Monica Edwards facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Monica Edwards
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Edwards in 1966 (back cover, The Badgers of Punchbowl Farm)
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| Born | Monica le Doux Newton 8 November 1912 Belper, Derbyshire, United Kingdom |
| Died | 18 January 1998 (aged 85) Surrey |
| Resting place | Ashes scattered in Vanhurst Copse, Thursley, Surrey, U.K. |
| Occupation | Author, naturalist and farmer |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Wakefield Girls' High School (September 1920 - July 1921) St Brandon's School, Bristol (January 1928 - April 1928) |
| Period | 1947–1976 |
| Genre | Young adult fiction, natural history |
| Notable works | Wish for a Pony (1947) Storm Ahead (1953) No Going Back (1960) The Badgers of Punchbowl Farm (1966) |
| Spouse | William ("Bill") Ferdinand Edwards |
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Monica Edwards was a British author who wrote many popular children's books in the mid-1900s. She is famous for her adventure stories set in two main places: Romney Marsh and Punchbowl Farm. Her books often feature young people, animals, and exciting outdoor adventures.
Contents
Monica Edwards' Early Life
Monica Edwards was born Monica le Doux Newton on November 8, 1912, in Belper, Derbyshire. She was the third of four children. Her family moved several times during her childhood.
In 1919, they moved to Wakefield, Yorkshire. Later, in 1927, her family settled in Rye Harbour in Romney Marsh, Sussex. Her father was a vicar there until 1936. Monica's school education was not continuous. She attended Wakefield Girls' High School for about a year. When living in Rye Harbour, she went to St Brandon's School in Bristol for only three months in 1928. After that, she did not have any more formal schooling.
The Mary Stanford Lifeboat Disaster
In November 1928, Monica Edwards saw a terrible event. The Mary Stanford lifeboat capsized in Rye Bay. All seventeen crew members on board were lost. This was a huge tragedy because the lifeboat was thought to be unsinkable.
Monica knew all the crew members personally. Her father, Reverend Harry Newton, led the large funeral for them. Many important people attended, including representatives from King George V. This sad event deeply affected Monica. Years later, she wrote about a fictional version of the lifeboat disaster in her book Storm Ahead, published in 1953.
Monica's Marriage and Farm Life
Monica Newton married William "Bill" Edwards in November 1933, just after her 21st birthday. Their families were not happy about the marriage at first. Bill was ten years older than Monica and worked as a lorry driver.
After living in a few different places, they bought a farm in Thursley, Surrey, in 1947. They named it Punch Bowl Farm.
Building Punchbowl Farm
From 1947 to 1968, Monica and Bill worked hard to improve their farm. It had been almost falling apart, but they turned it into a successful dairy farm. They raised only purebred Jersey cattle. During these years, Monica wrote ten books in her Punchbowl Farm series. These stories were set on their farm and in the surrounding area.
In her books, she changed the farm's name slightly to "Punchbowl Farm." She also changed the name of Thursley to "Highnoons." The main characters in these books were the Thornton family, especially the children: Andrea, Dion, Lindsey, and Peter.
Punchbowl Farm Book Series
- No Mistaking Corker (1947)
- Black Hunting Whip (1950)
- Punchbowl Midnight (1951)
- Spirit of Punchbowl Farm (1952)
- The Wanderer (1953)
- Punchbowl Harvest (1954)
- Frenchman's Secret (1956)
- The Cownappers (1958)
- The Outsider (1961)
- Fire in the Punchbowl (1965)
- The Wild One (1967)
Their farm life ended in August 1968. Bill had a serious tractor accident. After this, they sold the farm. They built a smaller house for their retirement in one of the farm's fields.
Romney Marsh Book Series
Monica Edwards also wrote fifteen books in her Romney Marsh series. The first book, Wish for a Pony, came out in 1947. These stories are set in the village of Rye Harbour, which she renamed Westling in her books. Other nearby towns like Rye and Winchelsea were also renamed Dunsford and Winklesea.
The stories feature many characters inspired by real people Monica knew as a child. For example, the ferryman Jim Decks and the character Hookey Galley were based on real people. The main young characters in these novels are Tamzin Grey, Rissa Birnie, Meryon Fairbrass, and Roger Lambert. Tamzin's father, Reverend Richard Grey, was based on Monica's own father.
Romney Marsh Book Titles
- Wish for a Pony (1947)
- The Summer of the Great Secret (1948)
- The Midnight Horse (1949)
- The White Riders (1950)
- Cargo of Horses (1951)
- Hidden in a Dream (1952)
- Storm Ahead (1953)
- No Entry (1954)
- The Nightbird (1955)
- Operation Seabird (1957)
- Strangers to the Marsh (1957)
- No Going Back (1960)
- The Hoodwinkers (1962)
- Dolphin Summer (1963)
- A Wind Is Blowing (1969)
Publishing Her Books
When Monica Edwards wrote her first book, Wish for a Pony, she didn't know she needed a literary agent. She simply sent it to Collins (now HarperCollins), who decided to publish it. However, Monica soon wanted to change much of this first book. Collins told her they would only publish her next story if Wish for a Pony stayed as it was.
All her books in both series were published by Collins. Some shorter versions of her books were also published as Armada paperbacks.
Monica Edwards worked with several illustrators for her books. Geoffrey Whittam was her main illustrator. Other artists like Anne Bullen, Joan Wanklyn, and Charles Tunnicliffe also drew pictures for her stories.
In the 1980s, a publisher named John Goodchild started releasing new versions of some of her earlier books. Monica updated these stories to make them feel less like they were from the 1950s. However, the project stopped when Goodchild passed away.
More recently, Monica Edwards' two children, Shelley and Sean, have allowed their mother's books to be republished. A company called Girls Gone By Publishers is now reprinting all her books. These new editions are mostly for adults who remember reading them as children.
Later Life and Legacy
Monica Edwards' last new book, Badger Valley, was published in 1976. For the next twenty years, she enjoyed traveling, reading, and studying nature.
Her husband, Bill Edwards, passed away in October 1990. Monica Edwards died in January 1998. Her ashes were scattered in Vanhurst Copse, a wooded area near her home in Surrey.
Images for kids
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Monica Edwards' signature
