Jourdain rose to fame for claim ...

, became a bestseller.

Family

Born in

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

on 16 September 1846, Moberly was the tenth child in a family of 15. Her father was

George Moberly George Moberly (10 October 1803 – 6 July 1885) was an English cleric who was headmaster of Winchester College, and then served as Bishop of Salisbury from 1869 until his death. Life He was born in St Petersburg, Russia in 1803, the seventh s ...

and her mother was Mary Anne (1812–1890). One of her brothers was Robert Moberly, the first Principal of

St Stephen's House, Oxford St Stephen's House is an Anglican theological college and one of five permanent private halls of the University of Oxford, England. It will cease to be a permanent private hall in 2023. The college has a very small proportion of undergraduate s ...

. Tutored at home by a private teacher and her mother, she also gained basic skills in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. She participated at length in discussions about the

Oxford Movement The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...

with

John Keble John Keble (25 April 1792 – 29 March 1866) was an English Anglican priest and poet who was one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement. Keble College, Oxford, was named after him. Early life Keble was born on 25 April 1792 in Fairford, Glouces ...

, who had baptised her and whose wife was her god-mother.

Career

In 1869, Moberly undertook secretarial duties for her father who had been appointed as

Bishop of Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's seat ...

. She continued in this capacity, with the additional duties of nursing him when his health deteriorated, until he died in 1885.

Elizabeth Wordsworth Dame Elizabeth Wordsworth (1840–1932) was founding Principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford and she funded and founded St Hugh's College. She was also an author, sometimes writing under the name Grant Lloyd. Life Wordsworth was born in 18 ...

established St. Hugh's Hall in 1886 and Moberly was appointed as Principal, where she served until her retirement in 1915. In 1911, under Moberly's leadership, St Hugh's Hall became

. She remained a member of the governing council of the college until her death and was an honorary fellow.

Works

In addition to the collaborative work with Eleanor Jourdain, ''An Adventure'', published under the pseudonyms Elizabeth Morison and Frances Lamont, Moberly published several other works. ''An Adventure'' is a classic ghost story based on a joint experience they had at

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

and became a best-seller which was reprinted in editions in 1913, 1924, 1931, 1955, and 1988. Other works include: * * * * *

References

Citations Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moberly, Charlotte Anne 1846 births 1937 deaths English women writers Principals of St Hugh's College, Oxford