Aileen Armitage

Aileen Armitage (pen names Ruth Fabian, Erica Lindley, Aileen Quigley; born 1930)[1] is a British writer and author of more than thirty-five historical novels.[2] She is partially-sighted and legally blind.[2][3]

Early life and education

Armitage was born in Luton, Bedfordshire in 1930. She grew up in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, where her father's family have lived for about 400 years. The family house was in Lindley Moor near Huddersfield. Her grandfather owned a mill in this area. Armitage studied German at Hull University and became a teacher, but due to failing eyesight she had to give up teaching.[2] In 1967, she took a creative writing class through night school,[4] and began writing at night with a felt tip pen and had many magazine articles and short stories published before she turned to longer fiction.[5]

Later life and career

Armitage's first novel was accepted by a publisher,[4] who asked her to write more.[4] She has since been widely published in the UK and in the US. She has written under the names Ruth Fabian, Erica Lindley, Aileen Quigley and Aileen Armitage.[6] In the UK, Armitage is a high Public Lending Right earner.[2]

Awards

In 1988, Armitage received the Frink Women of the Year Award.[7][8] In November 2002 Armitage and her husband were awarded honorary Doctor of Literature degrees by University of Huddersfield.[2]

Personal life

In 1954 Armitage married Peter Quigley, with whom she had four children.[4] The marriage later ended in divorce.[4] In the mid 1980s she met writer Deric Longden, who at that time was married to his first wife Diana, who was suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis. She died in 1985. Armitage married Longden in 1990[2] and they moved to Huddersfield. This part of Armitage's life was included in Longden's 1989 novel Diana's Story, later made into a TV film Wide-Eyed and Legless (1993). Armitage was played by Welsh actress Sian Thomas whilst Longden was played by Jim Broadbent. Longden's book Lost For Words (1991), which continued the story of his life with Aileen and his eccentric mother, was also made into a TV film, Lost for Words (1999), in which Penny Downie played Armitage and Pete Postlethwaite played Longden. Thora Hird played Longden's mother Annie in both films. Longden died of cancer of the oesophagus on 23 June 2013.[9]

Works
  • Child of Fire, 1971
  • King’s Pawn, 1971
  • Shadow of Dungeon Wood, 1972
  • Bloodstone, 1972
  • A Theft of Honour, 1972
  • Rose Brocade, 1972
  • A Scent of Violets, 1973
  • A Devil in Holy Orders, 1973
  • King Bastard. The Story of William the Conqueror, 1973
  • Court Cadenza, 1974
  • Empress to the Eagle, 1975
  • The Radley Curse, 1975
  • The Brackenroyd Inheritance, 1976[10]
  • The Devil in Crystal, 1979
  • Harvest of Destiny, 1979
  • Jacob’s Well, 1981
  • Hawksmoor, 1981 (Hawksmoor series)
  • Pipistrelle, 1982
  • A Dark Moon Raging, 1982 (Hawksmoor series)
  • Hunter’s Moon, 1984 (Hawksmoor series)[4]
  • Touchstone, 1987 (Hawksmoor series)
  • Chapter of Innocence, 1988
  • Hawkrise, 1988 (Hawksmoor series)
  • Chapter of Echoes, 1989
  • Chapter of Shadows, 1990[11]
  • A Midnight Smile, 1993
  • The Jericho Years, 1994
  • Cedar Street, 1995 (Hawksmoor series)
  • Cambermere, 1995
  • Annabella, 1996
  • The Dark Arches, 1996 (Hawksmoor series)
  • Jason’s Dominion, 1997
  • Mallory Keep, 1998
  • The Seamstress, 1999
  • A Winter Serpent, 1999
  • A Passionate Cause, 2000
  • A Double Sacrifice, 2001
  • To Catch and Conquer, 2001
  • Willerby Manor, 2002
  • Flames of Fortune, 2002
  • Conflict of Interest, 2005
  • The Tudor Sisters, 2005

References
  1. "FreeBMD Entry Info". www.freebmd.org.uk.
  2. Bent, Horace (11 January 2002). "Farewell my lovelies". Bookseller (5050): 42. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  3. "Welcome to our site". 23 August 2016. Archived from the original on 23 August 2016.
  4. Robinson, Dianne (28 December 1984). "Aileen Books Her Success". Liverpool Echo. p. 10. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  5. "Aileen Armitage". my-yorkshire.co.uk.
  6. "Aileen Armitage - Bibliophile Books". www.bibliophilebooks.com.
  7. "True Triumph". Liverpool Echo. Liverpool, England. 25 October 1988. p. 6. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  8. "Mrs Aileen Armitage, 48, who became a best-selling novelist". The Daily Telegraph (41472). 25 October 1988. p. 4. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  9. Kilcommons, Denis (25 June 2013). "Obituary:Deric Longden". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  10. "Some fact, some fiction to cheer a rainy day". Wausau Daily Herald. 9 April 1976. p. 20, Focus. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  11. "Books: Of life and death". Liverpool Echo. 12 September 1992. p. 15. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
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