Doris Leslie (née Oppenheim, later Lady Fergusson Hannay) (9 March 1891 – 30 May 1982), was a British novelist and historical biographer. Her novel ''Peridot Flight'' (1956) was serialised in 10 episodes by

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

TV in October–December 1960. A number of her books had dust jackets with illustrated designs by period artists such as Philip Gough and

Arthur Barbosa Artur Ernesto Teixeira de Vasconcelos Barbosa (6 March 1908 – 5 October 1995) was an artist best known for his distinctive cover illustrations for Georgette Heyer and George MacDonald Fraser's ''The Flashman Papers'' novels, which he produced ...

. She was married three times: in 1914 to John Leslie Isaacson (1889–1919); in 1930 to Reginald Vincent Cookes (1894–1948); and in 1936 to Walter Fergusson Leisrink Hannay, who was knighted in 1951 and died in 1961.

Works

*''The Starling'' (1927) *''Fools in Mortar'' (1928) *''The Echoing Green'' (1929) *''Terminus'' (1931) *''Puppets Parade'' (1932) *''Full Flavour'' (1934) *''Fair Company'' (1936) *''Concord in Jeopardy'' (1938) *''Another Cynthia: The Adventures of Cynthia, Lady Ffulkes (1780-1850), reconstructed from her hitherto unpublished memoirs'' (1939) *''Royal William: the Story of a Democrat'' (1940); life of

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

*''House in the Dust'' (1942) *''Polonaise'' (1942); a romance of Chopin *''Folly's End'' (1944) *''The Peverills'' (1946) *''Wreath for Arabella'' (1948); life of Lady Arabella Stuart *''That Enchantress'' (1950); life of

Abigail Hill Abigail Masham, Baroness Masham (née Hill; 6 December 1734), was an English courtier. She was a favourite of Queen Anne, and a cousin of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough. Life Early life Abigail Hill was the daughter of Francis Hill, a London m ...

, Lady Marsham *''The Great Corinthian'' (1952); portrait of

the Prince Regent George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

*''A Toast to Lady Mary'' (1954); life of

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (née Pierrepont; 15 May 168921 August 1762) was an English aristocrat, medical pioneer, writer, and poet. Born in 1689, Lady Mary spent her early life in England. In 1712, Lady Mary married Edward Wortley Montagu, ...

*''Peridot Flight: a novel reconstructed from the memoirs of Peridot, Lady Mulvarnie 1872-1955'' (1956) *''Tales of Grace and Favour'' (comprising Another Cynthia, Folly's End, & The Peverills) (1956) *''As the Tree Falls''(1958); later published as ''The King's Traitor'' (1971), based on the life of King

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

*''The Perfect Wife'' (1960); based on the life of

Mary Anne Disraeli Mary Anne Disraeli, 1st Viscountess Beaconsfield (; 11 November 1792 – 15 December 1872) was a British peeress and society figure who was the wife of the British statesman Benjamin Disraeli. Biography Born in Brampford Speke, near Exeter ...

*''I Return: The Story of

François Villon François Villon (; Modern French: ; ; – after 1463) is the best known French poet of the Late Middle Ages. He was involved in criminal behavior and had multiple encounters with law enforcement authorities. Villon wrote about some of these e ...

'' (1962) *''This for Caroline'' (1964); about

Lady Caroline Lamb Lady Caroline Lamb (née Ponsonby; 13 November 1785 – 25 January 1828) was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat and novelist, best known for '' Glenarvon'', a Gothic novel. In 1812, she had an affair with Lord Byron, whom she described as "mad, bad, a ...

*''Paragon Street'' (1965) *''The Sceptre and the Rose'' (1967); life of Charles II and

Catherine of Braganza Catherine of Braganza (; 25 November 1638 – 31 December 1705) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland during her marriage to Charles II of England, King Charles II, which la ...

*''The Marriage of Martha Todd'' (1968) *''House in the Dust'' (1969) *''The Rebel Princess'' (1970); about

Sophia Dorothea of Celle Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle (15 September 1666 – 13 November 1726) was the repudiated wife of future King George I of Great Britain. The union with George, her first cousin, was a marriage of state, arranged by her father Georg ...

*''A Young Wives' Tale'' (1971) *''The Desert Queen'' (1972); about

Lady Hester Stanhope Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope (12 March 1776 – 23 June 1839) was a British adventurer, writer, antiquarian, and one of the most famous travellers of her age. Her excavation of Ascalon in 1815 is considered the first to use modern Archaeology ...

*''Dragon's Head'' (1973) *''The Incredible Duchess'' (1974); life and times of

Elizabeth Chudleigh Elizabeth Pierrepont (née Chudleigh), Duchess of Kingston (8 March 172126 August 1788), sometimes called Countess of Bristol, was an English courtier and courtesan, known by her contemporaries for her adventurous life style. She was the daught ...

*''Call Back Yesterday'' (1975) *''Notorious Lady'' (1976); life and times of the

Countess of Blessington Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington (née Power; 1 September 1789 – 4 June 1849), was an Irish novelist, journalist, and literary hostess.''The Feminist Companion to Literature in English'', eds Virginia Blain, Patricia Clements and ...

*''The Warrior King'' (1977); the reign of

Richard the Lionheart Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

*''Crown of Thorns'' (1979); life and reign of

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

References

1891 births 1982 deaths British historical novelists 20th-century British novelists 20th-century British women writers American women historical novelists American historical novelists British women novelists {{UK-novelist-stub