E. E. Cowper

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

E. E. Cowper
Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England
Died18 November 1933(1933-11-18) (aged 74)
Milford on Sea, Hampshire, England
NationalityEnglish
Other namesEdith Eliza Cadogan, Edith Eliza Cooper, Edith Elise Cowper
OccupationAuthor
Years active1879–1932
Notable work
  • The House with Dragon Gates (1908)
  • The Moonrakers (1910)
  • Anne's Great Adventure (1923)
  • White Wings to the Rescue (1924)
  • The Girl of the North-West (1925)
  • The Haunted Trail (1926)
  • Camilla's Castle (1928)
SpouseFrank Cowper
ChildrenFrank Cadogan Cowper
ParentEdward Cadogan (rower)

Edith Elise Cadogan Cowper[note 1] (21 July 1859 – 18 November 1933) was a prolific and popular author of adventure stories for girls. She married yachtsman and fellow writer Frank Cowper and had eight children by him before the marriage fell apart.

Early life

Cowper was born on 21 July 1859 at Stevenage, Hertfordshire.[4] Her parents were the Reverend Edward Cadogan (1833 – 16 April 1890)[5][6] and stockbroker's daughter Alice Smith (25 January 1833 – 24 March 1913)[7][8]. Cowper was the second of the couple's ten children. By the 1861 census her father was the Rector at Walton, Warwickshire, England, but moved to take up the Rectorship at Wickham in 1873,[5] where he was to remain until his death in 1890.[6]

Cowper married Frank Cooper (14 January 1849 – 28 May 1930)[9][10] at her father's church in Wicken, Northamptonshire, England on 28 December 1877. She was seventeen at the time, and her husband was ten years older.[2] He was a yachtsman, famous for single-handed cruising, and author, both of novels and of books on sailing. The couple had eight children, four boys and four girls: Frank Cadogan Cowper, Edith Alice Magdalen Cowper, Earnest Lionel Cadogen Cowper, Gerald Audrey Cadogan Cooper, Gladys Blanche Katherine Cowper, Gwenllyan Sybilla Mary Cowper, Henry Evelyn Cadogan Cowper, and Nesta Evelyn Dorothea Cowper. The first five children were registered as Cooper and had their names changed to Cowper when their father changed his name. The youngest three, being born after the name change in 1885, were registered with the surname Cowper.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]

Some sources suggest that Cowper had ten children, with two of them, Lois and Edward, dying in infancy, in addition to Henry.[19] However, there is no record of such births in the birth index of the Government Record Office, and Cowpers's own account of the number of children she has had in the 1911 census, with eight children born and six surviving, suggests that there were no such births.

The couple lived first in Hordle, Hampshire, where they ran a small preparatory school. Later, they built Lisle Court at Wootton in the Isle of Wight, which also served as a school.[1]: 155  The 1891 census shows Cowper living at Lisle Court with six of her children, Gerald, age 9 at the time is absent for some reason. The census shows that the house was no longer working as a school.

The marriage was not a happy one. The summary of

Royal Academy Collections states that Cowper divorced her on the grounds of violence and infidelity,[20] but Sims and Clare says that while the marriage broke up, they may never have divorced.[1]
: 155 . Cowper still describes herself as married in the 1911 census.

By 1901, Cowper was living in Acton in London with her four daughters, aged 12 to 21 and with her profession listed as authoress. The 1911 census found Cowper living with her daughter Nesta at Flat 7, Fairlawn Court, Acton Lane, Chiswick, London. Her other three daughters had already married, and Nesta would do so in 1914.

Cowper was living at Milford on Sea, Hampshire when she died on 18 November 1933. Her estate was valued at £977 6s.7d.

Writing

The

Blackie & Son
in 1917, and Blackie would publish nearly half of her output from then on.

Cowper wrote adventures stories for teenage girls. Many of the feature sailing.[note 3] The wilds of Canada, where one of her sons had settled before the First World War, feature in many of here stories, whether searching for gold, or trapping. Smuggling is another repeated trope, even featuring in her school story Fifth Form Adventurers.

Assessment

Cowper was writing for what Alice Corkran called the Modern Girl in her Chat with the Girl of the Period in The Girl's Realm.[24]

Kate Flint said that while researching for the Woman Reader, she was hardly surprised to find how many girls in the nineteenth century openly preferred their brothers' books, with the active role models that they offered.

