Francesca Maria Steele | |
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| Born | Fanny Maria Steele 21 April 1848 Dalston, Hackney, London, England |
| Died | 16 August 1931 (aged 83) Stroud, Gloucestershire, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Other names | Darley Dale |
| Occupation(s) | Novelist and biographer |
| Years active | 1878–1925 |
| Known for | Biographies of saints |
| Notable work | The convents of Great Britain and Ireland |
Francesca Maria Steele (21 April 1848 – 10 August 1931) was an English novelist, historian, and biographer, who began writing to support her family. She began her writing career with juvenile fiction; she later moved into adult fiction, using the pseudonym Darley Dale for her fiction writing. Intensely religious, she converted to Roman Catholicism in 1887 and later wrote several books on religious topics.