Person

Manning, Rosemary, 1911-1988, British writer

• Sarah Davys
• Mary Voyle

9/12/1911-5/4/1988

Rosemary Joy Manning was born in Weymouth, Dorset, 9 December 1911. She attended boarding school in Devon and later studied at the Royal Holloway College from 1930 to 1933, graduating with a 2nd class honours degree in Classics.
Manning first worked in a department store on Oxford street and then as a secretary. Unhappy with her work she suffered a nervous breakdown and was treated at the Maudsley Hospital, following this Manning was offered a teaching job by her former headmistress where she stayed as a teacher for a further 35 years and in 1950 she moved to Hampstead, London to take over a long-established girls’ preparatory school as headmistress.
In 1957 Manning released Green Smoke, her first in the series of Dragon children’s books she would become well known for. In 1962 she released The Chinese Garden, following a failed suicide attempt. The book was later known as her greatest novel and an important piece of lesbian literature. After retiring, she publicly came out as a lesbian in a televised interview in 1980. She died on the 5th April 1988.

Weymouth, Dorset (1911-c.1920: Born and raised, pre boarding school)
Poltimore House, Devon (c.1920s: Boarding school)
Royal Holloway, London (1930-1933: University)
London (c.1930s-1940s: Working at department store and as secretary)
Hampstead, London (c.1950s- 1970s: Headmistress of preparatory school, writing)
Tunbridge Wells (c.1980s: Retired)

Secretary (c.1930s)
Writer (c.1950s-1988)
Teacher (c.1930s-1980s)
Headmistress (1950s-1980s)
Public figure (c.1980s)

GB 1534

ISAAR (CPF): International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families, (2nd Edition, 2003); Rules for the construction of personal, place and corporate names, National Council on Archives (1997).

Final

Partial

Created by Mae Moss, May, 2019.

• English

Wikipedia