Mary Edith Nepean

Mary Edith Nepean (née Bellis, 1876–1960) was a Welsh writer who wrote in English.[1] Her 35 romantic novels mainly have Welsh settings or characters.[2]

Biography

Born in 1876 in Llandudno, she was the daughter of John Bellis, a county councillor, and his wife Mary. After being educated at home, she studied painting under Robert Fowler. She was later represented in a number of exhibitions.[2]

In 1899, she married the high-ranking civil servant Molyneux Edward Nepean (1870–1848) with whom she moved to London.[3] Active in public life, she became a commandant of the Red Cross in Kent. She travelled to the Near East and the Balkans, where she developed an interest in the Gypsies of Transylvania.[2]

Literary career

Nepean's first novel Gwyneth of the Welsh Hills was published in 1917. It was somewhat influenced by the writings of Allen Raine and Caradoc Evans. In addition to a further 34 novels, she wrote Romance and Realism in the Near East (1933), based on her travels. She also contributed to popular journalism.[2]

Death

Mary Nepean died in Llandudno on 23 March 1960 and was buried in the Great Orme Cemetery.

Selected works

All were published by Stanley Paul of London.

• Gwyneth of the Welsh Hills (1917)
• Welsh Love (1919)
• Cambria's Fair Daughter (1923)
• Bryn Came to the Valley (1946)[4]
• Starlit Folly (1955)

References

1. Who was who among English and European authors, 1931-1949: based on entries which first appeared in The Author's & writer's who's who & reference guide originally compiled by Edward Martell and L. G. Pine and in Who's who among living authors of older nations, originally compiled by Alberta Lawrence. Gale Research Co. 1978.
2. "Nepean (née Bellis), Mary Edith". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
3. "Molyneux Edward Nepean". Ancestry. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
4. Retrieved 5 August 2018.