Annie Shepherd Swan,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(8 July 1859 – 17 June 1943) was a Scottish journalist and fiction writer. She wrote mainly under her maiden name, but also as David Lyall and later Mrs Burnett Smith. A writer of

romantic fiction A romance or romantic novel is a genre fiction novel that primarily focuses on the relationship and romantic love between two people, typically with an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Authors who have contributed to the developme ...

for women, she had over 200 novels, serials, stories and other fiction published between 1878 and her death.Sutherland, John. ''The Stanford Companion to Victorian Fiction''. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1990. , pp. 200–201.Anne Varty, ed., ''Eve's Century: A Sourcebook of Writings on Women and Journalism, 1895–1918''. London and New York: Routledge, 2000, p. 254. Carol Anderson and Aileen Christianson, ''Scottish Women's Fiction, 1920s to 1960s: Journeys into Being''. East Linton, Scotland: Tuckwell Press, 2000, p. 165. She has been called "one of the most commercially successful popular novelists of the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries". Swan was politically active in the First World War, and as a

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 vo ...

, a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

activist and founder-member and vice-president of the

Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 61 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, ...

Early life

Swan was born on 8 July 1859 in Mountskip,

Gorebridge Gorebridge is a former Pit village, mining village in Midlothian, Scotland. Gorebridge has an annual Gala Day which always takes place on the 3rd Saturday in June. This is much like a town fair, with rides and games. The gala day has a tradit ...

, Scotland. She was one of the seven children of Edward Swan (died 1893), a farmer and merchant, by his first wife, Euphemia Brown (died 1881). After her father's business failed, she attended school in Edinburgh, latterly at Queen Street Ladies College. Her father belonged to an Evangelical Union congregation, but she turned in adulthood to the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

. She persistently wrote fiction as a teenager.

Writings

Her first publication was ''Wrongs Righted'' (1881), as a serial in ''

The People's Friend ''The People's Friend'' is a British weekly magazine founded by John Leng on 13 January 1869 as an offshoot of '' The People's Journal'' and currently published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. Its tagline is "The famous story magazine". It was ...

''. This periodical she long saw as the mainstay of her career, although she contributed to many others.Lindsay, Maurice. ''History of Scottish Literature''. London: Hale, 1977, p. 348. The novel that made her reputation was ''Aldersyde'' (1883), a romance set in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the we ...

that was favourably reviewed. Swan received an autographed letter of appreciation from

Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...

. Prime Minister

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

wrote to ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...

'' that he thought it "beautiful as a work of art" for its "truly living sketches of Scottish character". Later successes such as ''The Gates of Eden'' (1887) and ''Maitland of Lauriston'' (1891) owed a debt to the fiction of

Margaret Oliphant Margaret Oliphant Wilson Oliphant (born Margaret Oliphant Wilson; 4 April 1828 – 20 June 1897) was a Scottish novelist and historical writer, who usually wrote as Mrs. Oliphant. Her fictional works cover "domestic realism, the historical nov ...

, who was among her critics, accusing Swan's novels of presenting a stereotypical, unrealistic depiction of Scotland. In a review of ''Carlowrie'' (1884), Oliphant went so far as to say Swan "presented an entirely distorted view of Scottish life." Because of her dominance over ''Women at Home'', editor-in-chief W. R. Nicoll often called it ''Annie Swan's Magazine''. She became editor of the magazine from 1893 to 1917. While writing for the ''British Weekly'', she became acquainted with

S. R. Crockett Samuel Rutherford Crockett (24 September 1859 – 16 April 1914), who published under the name "S. R. Crockett", was a Scottish novelist. Life and work He was born at Balmaghie, Little Duchrae, Balmaghie, Kirkcudbrightshire, Galloway, on 24 S ...

and

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

, whose work like hers was given the unflattering epithet kailyard, an allusion to its parochialism and sentimentality. By 1898, Swan had published over 30 books, mainly novels, many published serially. She also wrote poetry, stories and books on advice, politics and religion. In 1901, ''The Juridical Review'' reported that Swan's books were the most favoured by female inmates in Irish prisons. In 1906, she was profiled in Helen Black's ''Notable Women Authors of the Day''. She is named as the favourite novelist of William Morel's sweetheart Lily in

D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, literary critic, travel writer, essayist, and painter. His modernist works reflect on modernity, social alienation ...

