Lillian Spender
Lillian Spender (usually known as Mrs. John Kent Spender; 22 February 1835 – 4 May 1895) was an English writer. She contributed to major English reviews and turned later to novel-writing.
Lillian Spender | |
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| Born | Lillian Headland 22 February 1835 London, England |
| Died | 4 May 1895 (aged 60) Bath, England |
| Occupation | novelist |
| Nationality | English |
| Education | Queen's College, London |
| Spouse | John Kent Spender (1858–1882) |
| Children | J. A. Spender (1862–1942) Harold Spender (1864–1926) Hugh Frederick Spender (1873–1930) 1 other son |
| Relatives | Stephen Spender (grandson) |
Early years and education
Lillian (known informally as Lily) Headland was born on 22 February 1835 as the daughter of Edward Headland, a well-known physician of Portland Place, London. Her mother was the daughter of Ferdinand de Medina, a Spaniard. Spender was educated at Queen's College, Harley Street.[1]
Career
In 1858, she married John Kent Spender, physician to the Mineral Water Hospital, Bath.[1]
After her marriage, Spender turned her attention to literature. She contributed to the London Quarterly Review, the English Woman's Journal, the Dublin University Review, the British Quarterly Review, and a magazine called Meliora, but after 1869, she mainly wrote novels. She was active in education and social work in Bath until her health failed.[1]
Lillian Spender died at Bath on 4 May 1895. Seven of Spender's eight children survived her. Two of her sons, J. A. Spender and Harold Spender, became London journalists.[1]
Selected works
- Brothers-in-Law (1869)
- Her Own Fault (1871)
- Parted Lives (1873)
- Jocelyn's Mistake (1875)
- Mark Eylmer's Revenge (1876)
- Both in the Wrong (1878)
- Godwyn's Ordeal (1879)
- Till Death Us Do Part (1881)
- Gabrielle de Bourdaine (1882)
- Mr. Nobody (1884)
- The Recollections of a Country Doctor (1885)
- Trust Me: A Novel (1886)
- Her Brother's Keeper: A Novel (1887)
- Kept Secret (1888)
- Lady Hazelton's Confession (1890)
- A Waking (1892)
- A Strange Temptation (1893)
- A Modern Quixote (1894)
References
Sources
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Carlyle, Edward Irving (1898). "Spender, Lily". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 53. London: Smith, Elder & Co.