Ellen Buckingham Mathews (26 August 1849 – 10 March 1920) was a popular English novelist during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was also known as Mrs Reeves[1] after her marriage in 1877 to Dr. Henry Albert Reeves (1841–1914)[2][3][4] but was best known under her pen name, Helen Mathers.[2]
She was born in Misterton, Somerset, to Thomas Mathews, a horsehair manufacturer, and Maria Ann Mathews.[5] Her first novel, Comin' thro' the Rye was published in 1875. It was partly based on people in her life and on her own early romantic experiences. She also acknowledged Rhoda Broughton as an early influence. She continued to write until her death.
She was educated at a boarding school in Chantry near Frome in Somerset. In her first novel, Comin' thro' the Rye, she describes some of her experiences at school. Mr Russell in the novel was the Rev. Mr. Fussell in real life, who was the Lord of the manor and founder of the school. In the novel she calls the village Charteris. From 1875 to 1895, the novel sold more than 35,000 copies.[2]
Due to a confusion of titles, some sources attribute a number of books by Scottish novelist Anne S. Swan to Mathers. Mathers published a short novel entitled Land o' the Leal, by the Author of Comin' Thro' the Ry" in 1878.[6]
She died in Brondesbury in 1920.[7]
- ^ "Mathers, Helen (Mrs. Henry Mathers)". Who's Who: 1667. 1919.
- ^ a b c Sutherland, John (2009). "Mathers, Helen". The Longman Companion to Victorian Literature (2nd ed.). Routledge. p. 426. ISBN 9781317863335.
- ^ "Henry Albert Reeves". The Midland Medical Miscellany. 1 (5): 65–66. 1882.
- ^ "Reeves, Henry Albert". Who's Who: 1676. 1913.
- ^ 1871 England Census
- ^ Bell, Bill; Finkelstein, David; McCleery, Alistair (2007). The Edinburgh History of the Book in Scotland: Professionalism and diversity 1880-2000. Edinburgh University Press. p. 395. ISBN 978-0-7486-1829-3. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ "Death of Helen Mathers". Liverpool Daily Post. 13 March 1920. p. 8. Retrieved 21 July 2024.