Yorkshire Post when speaking of Cowper and similar girls' authors, said that Girls need no longer impound their brothers’ books for such stories fortunately they can now see themselves as the protagonists in these romances. and that Cowper can always be relied on for action.[26]

Works

The following bibliography is based on a search on the Jisc Library Hub Discover database for books authored by Cowper.[27] In all, there are 69 books listed in the table,[note 4] as two of the items are derivatives. Cowper contributed to a number of anthologies [28] and annuals[29] but these are not included here, nor in any reissues of her work. She also wrote some short fiction for magazines,[30] but again, there are not listed here.

Books by Cowper
Ser Year Title Illustrator Place Publisher Pages Notes
1 1881 Hide and seek London 8º
2 1883 The Hasselaers London
SPCK
 156 p., 4 p., 3. ill., 8º [note 5]
3 1899 The Misadventures of I.M.P. A story for little girls London
SPCK
 80 p., 8º
4 1899 Theckla Jansen. The story of a lonely girl London
SPCK
 80 p., 8º
5 1900 Bessie Walter Sidney Stacey[note 6] London
SPCK
 224 p., 8º
6 1900 Red, White, and Blue; or Dick's enemy London
SPCK
 94 p., 8º
7 1901 The brown bird and her owners, a story of adventure off the South Coast Walter Sidney Stacey[note 6] London
SPCK
 256 p., 8º
8 1903 Calder Creek, a story of smuggling on the South Coast Walter Sidney Stacey[note 6] London
SPCK
 246 p., ill., 8º
9 1904 'Viva Christina!' The adventures of a young Scot with the British legion W. H. C. Groome[note 7] London Chambers 292 p., 6 ill., 8º
10 1904 The Witches of Westover Combe, a story of the South Coast, etc.
Harold Piffard
 London
SPCK
 221 p., 8º
11 1905 The Haunted Mill on Birley River: the story of a South Coast creek
Harold Piffard
 London
SPCK
 254 p., 8º
12 1906 The disappearance of David Pendarve
Harold Piffard
 London
SPCK
 254 p., ill., 8º
13 1907 The invaders of Fairford Adolf Thiede London
SPCK
 253 p., col. fs., 8º [note 8]
14 1908 The House with Dragon Gates, a story of old Chiswick in 1745
Harold Piffard
 London
SPCK
 245 p., 8º
15 1909 Lady Fabia, a story of adventure on the South Coast in 1805, etc. Adolf Thiede London
SPCK
 221 p., 8º
16 1910 Andrew Garnett's Will, etc. Thomas Heath Robinson[note 9] London
SPCK
 223 p., 8º
17 1910 The moonrakers, a story of smugglers in the New Forest in 1747 Walter Sidney Stacey[note 6] London
SPCK
 256 p., 2 ill., 8º
18 1910 Three girls on a yacht Edward Smith Hodgson[note 10] London Cassell vi, 343 p., 8 ill., 8º
19 1911 The Captain of the Waterguard Adolf Thiede London
SPCK
 252 p., 8º
20 1911 The island of rushes: the strange story of a holiday mystery Walter Sidney Stacey[note 6] London
SPCK
 251 p., 8º
21 1913 Enter Patricia, being an account of her strange adventures on a visit to the Cornish coast Noël Harrold London Cassell 304 p., 4 ill., 8º
22 1913 Leo Lousada, Gentleman Adventurer Adolf Thiede London
SPCK
 256 p., 8º
23 1913 The Strange Story of Kittiwake's Castle Gordon Browne London
SPCK
 120 p., 8º
24 1913 Two Girls and a Secret Walter Sidney Stacey[note 6] London
SPCK
 254 p., 4 pl., 8º
25 1914 The crew of the "Silver Fish" Walter Paget London
SPCK
 VI, 223p, 8º
26 1915 The King's Double, etc. Archibald Webb London
SPCK
 254 p., 8º
27 1915 The Mystery of Castle Veor; or, the Spies in our midst Archibald Webb London
SPCK
 vi, 222 p., 3 ill. (1 col.), 8º
28 1915 The strange girl from the sea Noël Harrold London Cassell vii, 312 p., 4 ill., 8º [note 11]
29 1916 Three Sailor Girls
N. Tenison
 London
Henry Frowde
