Amelia Edwards
Encyclopedia
Amelia Ann Blanford Edwards (7 June 1831 – 15 April 1892) was an English novelist, journalist
, traveller and Egyptologist.
Born in London
to an Irish
mother and a father who had been a British Army
officer before becoming a banker, Edwards was educated at home by her mother, showing considerable promise as a writer
at a young age. She published her first poem at the age of 7, her first story at age 12. Edwards thereafter proceeded to publish a variety of poetry, stories and articles in a large number of magazines that included Chamber's Journal, Household Words and All the Year Round. She also wrote for the newspapers, the Saturday Review
and the Morning Post
.
Edwards' first full-length novel
was My Brother's Wife (1855). Her early novels were well received, but it was Barbara's History (1864), a novel of bigamy
, that solidly established her reputation as a novelist. She spent considerable time and effort on their settings and backgrounds, estimating that it took her about two years to complete the researching and writing of each. This painstaking work paid off when her last novel, Lord Brackenbury (1880), emerged as a run-away success which went to 15 editions.
In the winter of 1873–1874, accompanied by several friends, Edwards toured Egypt
, discovering a fascination with the land and its cultures, both ancient and modern. Journeying southwards from Cairo
in a hired dahabiyeh
(manned houseboat
), the companions visited Philae
and ultimately reached Abu Simbel
where they remained for six weeks. During this last period, a member of Edwards' party, the English painter Andrew McCallum
, discovered a previously-unknown sanctuary which bore her name for some time afterwards.
Having once returned to the UK
, Edwards proceeded to write a vivid description of her Nile
voyage, publishing the resulting book in 1876 under the title of A Thousand Miles up the Nile. Enhanced with her own hand-drawn illustrations, the travelogue became an immediate bestseller.
Edwards' travels in Egypt had made her aware of the increasing threat directed towards the ancient monuments by tourism and modern development. Determined to stem these threats by the force of public awareness and scientific endeavour, Edwards became a tireless public advocate for the research and preservation of the ancient monuments and, in 1882, co-founded the Egypt Exploration Fund (now the Egypt Exploration Society
) with Reginald Stuart Poole
, curator of the Department of Coins and Medals at the British Museum
. Edwards was to serve as joint Honorary Secretary of the Fund until her death some 14 years later.
With the aims of advancing the Fund's work, Edwards largely abandoned her other literary work to concentrate solely on Egyptology
. In this field she contributed to the ninth edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica
, to the American supplement of that work, and to the Standard Dictionary. As part of her efforts Edwards embarked on an ambitious lecture tour of the United States
in the period 1889–1890. The content of these lectures was later published under the title Pharaohs, Fellahs, and Explorers (1891).
After catching influenza Amelia Edwards died on 15 April 1892 at Weston-super-Mare
. She had lived at Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol
since 1864. She bequeathed her collection of Egyptian antiquities and her library to University College London
, together with a sum of £2,500 to found an Edwards Chair of Egyptology
. She was buried in St Mary's Church, Henbury
, Bristol
. Her grave is marked by an obelisk
at the foot of which lies a stone ankh
.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, traveller and Egyptologist.
Born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
mother and a father who had been a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer before becoming a banker, Edwards was educated at home by her mother, showing considerable promise as a writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
at a young age. She published her first poem at the age of 7, her first story at age 12. Edwards thereafter proceeded to publish a variety of poetry, stories and articles in a large number of magazines that included Chamber's Journal, Household Words and All the Year Round. She also wrote for the newspapers, the Saturday Review
Saturday Review (London)
The Saturday Review of politics, literature, science, and art was a London weekly newspaper established by A. J. B. Beresford Hope in 1855....
and the Morning Post
Morning Post
The Morning Post, as the paper was named on its masthead, was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by The Daily Telegraph.- History :...
.
Edwards' first full-length novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
was My Brother's Wife (1855). Her early novels were well received, but it was Barbara's History (1864), a novel of bigamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
, that solidly established her reputation as a novelist. She spent considerable time and effort on their settings and backgrounds, estimating that it took her about two years to complete the researching and writing of each. This painstaking work paid off when her last novel, Lord Brackenbury (1880), emerged as a run-away success which went to 15 editions.
In the winter of 1873–1874, accompanied by several friends, Edwards toured Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, discovering a fascination with the land and its cultures, both ancient and modern. Journeying southwards from Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
in a hired dahabiyeh
Dahabeah
A dahabeah, also spelled dahabeeyah, dahabiah, dahabiya, dahabiyah and dhahabiyya, as well as dahabiyeh and dahabieh , is a passenger boat used on the River Nile in Egypt. The term is normally used to describe a shallow-bottomed, barge-like vessel with two or more sails...
