Naomi Margaret Mitchison, CBE (nee Haldane; 1 November 1897 Edinburgh – 11 January 1999 at Carradale) was a Scottish novelist and poet. She was appointed CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1981; she was also entitled to call herself Baroness Mitchison, CBE since 5 October 1964 (but never apparently used that style herself). Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Edinburgh (pronounced ; Dùn Èideann () in Scottish Gaelic) is the capital of Scotland and its second-largest city. ... January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... A picturesque village on the east side of Kintyre, overlooking the Kilbrannan Sound and the west coast of the Isle of Arran, approximately 14 miles from Campbeltown. ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen of the UK Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... A poet is some one who writes poetry. ...

Biography

Childhood and Family Background

Naomi Margaret Haldane was the daughter and younger child of the physiologist John Scott Haldane (1860 – 1936) CH, FRS and his wife (Louisa) Kathleen Trotter, a suffragist. Naomi's parents came from different political backgrounds, her father being a Liberal and her mother from a Tory and pro-imperialist family. However both families were of landed stock, and the Haldane family had been feudal barons of Gleneagles since the 13th century, but were nevertheless known for their achievements in other spheres. Today, the best known member of the family is probably Naomi's elder brother, the biologist Jack Haldane (1892 – 1964), but in her youth her paternal uncle Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane, twice Lord Chancellor (from1912-1915 under Herbert Henry Asquith, and in 1924 during the first Labour government of Ramsay Macdonald), was better known. Physiology (in Greek physis = nature and logos = word) is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms. ... John Scott Haldane John Scott Haldane (May 3, 1860 – March 15/March 14, 1936) was a Scottish medical doctor. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Suffragette with banner, Washington DC, 1918 The title of suffragette was given to members of the womens suffrage movement in the United Kingdom and United States, particularly in the years prior to World War I. The name was the Womens Social and Political Union (founded in 1903). ... This article is about the historic Liberal Party. ... The term Tory (from Irish Gaelic tóraighe, an outlaw or guerrilla fighter, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms — literally meaning pursued man) applied to the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... Imperialism is the policy of extending the control or authority over foreign entities as a means of acquisition and/or maintenance of empires, either through direct territorial or through indirect methods of exerting control on the politics and/or economy of other countries. ... Scottish aristocrats. ... Glen Eagles is a glen or valley in the Ochil Hills. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of organisms. ... John Burdon Sanderson Haldane (November 5, 1892 - December 1, 1964), who normally used J.B.S. as a first name, was a geneticist born in Scotland and educated at Eton and Oxford University. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Lord Haldane Richard Burdon Sanderson Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane, (July 30, 1856 - August 19, 1928), was an important British Liberal politician, lawyer, and philosopher. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Right Honourable Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC (12 September 1852–15 February 1928) served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in the United Kingdom. ... James Ramsay MacDonald (12 October 1866–9 November 1937) was a British politician and twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ...

Naomi was educated at the Dragon School, Oxford and began a science degree at the University of Oxford, but gave this up to become a nurse. She returned to her studies after catching scarlet fever, and restarted her studies in science (as a home student) at what is now St Anne's College, Oxford. The Dragon School is a renowned British preparatory school in the city of Oxford, founded in 1877. ... Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... This article focuses on the education and regulation of nurses. ... St Annes College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. ...

In 1916 Naomi married the barrister Gilbert Richard Mitchison (23 March 1894– 14 February 1970), who was a close friend of her brother Jack. He was then on leave from the Western Front of World War I, and like her, he came from a well-connected and wealthy family. Her husband became a QC, then a Labour politician, and eventually a Life Peer as Baron Mitchison in August 1964. They had seven children. Dick and Naomi Mitchison's four sons were Geoffrey (1918-1927, who died of meningitis) Denis (born 1919) later a professor of bacteriology, Murdoch (born 1922), and Avrion (born 1928), both professors of zoology. Their three daughters were Lois, Valentine, and Clemency (who died in 1940 after her birth). 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... English barrister A barrister is a lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions who employ a split profession (as opposed to a fused profession) in relation to legal representation. ... Gilbert Richard Mitchison, Baron Mitchison of Carradale QC, otherwise known as Dick Mitchison ( 23 March 1894–14 February 1970), was a British Labour politician. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... Combatants Belgium, British Empire, France, United States, other Western Allies of WWI Germany Commanders No unified command until 1918, then General Ferdinand Foch Kaiser Wilhelm II Casualties ~4,800,000 Unknown though considerably higher Following the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the German army opened the Western... Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in the United Kingdom. ... In the United Kingdom, Life Peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles may not be inherited (those whose titles are inheritable are known as hereditary peers). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Denis Anthony Denny Mitchison (born 1919) is a British bacteriologist. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Microbiology (in Greek micron = small and biologia = studying life) is the study of microorganisms, including unicellular (single-celled) eukaryotes and prokaryotes, fungi, and viruses. ... John Murdoch Mitchison FRS (born 1922), known as Murdoch Mitchison, is a British zoologist. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Nicholas Avrion Av Mitchison FRS (born 1928) is a British zoologist Biography Mitchison was born in 1919, the eldest son of the Labour politician Dick Mitchison and his wife, the writer Naomi (nee Haldane). ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Zoology is the biological discipline which involves the study of non human animals. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ...