's ''

Sons and Lovers ''Sons and Lovers'' is a 1913 novel by the English writer D. H. Lawrence. It traces emotional conflicts through the protagonist, Paul Morel, and his suffocating relationships with a demanding mother and two very different lovers, which exert ...

'' (1913). Swan used her maiden name for most of her career, but occasionally the pseudonyms David Lyall and later Mrs Burnett Smith. She was a respected

public speaker Public speaking, is the practice of delivering speeches to a live audience. Throughout history, public speaking has held significant cultural, religious, and political importance, emphasizing the necessity of effective rhetorical skills. It all ...

involved in social and political causes such as the

Temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

. She wrote books and novels on the suffragist movement in Britain, often as ''David Lyall'', such as ''Margaret Holroyd: or, the Pioneers'' (1910). The novel used interconnecting stories that followed a young suffragette, Margaret Holroyd, and dealt with many real problems faced by suffragettes and suffragists, such as disapproval of family and friends, fear of public speaking, physical exhaustion and ethical dilemmas in a rebellious, sometimes militant atmosphere. She was involved in the Women's Suffrage movement herself, and was arrested during a window smashing raid in London, alongside a number of other Scottish women. Group_photograph_of_Suffragettes_at_Bazaar_in_Glasgow_in_1910

Group_photograph_of_Suffragettes_at_Bazaar_in_Glasgow_in_1910

From 1924 Swan ran another penny weekly, ''The Annie Swan Annual''. She also wrote several popular novels at this time including ''The Last of the Laidlaws'' (1920), ''Closed Doors'' (1926) and ''The Pendulum'' (1926). After her husband's death in 1927, Swan returned to Scotland, settling in

Gullane Gullane ( or ) is a town on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth in East Lothian on the east coast of Scotland. There has been a church in the village since the ninth century. The ruins of the Old Church of St. Andrew built in the twel ...

East Lothian East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In ...

. In 1930, she received a

for her contribution to literature. She remained in politics, becoming a founding member of the

and its vice president.

Personal life

Swan married the schoolteacher James Burnett Smith (1857–1927) in 1883. They lived initially at Star of Markinch,

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

, where she befriended the Scottish theologian Robert Flint and his sister. They moved two years later to

Morningside, Edinburgh Morningside is a district and former village in the south of Edinburgh, Scotland. It lies alongside the main arterial Morningside Road, part of an ancient route from Edinburgh to the south west of Scotland. The original village served several ...

, where Burnett Smith became a medical student, and in 1893 to London, where their two children, Effie (1893–1973) and Eddie (born 1896), were born. While in London they became friends and neighbours with the writer

Beatrice Harraden Beatrice Harraden (24 January 1864 – 5 May 1936) was a British writer and suffragette. Life Harraden was born in Hampstead, London on 24 January 1864, to parents Samuel Harraden, a Cambridge-educated businessman who exported musical instrume ...

and with Joseph and Emma Parker at a later date in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

. The family moved to

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a Ford (crossing), ford on ...

in 1908, where her son Eddie died in a shooting accident in September 1910. Swan's autobiography ''My Life'' appeared in 1934 and was reprinted six times within a year. Her final published work was an article for ''Homes and Gardens'', "Testament of Age", in March 1943. She died of heart disease three months later at her home in Gullane, on 17 June 1943. A collection of her personal correspondence, ''The Letters of Annie S. Swan'' (1945) edited by Mildred Robertson Nicoll appeared two years later.

