Caitlin Davies (born 6 March 1964) is an English author, journalist and teacher. Her parents are

Hunter Davies Edward Hunter Davies (born 7 January 1936) is a British author, journalist and broadcaster. His books include the only authorised biography of the Beatles. Early life Davies was born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, to Scottish parents. For four y ...

and Margaret Forster, both well-known writers.BBC: Author Margaret Forster dies from cancer aged 77
(accessed 8 February 2016) Hunter Davies wrote regularly about Caitlin and her brother Jake and sister Flora in a weekly ''Punch'' magazine column which ran in the 1970s, giving a broad insight into their upbringing. In her youth she was also frequently referred to by

Auberon Waugh Auberon Alexander Waugh (17 November 1939 – 16 January 2001) was an English journalist and novelist, and eldest son of the novelist Evelyn Waugh. He was widely known by his nickname "Bron". After a traditional classical education at Downsid ...

in his ''

Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satirical and current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely recognised for its prominent critici ...

'' diary. Davies was associated with

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kal ...

since 1990 when she met her husband, the former Botswana MP Ronald Ridge, while studying for a Master's degree in English at

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research universities in th ...

, USA. Relocating to Botswana and working as a teacher, and then a freelance journalist, she wrote for Botswana's first tabloid newspaper ''The Voice'' and then as editor of ''The Okavango Newspaper''. She was twice arrested as a journalist, once for "causing fear and alarm", and acquitted. In 2000, she received an award from the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) "in recognition for consistent and outstanding journalistic work". While living in Botswana, Davies wrote the novel ''Jamestown Blues'' and the historical work ''The Return of El Negro''. The victim of a brutal assault and rape, she was active in research concerning

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partn ...

in Botswana and a founder member of Women Against Rape (WAR) in Maun. Davies returned to England with her daughter after divorcing her husband and published a memoir about her experiences, called ''Place of Reeds''. For several years she wrote education and careers features for ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

''.Davies is the author of six novels; ''Jamestown Blues'' (1996), ''Black Mulberries'' (2008), ''Friends Like Us'' (2009), ''The Ghost of Lily Painter'' (2011). Davies wrote an illustrated non-fiction book on the bathing ponds and lido on

Hampstead Heath Hampstead Heath (locally known simply as the Heath) is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band ...

, ''Taking the Waters: a swim around Hampstead Heath'', and a social history of

Camden Lock Camden Lock is a small part of Camden Town, London Borough of Camden, England, which was formerly a wharf with stables on the Regent's Canal. It is immediately to the north of Hampstead Road Locks, a twin manually operated lock. The twin loc ...

(2013). Her work has appeared in ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'', ''The Telegraph'', ''

The Mail on Sunday ''The Mail on Sunday'' is a British conservative newspaper, published in a tabloid format. It is the biggest-selling Sunday newspaper in the UK and was launched in 1982 by Lord Rothermere. Its sister paper, the ''Daily Mail'', was first pub ...

'', ''Town and Country'' and ''Tate Etc.''. In 2015, Davies' non-fiction book ''Downstream: a history and celebration of swimming the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

'' was published. It was described by ''The Independent'' as "a fascinating cultural history". It resulted in a three-week Thames swimming showcase at the

Museum of London The Museum of London is a museum in London, covering the history of the UK's capital city from prehistoric to modern times. It was formed in 1976 by amalgamating collections previously held by the City Corporation at the Guildhall Museum (fou ...

. Davies' non-fiction book, ''Bad Girls'', is a history of Holloway Prison in north London, once the largest women's prison in Western Europe. ''Bad Girls'' was longlisted for the

Orwell Prize The Orwell Prize, based at University College London, is a British prize for political writing. The Prize is awarded by The Orwell Foundation, an independent charity (Registered Charity No 1161563, formerly "The Orwell Prize") governed by a boa ...

for Political Writing 2019. Davies' latest book is ''Queens of the Underworld: a journey into the lives of female crooks'', published in October 2021. She received a grant from The Author's Foundation, administered by the

Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and ass ...

, to research the book. She is currently researching a history of female private eyes, to be published by The History Press in 2023. From 2014 to 2017, Davies worked as a

Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its long ...

Fellow at the

University of Westminster The University of Westminster is a public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first polytechnic to open in London. The Polytechnic formally received a Royal charter in Aug ...

. She worked as an RLF Fellow at the

Victoria & Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

and the Science Museum from 2019-2020.

Bibliography

*''Jamestown Blues''. London; New York: Penguin, 1996. *''The Return of El Negro: the compelling story of Africa's unknown soldier''. Penguin Books (South Africa), 2003. Thorold's Africana Books istributor*''Summer Magic''. London: Bloomsbury, 2003. (short story contributor) *''Place of Reeds''. London: Simon & Schuster, 2005. *''Black Mulberries''. London: Pocket, 2008. *''Friends like us''. London: Pocket, 2009. *''Grandparents''. London: Ebury, 2009. (short story contributor) *''The Ghost of Lily Painter''. London: Hutchinson, 2011. London : Windmill, 2012. *''Taking the Waters: a Swim around Hampstead Heath''. London: Frances Lincoln, 2012. *''Camden Lock and the Market''. London: Frances Lincoln, 2013 *''Family Likeness''. London: Hutchinson, 2013. London: Windmill, 2014, inspired in part by the life of

Dido Elizabeth Belle Dido Elizabeth Belle (June 1761 – July 1804) was a British heiress and a member of the Lindsay family of Evelix. She was born into slavery and illegitimate; her mother, Maria Belle, was an enslaved African woman in the British West Indies. He ...

. *''Downstream: a history and celebration of swimming the River Thames''. London: Aurum, 2015. *''Bad Girls: a History of Rebels and Renegades''. London: John Murray, March 2018. *''Daisy Belle: Swimming Champion of the World''. London: Unbound, September 2018. *''Botswana Women Write''. South Africa: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, January 2020. *''Queens of the Underworld''. London: The History Press, October 2021.

References

External links

www.caitlindavies.co.uk Author's website

Museum of London blog

Profile at the National Portrait Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Caitlin English women novelists English memoirists Clark University alumni 1964 births Living people Botswana journalists Botswana women journalists British women memoirists Botswana women writers 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists 20th-century English women writers 21st-century English women writers Botswana novelists English women non-fiction writers