Edith Allonby (1 December 1875 – 5 September 1905) was an English writer and teacher. (Her surname was sometimes spelled Allanby or Allenby.) She wrote two novels set on a fictional planet, and died by suicide hoping to bring more attention to her third novel.

Early life

Allonby was born in

Cark Cark (sometimes Cark in Cartmel) is a village in Cumbria, England. It lies on the B5278 road to Haverthwaite (and to the A590 road) and is ½ mile north of Flookburgh, 2 miles southwest of Cartmel and 3 miles west of Grange-over-Sands. It is ...

, the daughter of Joshua Allonby and Jane Deborah Orr Allonby. Her mother died when she was a small child. She studied at

Whitelands College Whitelands College is the oldest of the four constituent colleges of the University of Roehampton. History Whitelands College is one of the oldest higher education institutions in England (predating every university except University of Oxford, ...

Career

Allonby was a teacher and schoolmistress at St. Anne's National School in

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

. She wrote three novels: ''Jewell Sowers'' (1903), ''Marigold'' (1905), and ''The Fulfillment'' (1905). The first two novels, first published anonymously at her own request, are set on a fictional planet named "Lucifram"; "an experiment in fantasy... lightly written, bright, and entertaining", said a London reviewer of ''Jewel Sowers'' in 1904. Her last novel was published posthumously, and was presented as a fantasy inspired by divine revelation. "The passages omitted can only be guessed at. Those left are quite strange enough", commented an Australian reviewer on this final work, adding that Allonby "had a share of genius, and with a sound mind might have gone far".

Death

Committed Murder and Suicide to Advertise their Latest Novels

Frustrated by editors' requests for revisions, and the lack of attention her earlier novels gained, she died by intentionally drinking

carbolic acid Phenol (also known as carbolic acid, phenolic acid, or benzenol) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile and can catch fire. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () bon ...

in 1905, aged 29 years, in Lancaster. She had obtained three bottles of the poison by sending an assistant to buy each bottle saying that it was required for a lesson at the school. Her suicide note, concluding with the statement "I have died to give God's gift to the world with as little stumbling block as possible", was published widely, including in ''The London Standard'' and ''The New York Times''. ''The Fulfilment'' was published, with some editing and annotations, within months of her death. She left 6d each to all 214 students of St. Anne's National School, and the rest of her money to her four sisters, in her will.

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Allonby, Edith 1875 births 1905 deaths British women writers British educators English women novelists People from Lancashire (before 1974) Schoolteachers from Cumbria Suicides by poison British fantasy writers British science fiction writers British women science fiction and fantasy writers 20th-century English novelists