Ursula Bloom (11 December 1892 – 29 October 1984) was a British novelist, biographer and journalist.

Biography

Ursula Harvey Bloom was born on 11 December 1892 in Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex, the daughter of the Reverend James Harvey Bloom, about whom she wrote a biography, ''Parson Extraordinary''. She also wrote about her

gypsy {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...

(" Diddicoy") great-grandmother, Frances Graver (born 1809), who was known as the "Rose of Norfolk", a sobriquet used by Bloom as the title of her biography. Bloom lived for a number of years in

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...

, which was the subject of another book, ''Rosemary for Stratford-upon-Avon''. She wrote her first book at the age of seven.

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

was always a dominant influence: she had read every book of his before she was ten years of age, and then re-read them in her teens. A prolific author, she wrote over 500 books, an achievement that earned her recognition in the 1975 edition of ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

''. Many of her novels were written under various

pen names A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

, including Sheila Burns, Mary Essex, Rachel Harvey, Deborah Mann, Lozania Prole and Sara Sloane. She appeared frequently on British

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

. Her journalistic experiences were written about in her book ''The Mightier Sword''. Her hobbies included

needlework Needlework refers to decorative sewing and other textile arts, textile handicrafts that involve the use of a Sewing needle, needle. Needlework may also include related textile crafts like crochet (which uses a crochet hook, hook), or tatting, ( ...

, which she exhibited, and

cooking Cooking, also known as cookery or professionally as the culinary arts, is the art, science and craft of using heat to make food more palatable, digestible, nutritious, or Food safety, safe. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from ...

. She was a Fellow of the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society (RHS), founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the H ...

. Ursula Bloom married twice: firstly, in 1916, to Captain Arthur Brownlow Denham-Cookes of the 24th (Queen's) London Regiment, late of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

(son of Colonel George Denham-Cookes of the 3rd King's Own Light Dragoons and Hon. Clara, daughter of Charles Brownlow, 2nd Baron Lurgan), in the face of his family's "sniffy disapproval"; his aristocratic mother was by this time a wealthy widow, of Prince's Gate,

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...

. Their son, George Philip ("Pip") Jocelyn, was born in 1917 (he married in 1944, Lorna Jean Iris, daughter of Charles Lawson, of

Romford Romford is a large List of places in London, town in east London, east London, England, located northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Havering, the town is one of the major Metropolitan centres of London, metropolitan centr ...

, and had issue). Arthur died of

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

in 1918, in the final days of the war. In 1925 she married Charles Gower Robinson (d. 1979), a Royal Navy Paymaster Commander; they lived at 191, Cranmer Court, London SW3. She died on 29 October 1984, aged 91, in a nursing home in

Nether Wallop Nether Wallop is a village and civil parish in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England, northwest of Stockbridge, and southwest of Andover. Nether Wallop is the easternmost of the three villages collectively known as The Wallops, the ...

, Hampshire.

