Winifred Holtby

Chris Willis (London Metropolitan University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.08: English Writing and Culture of the early Twentieth Century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Peter Childs (Newman University), Louise McDonald (Newman University)

Dates

Born 23 Jun 1898
Died 29 Sep 1935
Activity 1918-1935

Places

Born in England
Active in England

Activities

Primary

Journalist
Novelist

Resources

One of Yorkshire's best-loved authors, Winifred Holtby (1898-1935) died tragically young in 1935 just after finishing her masterpiece, South Riding.

Born the Yorkshire Wolds village of Rudston in 1898, Holtby was the daughter of farmers Alice (nèe Winn) and David Holtby. As a teenager, Winifred was sent to Queen Margaret's School, Scarborough. On 6 December 1914 the town was shelled by German warships, causing heavy casualties. 16-year-old Holtby's vivid eye-witness account was published in the Bridlington Chronicle. The article was reprinted as a pamphlet and sold in aid of the Red Cross. It was still being used as a teaching aid in Scarborough schools in the 1970s.

After working briefly in a London n…

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804 words

Citation: Willis, Chris. "Winifred Holtby". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 July 2001 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5056, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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