L. Allen (Lizzie Allen) Harker

Born Lizzie Watson in Gloucester in 1863, she was educated at Cheltenham Ladies’ College and later married James Allen Harker, a professor at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester. After her marriage she wrote under the name L. Allen Harker, and she remained associated with Cirencester for the rest of her life.

She published a long list of novels and other works, including The Ffolliots of Redmarley, Concerning Paul and Fiammetta, Jan and Her Job, and The Really Romantic Age. Her writing ranged from domestic and social fiction to work for younger readers, and she also co-wrote the play Marigold with Francis R. Pryor.

That play had a life beyond the theater: it was later adapted into the 1938 film Marigold, and was also broadcast by the BBC in 1943. She died on April 14, 1933.