 288 p., 4pl., 8º
30 1916 The valley of dreams Norah Schlegel[note 12] London Cassell 279 p., 4 ill., 8º
31 1917 Hill of Broom. A Guernsey mystery Elizabeth Earnshaw London Cassell 312 p., 4 ill., 8º
32 1917 Jane in Command. The story of a girl's war work and its strange results Gordon Browne London
Blackie & Son
 284 p., 8º
33 1919 The black dog's rider John W. Campbell[note 13] London
SPCK
 v, 322 p., 8º
34 1919 Maids of the “Mermaid.” A story of adventure on the coast of England C. Dudley Tennant[note 14] London
Blackie & Son
 288 p., 8º
35 1920 Corporal Ida's floating camp C. E. Brock London
SPCK
 123 p., 8º
36 1920 Pam and the Countess Gordon Browne London
Blackie & Son
 287 p., 6 ill., 8º [note 15]
37 1921 Celia wins
Rosa Petherick
 London Collins 320 p., 8º
38 1921 The mystery of Saffron Manor Gordon Browne London
Blackie & Son
 284 p., 6 ill., 8º
39 1921 Wild Rose to the Rescue C. E. Brock London
SPCK
 154 p. 6 pl, 8º
40 1922 The Brushwood Hut Gordon Browne London
Blackie & Son
 207 p., 8º
41 1922 The island of secrets Gordon Browne London
Blackie & Son
 207 p., 4 ill., 8º [note 16]
42 1922 Two on the Trail. A story of Canada snows, etc. Walter Paget London Sheldon Press 160 p., 8º [note 8][note 15]
43 1923 Ann's Great Adventure John Dewar Mills[note 17] London
Blackie & Son
 320 p., 8º [note 18]
44 1924 Girls on the Gold Trail. A story of strange adventures in the northlands London Nelson 327 p., 8º
45 1924 The mystery term
R. H. Brock
 London
Blackie & Son
 255 p., 6 ill., 8º [note 19]
46 1924 White Wings to the Rescue C. R. Fleming-Williams[note 20] London
Blackie & Son
 320 p., 8º
47 1925 The girl from the North-West Henry Coller London
Blackie & Son
 319 p., 6 ill., 8º
48 1925 Hunted, and the Hunter Stanley L. Wood London Sheldon Press iii, 122 p., fs., 8º [note 8]
49 1925 Witch of the wilds, a story of adventure in the northern snows London Nelson 312 p., fs., 8º
50 1926 The Haunted Trail Henry Coller London
Blackie & Son
 224 p., 8º
51 1926 That Troublesome Term Elizabeth Earnshaw London Cassell 215 p., 4 ill., 8º [note 19][note 21]
52 1927 Cross Winds Farm; or, the Adventure of the silver foxes London Chambers 154 p., 8º
53 1927 Hit the Trail. A wild west story Archibald Stevenson Forrest London Nelson 335 p., 8º
54 1927 The Holiday School Norman Sutcliffe London Cassell 215 p., 4 ill. (2 col.), 8º [note 21][note 19]
55 1927 Nancy's Fox Farm Norman Sutcliffe London
Blackie & Son
 256 p., 8º
56 1928 Camilla's Castle Roger Oak London
Blackie & Son
 255 p., 8º
57 1928 Peterina on the rescue trail
R. H. Brock
 London Nelson 320 p., 1 col. ill., 8°
58 1929 The fifth form adventurers London Cassell 215 p., ill., 8º [note 21][note 19]
59 1929 The Forbidden Island Francis Ernest Hiley[note 22] London
Blackie & Son
 208 p., 8º
60 1929 Gill and the Beanstalk London
Blackie & Son
 191 p., 8º
61 1929 That Joyous Adventure London Nelson 95 p., 8º [note 23]
62 1929 The Wolf Runner William Bryce Hamilton[note 24] London Nelson 318 p., 8º
63 1930 The Crow's Nest, etc. London Sheldon Press 153 p., 8º [note 8]
64 1930 The Invincible Fifth Percy Bell Hickling[note 25] London Cassell 215 p., 4 ill., 8º [note 21][note 19]
65 1930 Rosamond takes the Lead Hugh Radcliffe-Wilson London
Blackie & Son
 223 p., 8º [note 26]
66 1931 Girls on the Trap-Line A. Leo Knopf London Nelson 292 p., 8º
67 1932 The Lodge in the Wood, etc. London Sheldon Press 125 p., 8º [note 8]
68 1933 Elsie and the Grey Thief London
Blackie & Son
 64 p., 8º [note 27]
69 1933 The Girls of Mystery Gorge
R. H. Brock
 London Nelson 295 p., 8º