They lived from 1939 at Carradale House at Carradale in Kintyre, where Naomi died in 1999. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... A picturesque village on the east side of Kintyre, overlooking the Kilbrannan Sound and the west coast of the Isle of Arran, approximately 14 miles from Campbeltown. ... Kintyre shown within Argyll Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland in the south-west of Argyll. ...

Literary Career

Mitchison was a prolific writer, completing more than 90 books in her lifetime, across a multitude of styles and genres. These include historical novels such as her first novel The Conquered (1923) a story set in 1st century BC Gaul during the Gallic Wars of Julius Caesar, and her second novel Cloud Cuckoo Land (1925) set in 5th century BC Ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian War. Her best work is considered The Corn King and the Spring Queen (1931) which treats three different societies including a wholly fictional one, and also frankly explores themes of sexuality (daring for its day). The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 1st century BC started on January 1, 100 BC and ended on December 31, 1 BC. An alternative name for this century is the last century BC. The AD/BC notation does not use a year zero. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... Combatants Roman Republic Several Gallic tribes Commanders Julius Caesar Titus Labienus Mark Antony Quintus Cicero Vercingetorix, Ambiorix, Commius, among other The Gallic Wars were a series of military campaigns by several invading Roman legions under the command of Julius Caesar into Gaul, and the subsequent uprisings of the Gallic tribes. ... Gāius Jūlius Caesar (IPA: ;[1]), July 12 or July 13, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC) was a Roman military and political leader and one of the most influential men in world history. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 5th century BC started on January 1, 500 BC and ended on December 31, 401 BC. // The Parthenon of Athens seen from the hill of the Pnyx to the west. ... The Ancient Greek world, circa 550 BC Ancient Greece does not exsist Ancient Greece is also the term used to describe the Greek-speaking world in ancient times. ... Combatants Delian League led by Athens Peloponnesian League led by Sparta Commanders Pericles Cleon Nicias Alcibiades Archidamus II Brasidas Lysander The Peloponnesian War (431 BC–404 BC) was an Ancient Greek military conflict fought by Athens and its empire and the Peloponnesian League, led by Sparta. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ...

Later works included more historical novels The Bull Calves (1947) about the 1745 Jacobite Rising and The Young Alexander the Great (1960). Mitchison also turned to fantasy such as Graeme and the Dragon (1954; Graeme was her grandson through Denis); science fiction such as Memoirs of a Spacewoman (1962) and Solution Three (1975); non-fiction such as African Heroes (1968), together with children's novels, poetry, travel and a three-volume autobiography. 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Each Jacobite Rising formed part of a series of military campaigns by Jacobites attempting to restore the Stuart kings to the thrones of England and Scotland (and after 1707, Great Britain) after James VII of Scotland and II of England was deposed in 1688 and the thrones claimed by his... Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BC–June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336–323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Denis Anthony Denny Mitchison (born 1919) is a British bacteriologist. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Non-fiction is an account or representation of a subject which is presented as fact. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... Cover of An autobiography, from the Greek auton, self, bios, life and graphein, write, is a biography written by the subject or composed conjointly with a collaborative writer (styled as told to or with). The term dates from the late eighteenth century, but the form is much older. ...

Undoubtedly her most controversial work, We Have Been Warned was published in 1935 and explored sexual behaviour, including rape and abortion. The book was rejected by various publishers, was extensively rewritten to make it more acceptable to publishers, and was still subject to censorship. 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

After her husband's death, Mitchison wrote several memoirs, published as separate titles between 1973 and 1985. She was also a good friend of the writer J.R.R. Tolkien and she was one of the proof readers of The Lord of the Rings. J. R. R. Tolkien in 1916. ... The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written by English academic J. R. R. Tolkien and his counterpart Ashley B. The story began as a sequel to Tolkiens earlier fantasy book The Hobbit and soon developed into a much larger story. ...

Activism

Mitchison, like her brother, was a committed Socialist in the 1930s. She visited the Soviet Union in 1932, and wrote We Have Been Warned about her experiences during that trip. The book was not successful, nor was her fictionalizing of stories about Jews living under the Nazi regime in Germany and Austria. She stood unsuccessfully as Labour candidate for the Scottish universities in 1935, at a time when universities were allowed to elect MPs. Eventually, as her political candidacy and her pro-Left writings both failed, she gradually became disenchanted with the Left. In 1939, when World War II broke out, Dick and Naomi Mitchison moved to Carradale in Scotland where they spent the rest of their lives. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead...

