Mary Elizabeth Southwell Dudley

Dudley, Mary Elizabeth Southwell, later Leathley, 1818—1899

by Benjamin Colbert

Mary Elizabeth Southwell Dudley was born in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, the daughter of George Dudley (d. 1827), a Quaker, and his wife Sarah, née Cove. After her father died, the family moved to Easebourne, Sussex. In 1847, Mary Elizabeth converted to Catholicism, the same year marrying William H. Leathley, a solicitor living near the family. She went on to become a popular and prolific children's writer of poetry, religious stories, and fiction.

Sources:

Cust, L. H., and Chloe Johnson. 'Dudley, Howard (1820–1864), wood-engraver and illustrator'. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 23 Sept. 2004. Oxford University Press. Web. 13 Oct. 2014. https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/8153

Loeber, Rolf, and Magda Loeber, with Anne M. Burnham. A Guide to Irish Fiction, 1650-1900. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2006. Print.

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