Meriol Trevor was one of the most prolific Roman Catholic women writers of the twentieth century. She was educated at Perse Girls' School

Perse School for Girls

The Stephen Perse Foundation is an independent, fee-paying day school situated near the centre of Cambridge, England. The Foundation is made up of four schools: The Stephen Perse Pre-Prep School, for boys and girls aged 3-7, Perse Girls Junior School,for girls aged 7-11, Perse Girls Senior School,...

, Cambridge

Cambridge

The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...

, and St Hugh's College, Oxford

St Hugh's College, Oxford

St Hugh's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. It is located on a fourteen and a half acre site on St Margaret's Road, to the North of the city centre. It was founded in 1886 as a women's college, and accepted its first male students in its centenary year in 1986...

, taking her degree in 1942. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 she worked in a day nursery and later as the steerer of a cargo barge on the Grand Union Canal

Grand Union Canal

The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...

. In 1946 she went to Italy as a relief worker with UNRRA and lived for nearly a year in the Abruzzi. In Italy Trevor was exposed to Catholic culture. Previously an agnostic humanist, she was received into the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 at Oxford in 1950. Her two-volume biography of John Henry Newman was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize

James Tait Black Memorial Prize

Founded in 1919, the James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are among the oldest and most prestigious book prizes awarded for literature written in the English language and are Britain's oldest literary awards...

 for Biography in 1962. She also wrote biographies of Pope John XXIII

Pope John XXIII

-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...

, Philip Neri

Philip Neri

Saint Philip Romolo Neri , also known as Apostle of Rome, was an Italian priest, noted for founding a society of secular priests called the "Congregation of the Oratory".-Early life:...

, and James II

James II of England

James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...

, as well as many historical novels and children's stories and a book of poetry. In 1967 she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

Royal Society of Literature

The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...

. An annual lecture series in her honour was begun in 2000 in her home town of Bath.

Novels

• The Last of Britain (1956)
• The New People (1957)
• A Narrow Place (1958)
• Shadows and Images (1960)
• The City and the World (1970)
• The Holy Images (1971)
• The Two Kingdoms (1973)
• The Fugitives (1973)
• The Marked Man (1974)
• The Enemy at Home (1974)
• The Forgotten Country (1975)
• The Treacherous Paths (1976)
• The Fortunate Marriage (1976)
• The Civil Prisoners (1977)
• The Fortunes of Peace (1978)
• The Wanton Fires (1979)
• The Sun with a Face (1982)
• The Golden Palaces (1986)

Books for children

• The Forest and the Kingdom (1949) (World Dionysius Novels 1)
• Hunt the King, Hide the Fox (1950) (World Dionysius Novels 2)
• The Fires and the Stars (1951) (World Dionysius Novels 3)
• Sun Slower, Sun Faster (1955)
• The Treasure Hunt (1957)
• Merlin's Ring (1957)
• The Other Side of the Moon (1957)
• The Caravan War (1958)
• The Sparrow Child (1958)
• Four Odd Ones (1958)
• William's Wild Day Out (1963)
• The Rose Round (1963)
• The Midsummer Maze (1964)
• Lights in a Dark Town (1964)
• The King of the Castle (1966)
• The Crystal Snowstorm (1997) (Letzenstein Chronicles Book 1)
• Following the Phoenix (1998) (Letzenstein Chronicles Book 2)
• Angel and Dragon (1999) (Letzenstein Chronicles Book 3)
• The Rose and Crown (1999) (Letzenstein Chronicles Book 4)

Nonfiction

• Newman: The Pillar of the Cloud (1962)
• Newman: Light in Winter (1962)
• Newman Today (1963) (23-page Catholic Truth Society
  Catholic Truth Society
  Catholic Truth Society is a body that prints and publishes Catholic literature, including apologetics but also prayerbooks, spiritual reading, lives of saints and so forth...
  
   pamphlet
  Pamphlet
  A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
  
  )
• Newman: A Portrait Restored. An Ecumenical Revaluation (with John Coulson and A.M. Allchin) (1965)
• Apostle of Rome: A Life of St Philip Neri, 1515-1595 (1966)
• Pope John (1967); new edition Pope John: Blessed John XXIII (2000)
• Prophets and Guardians: Renewal and Tradition in the Church (1969)
• The Arnolds: Thomas Arnold and His Family (1973)
• Newman's Journey (1974)
• The Shadow of a Crown: The Life Story of James II of England and VII of Scotland (1988)
• John Henry Newman: Apostle to the Doubtful (with Leonie Caldecott) (2001)

External links

• 1989 Interview with Meriol Trevor
• Books in print at Bethlehem books
• 5th Meriol Trevor Lecture
• Obituary -- in The Guardian
  The Guardian
  The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
  
  , 31 Jan. 2000.