Mrs. Wilfrid Ward

Born Josephine Mary Hope-Scott in Westminster in 1864, she was published as Mrs. Wilfrid Ward after marrying writer and editor Wilfrid Ward in 1887. She was raised in an eminent Catholic family after being orphaned young, and her Roman Catholic faith became the guiding force of both her fiction and nonfiction.

She wrote ten novels and a novella, including One Poor Scruple, Out of Due Time, The Job Secretary, and Tudor Sunset. Her stories often explored religious conviction, moral conflict, and the pressures of contemporary society. She also wrote articles and religious tracts, and edited some of her husband's lectures for publication.

Her influence reached beyond her own books. She provided the initial financial support for the publishing house Sheed and Ward, founded by her daughter Maisie Ward and son-in-law Frank Sheed. Although her work became less widely known after her death in 1932, she remains an interesting figure in English Catholic literary life.