British Women Non-Fiction Writers
Throughout history, there have been many British women non-fiction writers who have made significant contribution to the field. The list includes many familiar and great British female non-fiction writers such as Princess Michael of Kent, Isabella Beeton, Rose Macaulay, Lisa Jardine, Han Suyin.
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Birthdate: April 27, 1759
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: London, England
Died: September 10, 1797
Mary Wollstonecraft was an English writer, advocate of women's rights, and philosopher. Wollstonecraft, who attracted a lot of attention for her unconventional personal relationships, is widely considered a founding feminist philosopher. Although her unorthodoxy initially attracted criticisms, her advocacy of women's equality became increasingly important during the 20th century. Modern-day feminists cite her works and her life as important influences.
Birthdate: August 6, 1972
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Watford
Geri Halliwell is a British singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as part of the popular girl group, The Spice Girls, which has sold more than 85 million records worldwide. Also a well-known philanthropist, Geri Halliwell has worked closely with the United Nations Population Fund, becoming its goodwill ambassador in 1998. She is widely regarded as a girl power icon.
Birthdate: November 23, 1805
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kingston, Jamaica
Died: May 14, 1881
Mary Seacole was a British-Jamaican nurse, businesswoman, and healer. She played a major role during the Crimean War, providing aid for wounded servicemen and nursing them back to health. In 1991, Seacole was posthumously honored with the Jamaican Order of Merit. In 2004, she was named the greatest black Briton for her contribution during the war.
Birthdate: May 22, 1981
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Dagenham, London, England
Born to musician Derek Pascoe, comedian Sara Pascoe was raised by her mother amid poverty after her parents’ divorce. Initially a tour guide, she later stepped into comedy and never looked back. She is known for shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Twenty Twelve.
Birthdate: July 14, 1868
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Washington, United Kingdom
Died: July 12, 1926
Born into a wealthy English family, Gertrude Bell was an explorer at heart and went down in history for her journeys across the Middle East and for helping establish the Hāshimite dynasty in Iraq. Though she graduated in history from Oxford, being a woman, she wasn’t awarded a degree.
Birthdate: January 15, 1945
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Karlovy Vary
Princess, Michael of Kent, is one of the members of the British royal family. Princess Michael, who is of Hungarian, Austrian, and German noble descent, worked as an interior designer before shifting her focus towards writing. Having held a long time fascination for cheetahs, Princess Michael serves as a patron for Namibia's Cheetah Conservation Fund.
Birthdate: September 29, 1810
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chelsea, England
Died: November 12, 1865
Birthdate: September 15, 1922
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Chartwell
Died: May 31, 2014
Mary Soames was a British author and the youngest child of Winston Churchill and Clementine. From 1939 to 1941, Soames worked for several public organizations, such as the Women's Voluntary Service and Red Cross. She then joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In 1945, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), in recognition of meritorious military services.
Birthdate: December 29, 1893
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Newcastle Under Lyme, Staffordshire, England
Died: March 29, 1970
Birthdate: March 12, 1965
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Blackpool, England, UK
11
Jennifer Worth
(British Nurse, Midwife, and Memoirist)
Birthdate: September 25, 1935
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, England
Died: May 31, 2011
Jennifer Worth was a British memoirist best remembered for her best-selling trilogy: Call the Midwife, Farewell to The East End, and Shadows of the Workhouse. The trilogy, which is about Jennifer Worth's experience as a nurse and midwife in East End of London during the 1950s, inspired the popular TV series, Call the Midwife.
Birthdate: August 10, 1939
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Leicester, Leicestershire, England, UK
Died: March 30, 2014
13
Deborah Cavendish, dowager duchess of Devonshire
(Writer)
Birthdate: March 31, 1920
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Asthall Manor, England
Died: September 24, 2014
Deborah Cavendish, the duchess of Devonshire, was the youngest of the popular Mitford sisters. An aristocrat and a socialite, she was one of the rare people who had met both Adolf Hitler and John Kennedy. She played a key role in commercializing Chatsworth Estate and also wrote books on it.
