Mary Cholmondeley (Hodnet, Shropshire, England June 8, 1859 – July 15, 1925) was an English writer. Shropshire (abbreviated Salop or Salops) is a county in the West Midlands of England, bordering Cheshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and the Welsh preserved counties of Powys and Clwyd. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... Events January-May January 3 - Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy. ...

The daughter of the vicar at St. Luke's Church in the village of Hodnet, Mary Cholmondeley spent much of the first thirty years of her life taking care of her sickly mother. Members of her family were involved in the literary world, notably her uncle Reginald Cholmondeley who was a friend of the American novelist, Mark Twain. The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 - April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was a famous and popular American humorist, writer and lecturer. ...

Growing up, Mary Cholmondeley liked to tell stories to her siblings and turned to writing fiction as an escape from the monotony of her daily routine. Her diary showed that by the age of 18 she was already convinced she would never marry, lacking, she believed, the looks and the charms necessary to attract a suitable mate. Novelist Rhoda Broughton introduced her to George Bentley of Richard Bentley and Son, prominent London book publishers who had published some of the early works of Charles Dickens. Rhoda Broughton (November 29, 1840 - June 5, 1920) was a novelist. ... Greater London and the Regions of England. ... Charles Dickens used his rich imagination, sense of humour and detailed memories, particularly of his childhood, to enliven his fiction. ...

Cholmondeley's first book was published under the title, Her Evil Genius and shortly thereafter in 1886, her second work The Danvers Jewels earned her a small, but respectable following. In 1896 her family moved to the village of Condover temporarily before settling permanently in London, where she wrote the 1899 satirical novel, Red Pottage for which she is best remembered.

Although shy because of her isolated background, she became friends with some of the well known literary figures of the time and in addition to more than a dozen novels, Cholmondeley wrote essays, articles and short stories.

As she believed would happen, she died at age 66 without ever having married. Her niece, Stella Benson (1892-1933), also became a novelist.

Selected writings:

• The Danvers Jewels (1886)
• Sir Charles Danvers (1889)
• Let Loose (1890)
• Diana Tempest (1893)
• Devotee : An Episode in the Life of a Butterfly (1897)
• Red Pottage (1899)
• Prisoners (1906)
• The Lowest Rung (1908)
• Moth and Rust (1912)
• Notwithstanding (1913)
• Under One Roof (1917)

Under One Roof has multiple meanings: Under One Roof (novel) is a 1917 novel by Mary Cholmondeley. ...

External link

• Works by Mary Cholmondeley (http://www.gutenberg.org/author/Mary_Cholmondeley) at Project Gutenberg