Author: Elizabeth de Vaux Agnew
Author: Elizabeth de Vaux Agnew (1798–1881)
Alternate Name(s): Elizabeth Constantia Agnew (alternate name); E. C. A. (pseudonym); Sister Mary Clare Agnew (alternate name)
Biography: Elizabeth Agnew was born on 12 September 1798 in London, the daughter of merchant John Vans Agnew (d. 1812) and his wife Elizabeth (née Stevens). As a young woman, she grew interested in religion and eventually converted to Catholicism in 1833 which caused some distress to her Protestant family. Shortly after, she wrote the novel Geraldine: A Tale of Conscience (1837; 1839) and would follow it with several other works of fiction. She joined a convent taking the religious name Sister Mary Clare. After a brief stay in Cork, she returned to found a community in Bermondsey in 1839. However, her leadership style put her at odds with the others and she left in 1842. She moved to Nice, France and joined another community. She died there on 10 December 1881.
References: British Census (1841); Probate; Annette Schneider, "Elizabeth (Sr Mary Clare) Agnew" (https://www.mercyworld.org/library/elizabeth-sr-mary-clare-agnew/)
Fiction Titles:
- Geraldine: A Tale of Conscience. 3 vol. London: Booker and Dolman, 1837.
- Tales Explanatory of the Sacrements. 2 vol. London: Charles Dolman, 1846.
- Rome and the Abbey: The Sequel to, and by the author of Geraldine: A Tale of Conscience. 1 vol. London: James Burns, 1849.
- The Merchant Prince and his Heir: or, The Triumphs of Duty. A Tale for the World. 1 vol. Dublin: James Duffy, 1863.
- Lights and Shadows of Home Affections: A Moral Tale for the Present Epoch, Humbly Dedicated to her Virtuous Queen. 1 vol. London: Thomas Richardson and Son, 1881.