author
Elizabeth Godfrey
1853–1918
Best known by the pen name Elizabeth Godfrey, this British novelist and historian brought the Stuart world, German history, and the landscapes of southern England vividly to life. Her books mix storytelling with a strong feel for place and the past.
1 Audiobook
The New Forest
by Elizabeth Godfrey
About the author
Born Jessie Bedford in Twyford, Hampshire, in 1853, she later wrote under the name Elizabeth Godfrey. Reliable biographical sources describe her as the daughter of Rev. James Bedford, and note that she was educated at home and traveled in Germany while she was young.
She went on to write around ten novels as well as historical works. Sources consistently connect her writing with the Stuarts, German history, and a biography of Elisabeth of the Palatinate, showing how comfortably she moved between fiction and nonfiction.
Her work also included books with a strong sense of setting, such as The New Forest. Although she is not widely known today, the record of her publications suggests a writer deeply interested in history, character, and the texture of everyday life in earlier times.