Public life

During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Swan resigned her editorial position and volunteered for the British war effort. She went to France on a morale-boosting tour and also worked with Belgian refugees. Swan visited the United States in January 1918 and again after the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

at the end of the year. There she met

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

, then head of the U.S. Food Administration and lectured on the need to conserve food on the American home front and informed the American public of Britain's wartime contributions. Two successful plays, ''Getting Together'' by

John Hay Beith Major (Honorary Major General) John Hay Beith, CBE MC (17 April 1876 – 22 September 1952), was a British schoolmaster and soldier, but is best remembered as a novelist, playwright, essayist, and historian who wrote under the pen name Ian ...

and ''The Better 'Ole'' by

Bruce Bairnsfather Captain Charles Bruce Bairnsfather (9 July 188729 September 1959) was a prominent British humour, humorist and cartoonist. His best-known cartoon character is Old Bill (comics), Old Bill. Bill and his pals Bert and Alf featured in Bairnsfather's ...

, were written for the occasion. While in the United States, she also wrote a book on the cultural differences between women in Britain and the United States entitled: ''As Others See Her: An Englishwoman's Impressions of the American Woman in War Time'' (1919). Swan was an active

throughout her life and became a well-known

. Shortly after the

Representation of the People Act 1918 The Representation of the People Act 1918 ( 7 & 8 Geo. 5. c. 64) was an act of Parliament passed to reform the electoral system in Great Britain and Ireland. It is sometimes known as the Fourth Reform Act. The act extended the franchise in pa ...

gave women the vote in Britain, she was the first female candidate, standing unsuccessfully for the Maryhill division of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

in the general election of 1922. Of 32 female candidates across Britain in that general election, only two were returned. After her defeat, the

Women's Freedom League The Women's Freedom League was an organisation in the United Kingdom from 1907 to 1961 which campaigned for women's suffrage, pacifism and sexual equality. It was founded by former members of the Women's Social and Political Union after the Pa ...

claimed that Swan and other female candidates would have been elected under a system of

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...

like those in Ireland, Netherlands and Germany. She was also a founding member and one-time vice president of the

.Christopher Harvie, ''No Gods and Precious Few Heroes: Twentieth-century Scotland''. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1998, p. 124. Jack Brand, ''The National Movement in Scotland''. London, Henley and Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1978, p. 236.

Later life

Swan's husband died in 1927 and she and her daughter moved to

. She was made a

in the

1930 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1930 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King. The ...

for literary and public services. She died at her home in Gullane on 17 June 1943, aged 83.

Posthumous reputation

In the years since her death, there has been little study of her life or work by literary historians. Articles such as Edmond Gardiner's "Annie S. Swan - Forerunner of Modern Popular Fiction" (1974) and Charlotte Reid's "A Cursory of Inspection to Annie S. Swan" (1990) point to her literary contributions. Several of her novels have reappeared.

References

External links

* *
Papers of and relating to Annie S. Swan
at University of Aberdeen * *
Annie S. Swan
at The Orlando Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Swan, Annie Shepherd 1859 births 1943 deaths 19th-century Scottish novelists 19th-century Scottish short story writers 19th-century Scottish journalists 19th-century Scottish poets 19th-century pseudonymous writers 20th-century Scottish autobiographers 20th-century Scottish journalists 20th-century Scottish non-fiction writers 20th-century Scottish novelists 20th-century Scottish poets 20th-century Scottish short story writers British women romantic fiction writers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Kailyard school People associated with Fife People from East Lothian People from Hampstead People from Midlothian Pseudonymous women writers Scottish Liberal Party parliamentary candidates Scottish National Party politicians Scottish political writers Scottish religious writers Scottish romantic fiction writers Scottish suffragists Scottish women autobiographers Scottish women non-fiction writers Scottish women novelists Scottish women journalists Scottish women poets Scottish women short story writers Victorian novelists Victorian poets Victorian short story writers Victorian women writers Writers from the London Borough of Camden