List of works

(incomplete list:) * ''The Driving of Destiny'' (1925) * ''The Judge of Jerusalem'' (1926) * ''Candleshades: The Story of a Soul'' (1928) * ''Base Metal: The Story of a Man'' (1928) * ''The Eternal Tomorrow'' (1929) * ''To-morrow for Apricots'' (1930) * ''This is Marriage'' (c. 1930) * ''The Secret Lover'' (1931) * ''Pack Mule'' (1931) * ''Fruit on the Bough'' (1931) * ''Log of a Naval Officer's Wife'' (1932) * ''Better to Marry'' (1933) * ''Wonder Cruise'' (1933) * ''Pastoral'' (1934) * ''Laughter in Cheyne Walk'' (1936) * ''Three Cedars'' (1937) * ''These Roots Go Deep'' (1937) * ''Marriage of Pierrot'' (1937) * ''A Cad's Guide to Cruising'' (1938) * ''The Laughing Lady'' (1938) * ''The Golden Venture'' (1938) * ''The ABC of Authorship'' (1938) * ''Beloved Creditor'' (1939) * ''No Lady Meets No Gentleman'' (1940) * ''The Flying Swans'' (1940) * ''Golden Flame'' (1941) * ''Age Cannot Wither'' (1942) * ''Time, Tide and I'' (1942) * ''Marriage in Heaven'' (1943) * ''A Robin in a Cage'' (1943) * ''The Fourth Cedar'' (1944) * ''No Lady in Bed'' (1944) * ''Me After the War: A Book for Girls Considering the Future'' (1944) * ''Rude Forefathers'' (1945) * ''The Changed Village'' (1945) * ''The Faithless Dove'' (1945) * ''The Painted Lady'' (1945) * ''You and Your Child'' (1946) * ''You and Your Holiday'' (1946) * ''A Garden for My Child'' (1946) * ''Three Sons'' (1946) * ''Caravan for Three'' (1947) * ''No Lady With a Pen'' (1947) * ''Pumpkin the Pup'' (1947) * ''Three Sisters'' (1947) * ''Gipsy Flower'' (1949) * ''Next Tuesday'' (1949) * ''No Lady in the Cart'' (1949) * ''You and Your Looks'' (1949) * ''You and Your Needle'' (1950) * ''You and Your Fun'' (1950) * ''The Song of Philomel'' (1950) * ''Three Girls Come to Town'' (1950) * ''The King's Wife'' (1950) * ''Mum's Girl Was No Lady'' (1951) * ''How Dark My Lady!'' (1951) * ''Pavilion'' (1952) * ''Moon Song'' (1952) * ''Nightshade at Morning'' (1952) * ''Twilight of a Tudor'' (1953) * ''The Gracious Lady'' (1953) * ''Marriage of Leonora'' (1953) * ''The Girl's Book of Popular Hobbies'' (1954) * ''Hitler's Eva'' (1954) * ''Trilogy'' (1954) * ''Curtain Call for the Guv'nor'' (1954) the story of

George Edwardes George Joseph Edwardes (né Edwards; 8 October 1855 – 4 October 1915) was an English theatre manager and producer of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond. Edwardes started out in theatre ma ...

* ''Matthew, Mark, Luke and John'' (1954) * ''Daughters of the Rectory'' (1955) * ''The Tides of Spring Flow Fast'' (1956) * ''The Silver Ring'' (1956) * ''Victorian Vinaigrette'' (1956) * ''No Lady Has a Dog's Day'' (1956) * ''The Girl Who Loved Crippen'' (1957) the story of

Dr Crippen Hawley Harvey Crippen (11 September 1862 – 23 November 1910), colloquially known as Dr. Crippen, was an American Homeopathy, homeopath, Otolaryngology, ear and Ophthalmology, eye specialist and medicine dispenser who was hanged in HM Prison P ...

and

Ethel Le Neve Ethel Clara Neave (21 January 1883 – 9 August 1967), known as Ethel Le Neve, was the mistress of Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen, a homeopath hanged for the murder and mutilation of his wife in 1910. She was born in Diss, Norfolk, the eldest child ...

* ''Brief Springtime'' (1957) * ''The Elegant Edwardian'' (1957) * ''The Abiding City'' (1958) * ''Down to the Sea in Ships'' (1958) * ''Monkey Tree in a Flower Pot'' (1958) * ''Down to the Sea in Ships'' (1958) * ''He Lit the Lamp: A Biography of Professor A. M. Low'' (1958) the story of

Archibald Low Archibald Montgomery Low (17 October 1888 – 13 September 1956) developed the first powered drone aircraft. He was an English consulting engineer, research physicist and inventor, and author of more than 40 books. Low has been called the "f ...

