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At the Circulating Library

A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901

A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901

Author: Mary Catherine Stirling

Author: Mary Catherine Stirling (1840–1915)

Alternate Name(s): Kellie-McCallum (married name); Elsie Strivelyne (pseudonym)

Biography: Mary Catherine Stirling was born on 26 June 1840 in Dunblane, Scotland, the daughter of John Stirling and his wife Catherine Mary (née Wellings). Her mother was an author of fiction in her own right. In 1866, she married army officer George Kellie McCallum of the 92nd Highlanders. Under the pseudonym "Elsie Strivelyne" she wrote the fairy tale The Princess of Silverland (1874). Her remaining fiction appeared under "M. C. Stirling" rather than her married name. By the 1890s, the couple lived in Chelsea. Stirling took an interest in the social and political life of her borough and she was one of the first women elected to the Chelsia Guardians. She died at her son-in-law's house in Hampstead in 1915.

Author Tags:

References: British Census (1861, 1911); Chelsea News (17 December 1915); W. B. Cook, The Stirling Antiquary (1904)

Fiction Titles:

  1. The Princess of Silverland, and Other Tales.  1 vol.  London: Macmillan, 1874.
  2. The Grahams of Invermoy.  3 vol.  London: Hurst and Blackett, 1879.
  3. Missing Proofs: A Pembrokeshire Tale.  2 vol.  Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1881.
  4. The Minister's Son: or, Home with Honours.  3 vol.  Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1882.