Victorian Authors

There are few labels not attached to Aphra Behn - playwright, poet, a spy, a scarlet woman condemned for loose morals. And yet, for all her notoriety Aphra Behn is an enigma. Born in around 1640, her early life isn't well recorded and facts about her are continually disputed. Her birth name may have been Eaffrey Johnson and she could have been the daughter of a Canterbury barber, although neither fact is certain. And, just after the Restoration she probably briefly lived in the English colony of Surinam in South America, where she was perhaps embroiled in political espionage.

In order to help support her parents and siblings, Agnes becomes a governess in various households. Then, while assisting a vision-impaired neighbor, she meets Mr. Weston, the new curate. Their paths cross briefly, but it has a lasting effect on her.

From Your Heart: The Shilling Can is a story that opens in the Clerkenwell District, London, 1860. It chronicles 20-year-old, Penelope Berry, alias, Pennie, who lives in the poorest part of London. She attends the Field Lane Ragged School. Her desire is to become a schoolteacher. Industrious, Pennie studies, passes the exam, earning her certificate as Novice Teacher.

This gripping historical crime fiction novel, based on fact, is set in Bradford, England, 1888. It explores the horrific murder of Johnny Gill; a murder and mutilation so gruesome, it stuns a nation. Even hardened detectives are affected by its savagery, swiftly comparing it to the work of Jack the Ripper.

Do you want to learn more about the great author Catherine Cookson , but don’t have time to read huge, long biographies? Then let The History Journals take you on an hourly history tour of his life. Mention the name of Catherine Cookson and images of a bygone era will immediately spring to mind. This truly remarkable author created a literary landscape based on her childhood experiences in the North East of England.