Jane Lane (27 May 1905– 6 January 1978) was the pen name of Elaine Kidner Dakers, an English novelist and

biographer Biographers are authors who write an account of another person's life, while autobiographers are authors who write their own biography. Biographers Countries of working life: Ab=Arabia, AG=Ancient Greece, Al=Australia, Am=Armenian, AR=Ancient Rome ...

. Her best-known books are historical novels set in the 17th and 18th century.

Biography

Jane Lane was born on 27 May 1905 in

Ruislip Ruislip ( ) is a suburb in the London Borough of Hillingdon in northwest London. Prior to 1965 it was in Middlesex. Ruislip lies west-north-west of Charing Cross, London. The manor of Ruislip appears in the Domesday Book, and some of the ear ...

, Middlesex, England. She was descended from Jane Lane, Lady Fisher. She is best known for her books about the

Stuart period The Stuart period of British history lasted from 1603 to 1714 during the dynasty of the House of Stuart. The period was plagued by internal and religious strife, and a large-scale civil war which resulted in the Execution of Charles I, execu ...

in English history and 18th-century Scotland, written from a Catholic and

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

perspective. Her novel, ''A State of Mind,'' is set in a

dystopia A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmen ...

n future. ''

The Tablet ''The Tablet'' is a Catholic Church, Catholic international weekly review published in London. Brendan Walsh, previously literary editor and then acting editor, was appointed editor in July 2017. History ''The Tablet'' was launched in 1840 by ...

'' has described Lane as "one of the few contemporary writers who excel both as novelists and historians".Jacket of Peter Davies's re-issue of ''Conies in the Hay'', 1973. Jane Lane died on 6 January 1978.

Selected works

Novels *''Sir Devil-May-Care'' (1937) (

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

) *''He Stooped to Conquer'' (1944) (

Massacre of Glencoe The Massacre of Glencoe took place in Glen Coe in the Argyll region of the Scottish Highlands on 13 February 1692. An estimated 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by Scottish government forces, allegedly for fa ...

) *''Gin and Bitters'' (1945) (early 18th Century London and the

South Sea Bubble South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

) *''His Fight is Ours'' (1946) (background to the

1745 Rising The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...

) *''London Goes To Heaven'' (1947) (London under the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

and

Protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

) *''Parcel of Rogues: The Plot Against Mary of Scotland'' (1948) (

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

and the regencies) *''Fortress in the Forth'' (1950) ( Jacobite prisoners on

Bass Rock The Bass Rock, or simply the Bass (), is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. Approximately offshore, and north-east of North Berwick, it is a steep-sided volcanic plug, at its highest point, and is home ...

1691–94) *''Dark Conspiracy'' (1951) (

Rye House Plot The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a plan to assassinate King Charles II of England and his brother (and heir to the throne) James, Duke of York. The royal party went from Westminster to Newmarket to see horse races and were expected to make the r ...

against Charles II) *''The Sealed Knot'' (1952) (English Civil War) *''Lady of the House'' a.k.a. ''The Countess at War'' (1953) (English Civil War) *''The Phoenix and the Laurel'' (1954) (

John Graham of Claverhouse John Graham, 7th of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount Dundee (21 July 1648 – 27 July 1689) was a Scottish soldier and nobleman, a Tory and an Episcopalian. As Graham of Claverhouse, he was responsible for policing southwest Scotland to suppress religi ...

) *''Thunder on St. Paul's Day'' (1956) (

Titus Oates Titus Oates (15 September 1649 – 12/13 July 1705) was an English priest who fabricated the "Popish Plot", a supposed Catholic conspiracy to kill King Charles II. Early life Titus Oates was born at Oakham in Rutland. His father was the Baptis ...

and the "

Popish Plot The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy invented by Titus Oates that between 1678 and 1681 gripped the kingdoms of England and Scotland in anti-Catholic hysteria. Oates alleged that there was an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinat ...

") *''Conies in the Hay'' a.k.a. ''Rabbits in the Hay'' a.k.a. ''The Cross and the Tower'' (1957) (

Babington Plot The Babington Plot was a plan in 1586 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I, a Protestantism, Protestant, and put Mary, Queen of Scots, her Catholic Church, Catholic cousin, on the English throne. It led to Mary's execution, a result of a letter s ...

1586) *''Sow the Tempest'' (1960) (

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. ...

's divorce from

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...

) *''Farewell to the White Cockade'' (1961) (

Bonnie Prince Charlie Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...

) *''The Crown for a Lie'' (1962) (How James II lost the throne) *''A State of Mind'' (1964) (post-atomic future) *''A Wind through the Heather'' (1965) (

Highland Clearances The Highland Clearances ( , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860. The first phase resulted from Scottish Agricultural R ...

) *''From the Snare of the Hunters'' (1968) (Last days of

Jesus of Nazareth Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religi ...

) *''The Young and Lonely King'' (1969) ( Prince Charles, Duke of Albany) *''The Questing Beast'' (1970) (English Civil War) *''Ember in the Ashes'' (1970) ( Roman Catholics in 18th century England) *''The Severed Crown'' (1972) (

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

) *''Bridge of Sighs'' (1973) (

Mary of Modena Mary of Modena (; ) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of James VII and II. A devout Catholic, Roman Catholic, Mary married the widower James, who was t ...

) *''Heirs of Squire Harry'' (1974) (

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...

) *''A Summer Storm'' (1976) ( Peasants' Revolt, 1381) *''A Secret Chronicle'' (1977) (

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

) The Escape series (for younger readers) *''The Escape of the King'' (1957) (The young Charles II) *''The Escape of the Queen'' (1957) (

) *''The Escape of the Prince'' (1958) (

) *''The Escape of the Duke'' (1960) (Charles I's son

James, Duke of York James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...

) *''The Escape of the Princess'' (1962) ( Clementina Sobieski) Non-fiction *''King James the Last'' (1942) *''Titus Oates'' (1949) *''Puritan, Rake and Squire'' (1950)

References

External links

Jane Lane at Fantastic Fiction
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Jane 20th-century English women writers English historical novelists 1905 births 1978 deaths 20th-century English novelists English biographers English women historical novelists Pseudonymous women writers Writers of historical fiction set in antiquity Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period English women biographers 20th-century pseudonymous writers