Author: Stephen Townesend
Author: Stephen Townesend (1859–1914)
Alternate Name(s): Will Dennis (stage name)
Biography: Stephen Chapman Townesend was born in 1859 in York, the son of clergyman George Tyler Townesend and his wife Georgiana. He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and St. Bartholomew's Hospital where he became a surgeon. After a brief time in practice, he took to the stage under the name "Will Dennis." He also wrote several plays, through which he met and married novelist Frances Hodgson Burnett in 1899. The marriage ended in divorce in 1902. Townesend wrote a few novels as well. He died of pneumonia on 17 May 1914 in London.
Author Tags:
References: British Census (1871, 1901); Evening Mail (25 May 1914); Probate; Who was Who
Fiction Titles:
- A Thorough-Bred Mongrel: The Tale of a Dog, told by a Dog, to Lovers of Dogs. 1 vol. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1900.