Elizabeth Harcourt Mitchell (15 December 1833 – 16 September 1910) was a British writer whose writing included poetry, novels, and for the periodical press. Her work was praised, including after her death.

Personal life

Mitchell was born in Montagu Square, London, on 15 December 1833, to

John Etherington Welch Rolls John Etherington Welch Rolls (4 May 1807 – 27 May 1870) was a Sheriff of Monmouthshire, art collector, Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the Peace. Rolls was President of, and co-founded the Monmouth Show. Life Rolls was born in 1807, a son of ...

and his wife Elizabeth Mary Long. Her brother John Rolls became Baron Llangattock and a nephew, Charles Stewart Rolls, was co-founder of Rolls-Royce. Her family was known for including wealthy amateur authors. She wrote songs for her father to sing, and she composed

prologue A prologue or prolog (from Ancient Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier st ...

s for his private plays. Mitchell travelled to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

, and more as a passenger of her father's yacht. She learned how to paint landscapes and architecture. Mitchell was part of the Society of Lady Artists. She married Frank Johnstone Mitchell in 1860, and they had two daughters. They lived at Llanfrechfa Grange near Cwmbran; the house is now a hospital. Her husband was Sheriff of Monmouthshire in 1868. Mitchell was a devout Anglican and member of the Anglo-Catholic English Church Union. The Mitchells restored All Saints' Church, Llanfrechfa, and founded St Mary's Church,

Croesyceiliog Croesyceiliog (; ) is a suburb and community of Cwmbran, Torfaen, Wales. Housing Croesyceiliog is primarily a residential district and contains a wide variety of housing from Victorian terraces and even older Welsh cottages to property built ...

, in 1903. She was upset when women were banned from joining

church council A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

s. Women were excluded despite outnumbering male churchgoers in London in any religious denomination. She tried to stop women from being excluded, but she was unable to do so. She was a supporter of

women's suffrage in the United Kingdom A movement to fight for women's right to vote in the United Kingdom finally succeeded through acts of Parliament in 1918 and 1928. It became a national movement in the Victorian era. Women were not explicitly banned from voting in Great Brita ...

and a member of the

Women's Social and Political Union The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom founded in 1903. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and p ...

and its predecessors.

Career

Mitchell's writing included poetry, novels, and for the periodical press. Her fiction was often religious. Her first work was a volume of poems titled ''First Fruits''. She wrote ''A Short Church History'' which was used as a textbook for pupil teachers. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' said that her book ''The Beautiful Face'' has a "strong infusion of religious teaching" and "is a good bit of work in its particular class." In a review of ''Wild Thyme: Verses'', '' The Athenaeum'' said "Mrs. Mitchell is more shallow and finical than Gerda Fay; but her versification is correct, and she also thinks like a clever, pious woman." ''Bookseller and the Stationery Trades' Journal'' wrote that ''A Diamond Ring: A Tale'' "is quite equal to her previous works, and will no doubt secure a considerable circle of readers".

Death

She died at Llanfrechfa Grange on 16 September 1910 and most of the parish attended her funeral. Mitchell's obituary in ''

The Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'', founded by Herbert Ingram and first published on Saturday 14 May 1842, was the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. The magazine was published weekly for most of its existence, switched to a less freq ...

'' described her as "a very accomplished artist" and a "voluminous writer, chiefly on religious subjects".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Elizabeth Harcourt 1833 births 1910 deaths 19th-century Anglicans 20th-century Anglicans British Anglo-Catholics British religious writers British women poets Poets from London Writers from London

Personal life

Career

Death

See also

References