Notes

  1. ^ Her name is subject to the following variations. Frank Cooper initially spelled his name Cooper, but changed it to Cowper by Deed Poll in 1885.[1]: 155  Cadogan was baptised Edith Eliza, and still used this form of her second name at the time of her marriage,[2] and for the 1911 census, but later came to be known as Edith Elise, and this was the form of her name at the time of her death.[3]
  2. ^ The Jisc Library Hub Discover brings together the catalogues of 165 Major UK and Irish libraries.
  3. ^ Her estranged husband Frank Cowper was a noted yachtsman, and was a leader in the field of single-handed cruising.[10]
  4. ^ The matches the number given by Sims and Clare.[1]: 155 
  5. ^ Subtitled A tale of courage and endurance. Almost no details on Jisc, details instead from second-hand books page.[31]
  6. ^ a b c d e f William Sydney Stacey (Sidney on his baptismal record) (30 June 1846 – 15 September 1929) was a prolific painter and illustrator who illustrated over 300 children's books,[32]: 406-411  mostly for boy's adventure books.[33]: 309  Stacey illustrated six of Cowper's books, matching the number illustrated by Gordon Browne.
  7. ^ William Henry Charles Groome (17 November 1884 – 14 October 1913) was a prolific illustrator of children's books and a skilled watercolourist who appears to have been self-taught. [32]: 173-175 
  8. ^
    SPCK.[34]
  9. ^ Thomas Heath Robinson (19 June 1869 – 13 September 1944) was a talented and versatile painter, illustrator and etcher who was overshadowed by his more famous younger brothers Charles and William Heath Robinson.[32]: 406-411 
  10. ^ Edward Smith Hodgson (25 April 1866 – April 1923) was a well-known Scottish artist who became better knows as an issustrator of boy's adventure books.[32]: 234-235 
  11. ^ Cassell's Empire library.
  12. ^ Nora Schlegel (18 January 1879 – 15 November 1963)[35][36] was a magazine illustrator [37], particularly for the Windsor Magazine who also illustrated books and book covers. Most of her illustrations seem to be in half-tone. The Artist did a piece on her in December 1938
  13. ^ John William Campbell (1886 – 4 May 1935) was a magazine and book illustrator who illustrated some 25 children's books, mostly girls' school stories.[32]: 111-112 
  14. ^ Charles Dudley Tennant (1866–1952),[38] active 1898 – 1918. Painter and Illustrator in black and white, full colour, and half-tone.[39]: 297  The sculptor Trevor Tenant (2 July 1900 – last quarter 1980) was his son.[40]
  15. ^ a b Available as an E-book on Project Gutenberg.
  16. ^ Dramatised as a 45 minute radio play by Olive Dehn for The Children's Hour in 1936.[41]
  17. ^ John (Jock) Dewar Mills (8 November 1883 – 24 June 1966) was a book illustrator who worked mainly on books for girls, ecpecially school stories.[32]: 287-289 
  18. ^ A 98 page abridged edition was published in 1935 as Anna Goes Sailing, a Blackie Graded Story Reader.
  19. ^ a b c d e Listed as a school story by Sims and Clare[1]: 156 
  20. ^ Clifford Roger Flemming Williams (11 April 1880 – 27 December 1940))[42][43] was a black and white artist and watercolourist. He contributed to several magazines,[33]: 138  as well as to a small number of books.
  21. ^ a b c d Part of Cassell's new girls' library.
  22. ^ Francis Ernest Hiley (12 February 1878 – 20 December 1965) was an illustrator who worked on magazines as well as on children's books.[32]: 228-231 
  23. ^ Captain Series.
  24. ^ William Bryce Hamilton (Brice on baptismal record) (28 October 1894 – 26 May 1955) illustrated only about 30 children's books. He was more famous for his work illustrating Sexton Blake and his earlier work for The Sphere.[32]: 187-188 
  25. ^ Percy Bell Hickling (22 September 1976 – 10 June 1951 was an illustrator with a large magazine output, as well as illustrating children's books, especially girls' school stories.[32]: 217-220 
  26. ^ Reissued in 1954 in a 168 page abridged edition, edited and adapted for school reading as No.5 in the Girls' section of Blackie's Life and Adventure Series.
  27. ^ Blackie's Graded Story Readers.