Mitchison's advocacy continued in other ways. She acted a spokeswoman for the island communities of Scotland, and became an advisor to the Bakgatla tribe of Botswana. Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen of the UK Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification... http://www. ...

Mitchison was a Life Fellow of the Eugenics Society. She was also a vocal campaigner for women's rights, advocating birth control, and was also active in local government in Scotland (1947 – 1976). Her own lack of knowledge about birth control (as stated in her memoirs) led to her interest in the causes of birth control and abortion. Mitchison helped found the first birth control clinics in London. Today, she is best known for her advocacy of feminism and her tackling of then-taboo subjects in her writing. The Eugenics Education Society, later the Eugenics Society (often known as the British Eugenics Society to distinguish it from others) was a society formed in 1907 in the United Kingdom to promote eugenics. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Birth control is a regimen of one or more actions, devices, or medications followed in order to deliberately prevent or reduce the likelihood of a woman becoming pregnant or giving birth. ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen of the UK Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ...

Later life

On 5 October 1964, Dick Mitchison was created a life peer as Baron Mitchison of Carradale in the County of Argyll on retirement for his political work. His wife Naomi thus became Lady Mitchison (as the wife of a Life Peer), but apparently chose not to use the title. Her husband died in 1970, but Naomi remained active as a writer well into her eighties. She was appointed CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1981. Continuing to write into her eighties, she died at Carradale at the age of 101. She was survived by her three younger sons (all scientists) and her two elder daughters, and by several other descendants. October 5 is the 278th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (279th in Leap years). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... A picturesque village on the east side of Kintyre, overlooking the Kilbrannan Sound and the west coast of the Isle of Arran, approximately 14 miles from Campbeltown. ...

Bibliography

Biographies of Mitchison

• Naomi Mitchison: A Biography by Jill Benton (London: Pandora, 1990)
• The Nine Lives of Naomi Mitchison (1997, Virago)

Autobiography

Mitchison's autobiography is in three parts.

• Small Talk: Memories of an Edwardian Childhood
• All Change Here: Girlhood and Marriage (1975)
• - published together as: As It Was: An Autobiography 1897-1918 (1975)
• You May Well Ask: A Memoir, 1920-1940 (1979)

Note on her title

She apparently never used it in life.

Her title came from her husband, who was made a Life Peer in 1964. Naomi Mitchison was not properly entitled to be called Lady Naomi Mitchison (although The Guardian and some other news sources make or perpetuate this error), but was rather Baroness Mitchison of Carradale formally, or less formally Lady Mitchison. She apparently preferred to be known as Naomi Mitchison. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren called her Nou. They often went to Caradale along with the rest of the family for huge family gatherings and holidays. They all loved Nou but she was very strict about dinner, no children in the dining hall at dinner, they ate in the kitchen. She had a huge gong which the kids would take turns to ring every night at dinner time to get all the peopl down stairs to the dining hall. You couldn't just shout as no one would hear. Caradale had secret doors and passageways that the children would hide in from the parents at bedtime. If you went out the garden door you woulgd come to one of the many giant gardens that they all had easter hunts in. But if you went further down than that you would come to a field, then thistle bushes and then the sea. It was beautiful and nearly every day of the holidays everyone even Nou went down to the sea. You could also come up a different way and you would come to a campsite and a path that went through a very small forest. In one of Nou's garden's there was a river with stepping stones and the younger kids often played there, with adult supervision, of course. Then one day the kids got told that the house was going to be sold and obviosly they were devastyated and they had the choice to either go there one last time or go to Inverness. They all went for Caradale. Whoever ownes it now please please give it back to them, the Mitchisons. It's our memory bank.

 Catriona Mitchison, 12 

External links

Biographical profiles for Naomi Mitchison

• Literary Encyclopedia detailed entry which says she had seven children and that she received her CBE in 1981
• Guardian obituary, which states she had six children, and that she received her CBE in 1985
• Spartacus entry
• The Scotsman biographical profile for Naomi Mitchison
• another entry from Canongate publishers
• Interview 15 April 1989 with Naomi Mitchison, focusing on her Arthurian novel "To the Chapel Perilous" (1955)

Biographical profiles for her husband Gilbert "Dick" Mitchison (later Lord Mitchison QC]

• Gilbert "Dick" Mitchison entry

Biographical profile for her father John Haldane CH

• profiles John Haldane with links to his even more successful brother Viscount Haldane
• Haldane genealogy her grandparents are Robert Haldane of Cloan (1805-1877) and his second wife Mary Elizabeth Burdon-Sanderson (d 1925)

Bibliographies/ focus on Naomi as a writer

• Guardian view of Mitchison as a writer
• Partial Bibliography
• some literary information, and useful links

Others

• British Honours