Edwards, Amelia

NOVELIST, JOURNALIST, EGYPTOLOGIST (ENGLAND)
BORN 7 Jun 1831, London: Islington - DIED 15 Apr 1892, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
BIRTH NAME Edwards, Amelia Ann Blandford
GRAVE LOCATION Bristol: St Mary's Church, Henbury (churchard, grave marked by obelisk)

Amelia Edwards was the daughter of an army officer who became a banker. She was educated at home by her Irish mother. Her first poem was published when she was seven years old and her first story when she was twelve. She contribured articles and stories to Household Words, All the Year Round and other magazines.

In 1855 her first novel "My Brother's Wife" was published. "Barbara's History" (1864) made her famous. She was also known for ghost stories like "The Phantom Coach" (1864).

She travelled in Egypt with several friends in 1873/1874 and published "A Thousand Miles up the Nile" in 1877 with illustrations by herself. It sold very well and her last novel "Lord Brackenbury" (1880) was another huge success. In 1889 and 1890 she toured in the USA and lectured on Egyptian exploration, pleading for preservation of ancient monuments.

Since 1864 she had lived in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol and after her death in 1892 she was buried in St Mary's Churchyard, Henbury, Bristol. Her companion of 30 years Ellen Drew Braysher had died a few months before her and she was buried next to her.

Images

The grave of Amelia Edwards at St. Mary's Church, Henbury, Bristol.
Picture by Androom (16 Aug 2017)

 

The grave of Amelia Edwards at St. Mary's Church, Henbury, Bristol.
Picture by Androom (16 Aug 2017)

 

Sources
Amelia Edwards - Wikipedia


Edwards, Edyth

Published: 09 Sep 2017
Last update: 13 Mar 2021