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-84745-257-3
    .
  2. ^ a b Northamptonshire Record Office. "Reference: 364P/9: 1876 Marriage Solemnized by Banns in the Church of Wickham in the county of NorthamptonshierLondon: Frank Cooper". Northampton, England: Parish Registers. Northampton: Northamptonshire Record Office. p. 76.
  3. ^ "Wills and Probates 1858-1996: Pages for Vahey and the year of death 1911". Find a Will Service. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  4. Bedfordshire Times and Independent (Tuesday 02 August 1859): 8. 2 August 1859. Retrieved 31 August 2020 – via The British Newspaper Archive
    .
  5. ^
    Alumni Oxonienses: the Members of the University of Oxford, 1715–1886. Oxford: Parker and Co – via Wikisource
    .
  6. ^ a b "Wills and Probates 1858-1996: Pages for Cadogan and the year of death 1890". Find a Will Service. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  7. ^ London Metropolitan Archives (2 July 1905). "Reference Number: p82/geo1/005: Baptisms solemnized in the Parish Saint George, Bloomsbury. In the County of Middlesex, in the year 1834". London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com. p. 135.
  8. ^ "Wills and Probates 1858-1996: Pages for Cadogan and the year of death 11913". Find a Will Service. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  9. ^ London Metropolitan Archives (2 July 1905). "Reference Number: P69/BOT4/A/01/Ms 4519/5: Baptisms solemnized in the Parish of St Botolph. Bishopsgate City of London, in the year 1849". London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com. p. 237.
  10. ^
    The Yachting Monthly. 49 (291). 1 July 1930. Archived
    from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  11. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  13. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  14. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  15. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  16. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  17. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  18. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  19. ^ "Family of Francis Cowper and Edith Eliza Cadogan". Peter Cadogan's Family History. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  20. ^ "COW Frank Cadogan Cowper, letters to his mother [Edith Cowper] 1899-1908". London: Royal Academy of Arts. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  21. Evening Post (New Zealand) (Saturday 20 January 1934): 20. 20 January 1934. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020 – via The National Library of New Zealand
    .
  22. ^ "Libraries on Discover: Contributing libraries list". Library Hub Discover. 25 July 2020. Archived from the original on 18 January 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  23. ^ "About Library Hub Discover". Library Hub Discover. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  24. ISBN 978-0-7190-5879-0. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020 – via Google Books
    .
  25. ISBN 978-0-8020-8928-1. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020 – via Google Books
    .
  26. ^ Williams, Helen (9 December 1931). "Go-Ahead Girls". The Yorkshire Post (Wednesday 09 December 1931): 6. Retrieved 4 August 2023 – via The British Newspaper Archive.
  27. ^ "Search Results for Aluthor: Cowper, E. E." Library Hub Discover. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  28. Aberdeen Press and Journal (Tuesday 15 December 1936): 3. 15 December 1936. Retrieved 30 August 2020 – via The British Newspaper Archive
    .
  29. ^ "The Big Four Annuals of long-standing". Western Mail (Thursday 10 December 1931): 7. 10 December 1931. Retrieved 31 August 2020 – via The British Newspaper Archive.
  30. ^ "Publications Received". Otago Witness (Wednesday 28 August 1912): 67. 28 August 1912. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020 – via The National Library of New Zealand.
  31. ^ "The Hasselaers a Tale of Courage and Endurance by E.E. Cooper publ c1880 illustrated, attractive binding, scarce edition". Oxfam Online Shop. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kirkpatrick, Robert J. (2019). The Men Who Drew For Boys (And Girls): 101 Forgotten Illustrators of Children's Books: 1844-1970. London: Robert J. Kirkpatrick.
  33. ^
    ISBN 1-85149-193-7
    .
  34. ^ Cowdrey, Katherine (4 January 2019). "Hachette acquires SPCK's Sheldon Press". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  35. ^ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975: Norah Schlegel, 1879". FamilySearch. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  36. ^ "Wills and Probates 1858-1996: Pages for Schlegel and the year of death 1964". Find a Will Service. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  37. ^ "Artists". The FictionMags Index. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  38. ^ "C. Dudley Tennant: Artist". Look and Learn: History Picture Archive. 19 June 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  39. ISBN 0-7195-3985-4. Retrieved 14 August 2023 – via The Internet Archive
    .
  40. ^ "(Dudley) Trevor Tennant". Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  41. ^ "Broadcasting tonight". The Sentinel (Staffordshire) (Thursday 28 May 1936): 15. 28 May 1936. Retrieved 31 August 2020 – via The British Newspaper Archive.
  42. ^ "Clifford Roger Fleming-Williams". MCBAX.DE. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  43. ^ "Wills and Probates 1858-1996: Pages for Williams and the year of death 1941". Find a Will Service. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.

External links

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