Elizabeth Rundle Charles

Born in Tavistock, Devon, on January 2, 1828, she was an English writer and poet who published as Elizabeth Rundle Charles. She wrote on Christian themes, but her books ranged beyond devotional writing into historical fiction, popular religious history, and stories for younger readers.

She was the daughter of John Rundle, a Member of Parliament, and in 1851 she married Andrew Paton Charles. Her writing earned notice early on, and she went on to build a substantial career as an author in the Victorian period.

Among her best-known works is The Schönberg-Cotta Family, a novel that helped bring Reformation history to a wide audience through fiction. She died on March 28, 1896, leaving behind a body of work remembered for its warmth, moral seriousness, and accessible style.