author
Ashton Hilliers
1854–1941
A British writer who also spent decades building up Reading Museum’s zoology collections, he brought an unusual mix of scientific curiosity and storytelling to his work. Writing under the name Ashton Hilliers, he is best remembered for The Master-Girl, a prehistoric adventure centered on a capable female lead.
1 Audiobook
The Master-Girl
by Ashton Hilliers
About the author
Born in Ipswich on January 19, 1854, Henry Marriage Wallis later lived in Reading and became a well-known local figure. He was active in public life, had strong Quaker ties, and devoted much of his later life to natural history, especially zoology and ornithology.
Wallis served for many years as Honorary Curator of Zoology at Reading Museum, helping to develop its natural history collections and taking a particular interest in birds. Alongside that scientific work, he also wrote fiction and used the pen name Ashton Hilliers.
Under that name he published several books, including The Master-Girl (1910). The novel stands out as a prehistoric romance with an energetic woman at the center of the action, reflecting the same close attention to the natural world that shaped his museum work. He died in Reading on November 10, 1941.