At the Circulating Library

Author: Wilhelmina Martha James

Author: Wilhelmina Martha James (1845–1932)

Alternate Name(s): Austin Clare (pseudonym)

Biography: Wilhelmina Martha James was born around 1845 in Alston, the eldest daughter of clergyman and landowner Octavius James of Clarghyll Hall and his wife Jane Catherine Helen Bowlby. Tragically, her father died in a house fire in 1889. She never married and became a fixture of Alston life. In her twenties, she began a prolific career as an author under the pseudonym "Austin Clare" and she kept up her writing until well into the twentieth century. In addition, she was the editor of North and South of the Border. According to her obituary, she "enjoyed life and fun" and was remembered for her performances at the annual Alston Union Conservative Club. In later years, she traveled the world and was active during the war in the Aegean theater. James died in March 1932 in London after a short illness.

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• Editors

References: British Census (1881); Burke; Newcastle Journal (24 March 1932); Jane Platt, Subscribing to Faith? The Anglican Parish Magazine 1859-1929 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015)

Fiction Titles:

1. Andre's Trial: A Story of Guernsey.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1868.
2. Davie Armstrong: A Story of the Fells.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1871.
3. Carved Cartoon: A Picture of the Past.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1874.
4. In the North Countrie: Three Hill-side Sketches.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1876.
5. The Royal Banner: A Tale of Life before and after Confirmation.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1878.
6. Left in Charge: Being the History of my Great Responsibility.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1878.
7. A Guiding Star.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1880.
8. The Bells of Freiburg: A Christmas Tale.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1880.
9. One of the Old School: A Portrait Drawn from Life and Coloured from Imagination.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1882.
10. A Dream of Rubens.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1882.
11. A Child of the Menhir: A Novel.  3 vol.  London: Tinsley Brothers, 1883.
12. Stolen from the Sea: A Story of Farm Life in Brittany.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1884.
13. A Sprig of White Heather.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1885.
14. Two Ways of Looking at It: Being the Views of James Elliot, Miner, and Daisy Meadows, Schoolmistress.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1885.
15. A Woman's Dower: A Sketch in Black and White from Two Girls' Lives.  1 vol.  London: Roper & Drowley, 1887.
16. Pandora's Portion: A Story of Hope.  1 vol.  London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1888.
17. For the Love of a Lass: A Tale of Tynedale.  2 vol.  London: Chatto and Windus, 1890.
18. A Pearl in the Shell: A Tale of Life and Love in the North Countrie.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1890.
19. A Local Lion: The Story of a False Estimate for Young Men and Maidens.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1891.
20. Standard-Bearers: A Story of Church Defense.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1891.
21. "Crooked S": The Story of a Square Peg in a Round Hole.  1 vol.  London: Griffith and Farran, 1891.
22. Another Man's Burden: A Tale of Love and Duty.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1892.
23. By Lantern-Light: A Tale of the Cornish Coast.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1893.
24. A Real Repentance: A Story of Oberammergau.  2 vol.  London: Griffith and Farran, 1894.
25. One Step Astray.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1894.
26. Under the Dog-Star: A Tale of the Borders.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1895.
27. An Ill-Matched Pair: The Story of a Marriage of Convenience.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1896.
28. By the Rise of the River: Studies and Sketches in South Tynedale.  1 vol.  London: Chatto and Windus, 1897.
29. The Siege Perilous.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1897.
30. Out of the Net: or, The Change in Robert Holt.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1899.