Emily Sarah Holt (1836–1893) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

ist. She was born at Stubbylee,

Bacup Bacup ( , ) is a town in the Rossendale Borough in Lancashire, England, in the South Pennines close to Lancashire's boundaries with West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. The town is in the Rossendale Valley and the upper Irwell Valley, ea ...

, in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...

, 25 April 1836. She was the eldest daughter of John Holt whose wife Judith was the 3rd daughter of James Mason of Greens (who was JP for Lancashire and the

West Riding The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

). It is said she was educated at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

. In late 1893 when at

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa wate ...

, she became ill and went to her brother in

Balham Balham () is an area in south London, England, mostly within the London Borough of Wandsworth with small parts within the neighbouring London Borough of Lambeth. The area has been settled since Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as ...

(London), where she died on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

. She was buried in the Church of St Saviour's, Bacup, where there is a memorial. Holt had written over fifty books, mainly for children. Most of Holt's work can be classified as

historical novels Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

(52 are listed in the BML catalogue). Holt's work has a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

religious theme.

Works

Novels unless otherwise stated *''Memoirs Of Royal Ladies'' 2 volumes 1861 *''Mistress Margery'' 1868 *''Ashcliffe Hall'' 1870 *''Sister Rose'' 1870 *''Isoult Barry Of Wynscote, Her Diurnal Book'' 1871 *''Robin Tremayne'' 1872 *''The Well In The Desert'' 1872 *''Verena non-fiction'' 1873 *''The White Rose Of Langley'' 1875 *''Clare Avery'' 1876 *''Imogen'' 1876 *''For The Master's Sake'' 1877 *''Lettice Eden'' 1877 *''Margery's Son'' 1878 *''Lady Sybil's Choice'' 1879 *''Earl Hubert's Daughter'' 1880 *''The Maidens' Lodge'' 1880 *''Joyce Morrell's Harvest'' 1881 *''At Ye Grene Griffin'' 1882 *''Red And White'' 1882 *''Stephen Mainwaring's Wooing, With Other Fireside Tales,'' (w others) (short stories) ''1882'' *''Not For Him 1883'' *''The Way Of The Cross,'' (short stories) ''1883'' *''John De Wycliffe, The First Of The Reformers,'' biography ''1884'' *''Ye Olden Time,'' non-fiction 1884 *''The Lord Mayor'' 1884 *''Wearyholme'' 1884 *''The Lord Of The Marches'' 1884 *''A Tangled Web'' 1885 *'''Feed My Sheep non-fiction 1886 *''In All Time Of Our Tribulation,'' fiction 1887 *''All For The Best'' 1887 *''The Slave Girl Of Pompeii'' 1887 *''Our Little Lady'' 1887 *''Out In The Forty-Five'' 1888 *''In Convent Walls'' 1888 *''King And Priest,'' non-fiction 1888 *''The Pulpit And The Pews,'' non-fiction 1888 *''A Talk With The Vicar,'' non-fiction 1888 *''The King's Daughters'' 1888 *''It Might Have Been'' 1889 *''Minster Lovel'' 1890 *''Behind The Veil'' 1890 *''The White Lady Of Hazelwood'' 1891 *''Countess Maud'' 1892 *''One Snowy Night'' 1893 *''The Harvest Of Yesterday'' 1893 *''Princess Adelaide'' 1893 *''All's Well'' 1893 *''The Priest On His Throne, And The Priests At Their Altars,'' essays 1894 *''Through The Storm'' 1895 *''The Gold That Glitters'' 1896 *''Lights In The Darkness biography'' 1896

External links

* * *
Evangelical historiography: a Victorian popular example
Emily Sarah Holt at The Little Professor on Victorian Literature. Accessed January 2008

at Athlstane on line publishers. Accessed January 2008
Reviving the reformation: Victorian women writers and the protestant historical novel
Author: Burstein, Miriam, Women's Writing, Volume 12, Number 1, March 2005, pp. 73–84(12). Publisher: Routledge {{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, Emily Sarah 1836 births 1893 deaths 19th-century English novelists 19th-century English women writers English women novelists People from Bacup English historical novelists Women historical novelists