Ellen Buckingham Mathews (26 August 1849 – 10 March 1920) was a popular English novelist during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was also known as Mrs Reeves after her marriage in 1877 to Dr. Henry Albert Reeves (1841–1914) but was best known under her pen name, Helen Mathers.

Biography

She was born in Misterton,

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, to Thomas Mathews, a

horsehair Horsehair is the long hair growing on the Mane (horse), manes and Tail (horse), tails of horses. It is used for various purposes, including upholstery, brushes, the Bow (music), bows of musical instruments, a hard-wearing Textile, fabric called ...

manufacturer, and Maria Ann Mathews.''1871 England Census'' Her first novel, ''Comin' thro' the Rye'' was published in 1875. It was partly based on people in her life and on her own early romantic experiences. She also acknowledged

Rhoda Broughton Rhoda Broughton (29 November 1840 – 5 June 1920) was a Welsh literature in English, Welsh novelist and short story writer.Robert Hadji, "Rhoda Broughton" in Jack Sullivan (literary scholar), Jack Sullivan (ed) (1986) ''The Penguin Encyclopedia ...

as an early influence. She continued to write until her death. She was educated at a

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

in Chantry near

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills and on the River Frome, south of Bath. The population of the parish was 28,559 in 2021. Frome was one of the largest tow ...

in Somerset. In her first novel, ''Comin' thro' the Rye'', she describes some of her experiences at school. ''Mr Russell'' in the novel was the Rev. Mr. Fussell in real life, who was the Lord of the manor and founder of the school. In the novel she calls the village Charteris. From 1875 to 1895, the novel sold more than 35,000 copies. Due to a confusion of titles, some sources attribute a number of books by Scottish novelist Anne S. Swan to Mathers. Mathers published a short novel entitled ''Land o' the Leal, by the Author of Comin' Thro' the Rye''" in 1878. She died in

Brondesbury Brondesbury (), which includes Brondesbury Park, is an area of Kilburn in the London Boroughs of Brent and Camden, in north London, England. The area is traditionally part of the ancient parish and subsequent municipal borough of Willesden, o ...

in 1920.

Bibliography

*''Comin’ Thro' the Rye'', 1875 *''The Token of the Silver Lily'', 1877. Poetry *'' Cherry Ripe!: A Romance'', 1878 *''Land o' the Leal'', 1878 *''As He Comes up the Stair'', 1878 *''My Lady Greensleeves'', 1879 *''Story of a Sin'', 1882 *''Eyre's Acquittal'', 1883 *''Sam's Sweetheart'', 1883 *''Jock o' Hazelgreen'', 1884 (also contains ''The Land o' the Leal'' and other stories) *''Found Out: A Story'', 1885 *''Murder or Manslaughter'', 1885 *''The Fashion of this World'', 1886 *''Blind Justice'', 1890 *''The Mystery of No 13'', 1891 *''My Jo, John: A Novel'', 1891 *''T'other Dear Charmer'', 1892 *''

The Fate of Fenella ''The Fate of Fenella'' was an experiment in consecutive novel writing inspired by J. S. Wood and published in his magazine ''The Gentlewoman'' in twenty-four parts between 1891 and 1892. When first published in book form its title was ''The Fat ...

'', 1892. Mathers contributed one chapter to this multi-author novel. *''A Study of a Woman'', 1893 *''What the Glass Told'', 1893 *''A Man of Today'', 1894 *''The Lovely Malincourt: A Novel'', 1895 *''The Rebel'', 1896 *''The Juggler and the Soul'', 1896 *''The Sin of Hagar'', 1896 *''Bam Wildfire: A Character Sketch'', 1898 *''Becky'', 1900 *''Cinders: A Novel'', 1901 *''Honey'', 1902 *''Venus Victrix (What the Glass Told; The Mystery of No. 13; What the Glass Told; My Jo, John)'', 1902 *''Dahlia and Other Stories'', 1903 *''Dimples'', 1903 *''Griff of Griffithscourt'', 1903 *''The Face in the Mirror and Other Stories'', 1903 *''The New Lady Teazle and other stories'', 1903 *''Side-shows'', 1904 *''The Ferryman'', 1905 *''Tally, Ho!'', 1906 *''Pigskin and Petticoat'', 1907 *''The Pirouette and Other Stories'' (2nd edition, 1907) *''Gay Lawless'', 1908 *''Love the Thief'', 1909 *''Man is Fire, Woman is Tow and Other Stories'', 1912

References

Sources

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mathers, Helen 1849 births 1920 deaths English women novelists 19th-century English novelists Victorian novelists Victorian women writers 19th-century English women writers 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English novelists Writers from Somerset Pseudonymous women writers 19th-century pseudonymous writers 19th-century English short story writers 20th-century English short story writers Victorian short story writers English magazine editors English women magazine editors