Priscilla Napier (5 October 1908 – 10 October 1998) was an English writer, specializing in

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

Early life and education

Born in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

in 1908, Priscilla Hayter was the daughter of Sir William Hayter, an adviser to the Egyptian government, and his wife, Alethea Slessor, daughter of a

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

rector. Her brother, Sir William Goodenough Hayter (1906–1995), became British

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

to the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and Warden of New College, Oxford, while her sister,

Alethea Hayter Alethea Catharine Hayter (7 November 1911 – 10 January 2006) was an English author and British Council Representative. Family and early life Hayter was the daughter of Sir William Goodenough Hayter, a legal adviser to the Egyptian government, ...

(1911–2006), was a literary biographer. Russell, Michael
Obituary: Priscilla Napier
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', 17 October 1998.Harvey-Wood, Harriet
Alethea Hayter obituary
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 13 January 2006. She spent her early years in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, and later wrote of her mother and her aunts that they were "true Victorians: not in a general way frightened of murder and sudden death, but perfectly terrified of insects". Napier was educated at

Downe House School Downe House School is a private girls' boarding and day school in Cold Ash near Newbury, Berkshire, for girls aged 11–18. Entrance is selective, and the school has an enrollment of 559. The '' Good Schools Guide'' described Downe House ...

, in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

, which was then under the headship of its founder

Olive Willis Olive Margaret Willis (26 October 1877 – 11 March 1964) was an English educationist and headmistress. She founded Downe House School and was its head for nearly forty years, from 1907 to 1946. Early life Willis was born on 26 October 1877, a ...

, and at

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, located on a bank of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The ...

, where she graduated (like her sister Alethea three years later) BA in

modern history The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500, ...

Career

Aged 22, Priscilla Hayter married Trevylyan Michael Napier (born 21 June 1901, Kensington London), a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer and a scion of the Napier family of Merchiston. A Napier ancestor had arrived in

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 ...

from Scotland in the reign of Henry VII, and Trevylyan Napier's father, like his grandfather, was a

vice-admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

. After her husband was killed on active service in 1940, Priscilla Napier was left to bring up their son and two daughters. She then developed a writing career based on studies of her dead husband's

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

. She also published poetry and an

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

Publications

*''A Late Beginner'' (autobiography, 1966) *''The Sword Dance: Lady Sarah Lennox and the Napiers'' (1971) *''A Difficult Country: the Napiers in Scotland'' (1972) *''Revolution and the Napier Brothers, 1820-1840'' (1973) *''I Have Sind: Charles Napier in India, 1841-1844'' (Michael Russell Publishing, 1990, ) *''Raven Castle: Charles Napier in India, 1844-1851'' (1991) *Bishop Theophan's ''The Art of Prayer'' (translation) *''A Memoir of the Lady Delia Peel, Born Spencer, 1889-1981'' (1984) *''Ballad of King Henry VIII and Sir Thomas Wyatt'' (1994, long poem, with foreword by

Ted Hughes Edward James Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. He wa ...

) *''Black Charlie, a life of Admiral Sir Charles Napier'' (1995) *''Barbarian Eye: Lord Napier in China, 1834'' (1995) *''Henry at Sea'' (1997) *''Henry Ashore'' (1997)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Napier, Priscilla 1908 births 1998 deaths Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford People educated at Downe House School English autobiographers English biographers Writers from Oxford