(manned houseboat
Houseboat
A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a human dwelling. Some houseboats are not motorized, because they are usually moored, kept stationary at a fixed point and often tethered to land to provide utilities...
), the companions visited Philae
Philae
Philae is an island in the Nile River and the previous site of an Ancient Egyptian temple complex in southern Egypt...
and ultimately reached Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel temples refers to two massive rock temples in Abu Simbel in Nubia, southern Egypt on the western bank of Lake Nasser about 230 km southwest of Aswan...
where they remained for six weeks. During this last period, a member of Edwards' party, the English painter Andrew McCallum
Andrew McCallum
Andrew McCallum is a professor and researcher in the computer science department at University of Massachusetts Amherst. His primary specialties are in machine learning, natural language processing, information extraction, information integration, and social network analysis.McCallum graduated...
, discovered a previously-unknown sanctuary which bore her name for some time afterwards.
Having once returned to the UK
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
, Edwards proceeded to write a vivid description of her Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
voyage, publishing the resulting book in 1876 under the title of A Thousand Miles up the Nile. Enhanced with her own hand-drawn illustrations, the travelogue became an immediate bestseller.
Edwards' travels in Egypt had made her aware of the increasing threat directed towards the ancient monuments by tourism and modern development. Determined to stem these threats by the force of public awareness and scientific endeavour, Edwards became a tireless public advocate for the research and preservation of the ancient monuments and, in 1882, co-founded the Egypt Exploration Fund (now the Egypt Exploration Society
Egypt Exploration Society
The Egypt Exploration Society is the foremost learned society in the United Kingdom promoting the field of Egyptology....
) with Reginald Stuart Poole
Reginald Stuart Poole
Reginald Stuart Poole was an English archaeologist and orientalist.-Life:Born in London, he was the son of the Rev. Edward Poole, a well-known bibliophile. His parents became estranged during his early childhood, and his mother, Sophia Lane Poole, took her sons to Egypt to live with her brother,...
, curator of the Department of Coins and Medals at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. Edwards was to serve as joint Honorary Secretary of the Fund until her death some 14 years later.
With the aims of advancing the Fund's work, Edwards largely abandoned her other literary work to concentrate solely on Egyptology
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
. In this field she contributed to the ninth edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
, to the American supplement of that work, and to the Standard Dictionary. As part of her efforts Edwards embarked on an ambitious lecture tour of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the period 1889–1890. The content of these lectures was later published under the title Pharaohs, Fellahs, and Explorers (1891).
After catching influenza Amelia Edwards died on 15 April 1892 at Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
. She had lived at Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
since 1864. She bequeathed her collection of Egyptian antiquities and her library to University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, together with a sum of £2,500 to found an Edwards Chair of Egyptology
Edwards Professor of Egyptian Archaeology and Philology
The Edwards Professor of Egyptian Archaeology and Philology is a university professorial chair held at University College London.-History:The Chair was founded on the death of Amelia Edwards of the Egyptian Exploration Fund in 1892, who bequeathing her collection of Egyptian antiquities to...
. She was buried in St Mary's Church, Henbury
Henbury
Henbury is a suburb of Bristol, England, approximately 5 mi northwest of the city centre. It was formerly a village in Gloucestershire and is now bordered by Westbury-on-Trym to the south; Brentry to the east and the Blaise Castle estate Blaise Hamlet and Lawrence Weston to the west...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. Her grave is marked by an obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
at the foot of which lies a stone ankh
Ankh
The ankh , also known as key of life, the key of the Nile or crux ansata, was the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic character that read "eternal life", a triliteral sign for the consonants ʻ-n-ḫ...
.
Biographies
- Moon, Brenda E.: More usefully employed : Amelia B. Edwards, writer, traveller and campaigner for ancient Egypt. London : Egypt Exploration Society, 2006.
- Rees, Joan: Amelia Edwards : traveller, novelist & Egyptologist. London : Rubicon Press, c1998.
- Rees, Joan. Women on the Nile: Writings of Harriet Martineau, Florence Nightingale, and Amelia Edwards. Rubicon Press: 1995, 2008
External links
- Amelia Edwards biography from A Celebration of Women Writers
- Pharaohs, Fellahs, and Explorers (Full text and illustrations) from A Celebration of Women Writers
- A Thousand Miles up the Nile (Full text and illustrations) from A Celebration of Women Writers
- A Thousand Miles up the Nile (Reprint of the Routledge & Sons 1890 edition) from Norton Creek Press
- Untrodden Peaks and Unfrequented Valleys (Full text and illustrations) from A Celebration of Women Writers
- Amelia Edwards at the Giza Pyramids - an extract from A Thousand Miles up the Nile
- "Mummy", an article from Encyclopædia BritannicaEncyclopædia BritannicaThe Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
, 9th Edition, Volume XVII (1884)