* ''Youth at the Gate'' (1959) * ''Undarkening Green'' (1959) * ''The Inspired Needle'' (1959) * ''Sixty Years of Home'' (1960) * ''The Thieving Magpie'' (1960) * ''The Romance of Charles Dickens'' (1960) * ''The Cactus Has Courage'' (1961) * ''War isn't Wonderful'' (1961) * ''A Sailor's Love'' (1961) * ''Prelude to Yesterday'' (1961) * ''Harvest-Home Come Sunday'' (1962) * ''Ship in a Bottle'' (1962) * ''Parson Extraordinary'' (1963) the story of Bloom's father, the Reverend James Harvey Bloom * ''The Gated Road'' (1963) * ''Mrs Bunthorpe's Respects'' (1963) * ''The Rose of Norfolk'' (1964) the story of Bloom's great-grandmother Frances Graver * ''The House That Died Alone'' (1964) * ''The Ring Tree'' (1964) * ''The Ugly Head'' (1965) * ''Price Above Rubies'' (1965) * ''The Mightier Sword'' (1966) the story of Bloom's forays into journalism * ''The Dandelion Clock'' (1966) * ''Rosemary for Stratford-on-Avon'' (1966) the story of the town by Bloom while she was living there * ''A Roof and Four Walls'' (1967) * ''Two Pools in a Field'' (1967) * ''The Old Adam'' (1967) * ''Casualty Ward'' (1968) * ''Mediterranean Madness'' (1968) * ''Weep Not for Dreams'' (1968) * ''The Dragonfly'' (1968) * ''The Flight of the Falcon'' (1969) * ''The House of Kent'' (1969) * ''The Hunter's Moon'' (1969) * ''The Tune of Time'' (1970) * ''Rosemary for Frinton'' (1970) * ''The Caravan of Chance'' (1971) * ''Rosemary for Chelsea'' (1971) * ''The Duke of Windsor'' (1972) * ''Edwardian Day-dream'' (1972) * ''The Ten Day Queen'' (1972) * ''Cheval Glass'' (1973) * ''The Old Rectory'' (1973) * ''The Old Elm Tree'' (1974) * ''Mirage on the Horizon'' (1974) * ''The Twisted Road'' (1975) * ''Life is No Fairy Tale'' (1976) * ''The Turn of Life's Tide'' (1976) * ''The Great Queen Consort'' (1976) the story of Queen Mary * ''The House on the Hill'' (1977) * ''Now Barabbas Was a Robber'' (1977) * ''Edward and Victoria'' (1977) the story of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

and

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

* ''Woman Doctor'' (1978)

as Sheila Burns

* ''The Passionate Adventure'' (1936) * ''Wonder Trip'' (1939) * ''The Stronger Passion'' (1941) * ''Romance of Jenny W.R.E.N.'' (1945) * ''Week-end Bride'' (1946) * ''Air Liner'' (1948) * ''Love Me To-morrow'' (1952) * ''The Lasting Lover'' (1959) * ''Theatre Sisters in Love'' (1963) * ''Acting Sister'' (1968) * ''Cornish Rhapsody'' (1972) * ''The Bells Still Ring'' (1976)

as Mary Essex

* ''Haircut For Samson'' (1940) * ''Nesting Cats'' (1941) * ''Eve Didn't Care'' (1941) * ''Marry To Taste'' (1942) * ''Freddy For Fun'' (1943) * ''The Amorous Bicycle'' (1944) * ''Young Kangaroos Prefer Riding'' (1947) * ''Six Fools and a Fairy'' (1948) * ''Tea is so Intoxicating'' (1950)

as Lozania Prole

* ''Our Dearest Emma'' (1949) * ''The Enchanting Courtesan'' (1955) * ''When Doctors Love'' (1958) * ''The Wild Daughter'' (1963) * ''Henry's Golden Queen'' (1964) * ''Marlborough's Unfair Lady'' (1965)

as Rachel Harvey

* ''The Loves of a Virgin Princess'' (1968) * ''Nurse on Bodmin Moor'' (1970) * ''The Love Story of Nurse Julie'' (1975)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloom, Ursula 1892 births 1984 deaths 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English women writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers British women biographers English biographers English Romani people English women journalists English women non-fiction writers English women novelists People from the City of Chelmsford People from Stratford-upon-Avon Pseudonymous women writers Writers from Essex Writers from Warwickshire