Birthdate: June 13, 1752
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: King’s Lynn, England
Died: January 6, 1840
15
Margaret Drabble
(English Novelist, Biographer and Critic)
Birthdate: June 5, 1939
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Sheffield, England
English author Margaret Drabble mostly writes about women protagonists and their experiences through marriage, motherhood, and intellectual development. Her novels such as The Gates of Ivory and A Summer Bird-Cage have earned her honors such as the DBE. She is the younger sister of novelist A.S. Byatt.
16
Gertrude Jekyll
(Horticulturist, Painter, Gardener, Non-fiction writer, Botanist, Architect)
Birthdate: November 29, 1843
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: London
Died: December 8, 1932
Landscape architect Gertrude Jekyll was born into an affluent family and grew up in a refined environment, learning music and traveling. Initially interested in painting, she gave it up to focus on gardening when she developed eyesight problems. She built around 400 gardens and also collaborated with Sir Edwin Lutyens.
Birthdate: March 12, 1836
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: London
Died: February 6, 1865
Birthdate: February 5, 1942
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England
19
Edith Mary Pargeter
(Novelist)
Birthdate: September 28, 1913
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Horsehay, Shropshire, England
Died: October 14, 1995
20
Elizabeth Jane Howard
(Author)
Birthdate: March 26, 1923
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: London, England
Died: January 2, 2014
21
Lisa Jardine
(Historian, Professor, Non-fiction writer)
Birthdate: April 12, 1944
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Oxford
Died: October 25, 2015
Birthdate: November 19, 1960
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: London, England
Died: September 4, 2012
Birthdate: December 3, 1764
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: London, England
Died: May 20, 1847
Birthdate: July 8, 1947
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: London, England, United Kingdom
Died: April 28, 2016
25
Elspeth Huxley
(Author and Environmentalist, Best Known for Her Books on Her Early Life in British Kenya)
Birthdate: July 23, 1907
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: London, England
Died: January 10, 1997
Raised by coffee farmer parents in British East Africa, Elspeth Huxley grew up to be a prominent author, known for her lyrical books such as The Flame Trees of Thika, depicting her life in British Kenya. She was also a BBC broadcaster, a magistrate, and an environmental activist.
Birthdate: December 23, 1802
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Cumberland, England
Died: May 3, 1852
Birthdate: March 16, 1911
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Charlottenburg, Germany
Died: February 17, 2006
Birthdate: 1964
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Aminatta Forna is a writer whose novel The Memory of Love won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 2011. Forna was also honored with the prestigious Windham–Campbell Literature Prize in 2014. She also teaches creative writing at many universities and supports several young and aspiring writers. In the 2017 New Year Honours, Forna was appointed OBE for services to literature.
29
Gillian Rose
(Philosopher)
Birthdate: September 20, 1947
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: London, England
Died: December 9, 1995
Birthdate: March 24, 1911
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Surrey, England
Died: July 27, 1996
Birthdate: 1388 AD
Birthplace: Unknown
Died: 1460 AD
32
Helen Maria Williams
(Novelist)
Birthdate: 1761 AD
Birthplace: London, England
Died: December 15, 1827
33
Ann Katharine Mitchell
(Psychologist)
Birthdate: November 19, 1922
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Oxford, United Kingdom
Died: May 11, 2020
34
Pamela Hansford Johnson
(Novelist)
Birthdate: May 29, 1912
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: London, England
Died: June 19, 1981
Birthdate: January 1, 1769
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: London, England
Died: June 28, 1858
Birthdate: May 17, 1929
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: London, England
Died: September 18, 2010
37
Lillian Beckwith
(Writer best known for her series of semi-autobiographical books set on the Isle of Skye)
Birthdate: April 25, 1916
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Ellesmere Port, England
Died: January 3, 2004
38
Caroline Alexander
(Writer)
Birthdate: March 13, 1956
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Unknown
39
Anne Scott-James
(Journalist)
Birthdate: April 5, 1913
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: London, England
Died: May 13, 2009
Birthdate: October 15, 1905
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Witsies Hoek, Orange Free State
Died: November 22, 1995
41
Elizabeth Jenkins
(Novelist)
Birthdate: October 31, 1905
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Hitchin, England
Died: September 5, 2010
42
Mitzi Szereto
(American-British Author of Multi-Genre Fiction and Nonfiction)
Birthplace: United States