Matilda Anne Mackarness facts for kids
Matilda Anne Mackarness (born Matilda Planché; November 23, 1825 – May 6, 1881) was an English writer from the 1800s. She mostly wrote books for children.
About Matilda Anne Mackarness
Matilda Anne Mackarness was born on November 23, 1825. She was the younger daughter of James Robinson Planché and Elizabeth St. George. From a young age, Matilda loved writing stories. She wrote novels and moral tales, which are stories that teach a lesson, for children.
Matilda looked up to the famous writer Charles Dickens. In 1845, she published a book called Old Joliffe. Some people thought this book was a playful copy of Dickens's Christmas story The Chimes, which came out in 1844. The next year, she wrote a follow-up book called A Sequel to Old Joliffe.
Her most famous book, A Trap to Catch a Sunbeam, came out in 1849. It was a bright and fun story with a good lesson. This book became very popular! By 1882, it had been printed 42 times and translated into many languages, even Hindustani.
On December 21, 1852, Matilda Planché married Reverend Henry S. Mackarness. His brothers were also important church leaders: John Mackarness was a bishop in Oxford, and George Mackarness was a bishop in Argyll and the Isles. After getting married, Matilda moved to Dymchurch near Hythe, where her husband worked. Later, they moved to Ash-next-Sandwich, Kent.
Henry Mackarness passed away on December 26, 1868. He didn't leave much money for Matilda and their seven children. (Four other children had sadly died when they were babies.) After her husband's death, Mrs. Mackarness lived with her father, first in Chelsea and then in Clapham. Even though she wasn't always well, she kept writing until she died on May 6, 1881, in Margate. She was buried next to her husband in the churchyard at Ash. Matilda was also a talented musician.
Matilda Mackarness's family continued to achieve great things. Her granddaughter, Ursula St. George, was a child actress in the United States in the early 1900s. Later in life, Ursula became a collector of art. Ursula St. George's grandson, Eric Brodnax, was an equestrian (horse rider) who competed for the U. S. Virgin Islands at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Matilda Mackarness's Books
Besides the books mentioned earlier, Matilda Anne Mackarness wrote many others:
- Only, 1849.
- A Merry Christmas, 1850.
- Dream Chintz, 1851.
- Cloud with the Silver Lining, 1851.
- House on the Rock, 1852.
- Influence, or the Evil Genius, 1853.
- Star in the Desert, 1853.
- Thrift, Hints for Cottage Housekeeping, 1855.
- Sibert's Wold, 1856.
- Ray of Light, 1857.
- Coming Home, 1858.
- Golden Rule, 1859.
- Amy's Kitchen, 1860.
- Minnie's Love, 1860.
- When we were Young and other Stories, 1860.
- Little Sunshine, 1861.
- Coraline, or After many Days, 1862.
- Guardian Angel, 1864.
- The Naughty Girl of the Family, 1865.
- Charades, 1866.
- A Village Idol, 1866.
- Example better than Precept, 1867.
- Climbing the Hill, 1868.
- Granny's Spectacles, 1869.
- Married and Settled, 1870.
- Children's Sunday Album of Short Stories, 1870.
- Old Saws new Set, 1871.
- A Peerless Wife, a novel, 1871.
- A Mingled Yarn, a novel, 1872.
- Marion Lee's Good Work, 1873.
- Sweet Flowers, 1873.
- Children of the Olden Time, 1874.
- Tell Mamma, 1874.
- Wild Rose and other Tales, 1874.
- Snowdrop and other Tales, 1874.
- Only a Little Primrose, 1874.
- Rosebud Tales, 1874.
- Pearls restrung, stories from the Apocrypha, 1878.
- Only a Penny; a Moral Tale for Children, 1878.
- Dawn of the Morning, 1879.
- Only a Dog, 1879.
- A Woman without a Head, 1892, published from a manuscript which had been lost for twelve years.
She also wrote for a series called Magnet Stories (from 1860–1862). She wrote a collection of Ballad Stories for the Girl's Own Paper. Matilda also helped edit The Young Lady's Book (1876) and edited and wrote several stories for a publication called Lights and Shadows (1879). Some of her stories were put together and published as the Sunbeam Series.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Elizabeth (1893). "Mackarness, Matilda Anne". Dictionary of National Biography 35. Ed. Sidney Lee. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
