Dear homeway
It certainly isn't easy to find out much about Lettice Bell!
This question has been nagging at me, because clearly her books were
once popular, but who was she? Unfortunately, she was not included in
the biographical dictionaries I checked. The little information I have
suggests she may have moved in evangelical circles in London, but this
is only a "best guess".
Her first book, "Tabernacle Talks with Little People", was published
in 1907. When "Go To Bed Stories" came out in the autumn of 1908, an
advertisement in The Times said they were by the "author of Tabernacle
Talks, last year's great success". The publishers, Morgan & Scott,
suggested it as "The Season's Gift for Children" costing 3s 6d, or a
shilling extra for a luxury edition "exquisitely bound in white, gilt
edges".
The next year she wrote the foreword to a short book called "In Perils
in the City", published by the Federation of Workings Girls' Clubs,
which had grown out of the Factory Helpers' Union, established in
London in 1886 under the auspices of the YWCA. "In Perils in the City"
was written by the missionary, Lucy Evangeline Guinness Kumm.
There are links to other missionaries and evangelists in London, but
how close they were to Lettice Bell, I can't say. Mildred Cable, who
had done mission work in China, wrote a foreword to one of her books,
as did the Rev. George Campbell Morgan of Westminster Chapel.
You may already have found a brief reference to a Mrs. Lettice Bell here:
http://www.casebook.org/ripper_media/rps.apmoore.4.html
This is almost certainly "your" Lettice Bell. Not only are the date
and name right, but the book on that website is about a London family
with a number of friends involved in evangelical/missionary work,
including Alma Kinnaird (Lady Kinnaird), who was actively involved in
the Federation of Working Girls Clubs.
Was Lettice Bell just a pen name? Probably not, going by that 1935
reference. Unfortunately, none of the Lettice or Letitia Bells in the
1901 census look particularly likely to be her. Probably she's there
under her maiden surname. Or was she abroad? None of the free online
genealogical resources help find her.
It's difficult to be sure when she stopped writing because of numerous
fresh editions, which might include re-titling some of her earlier
work. In 1943 she co-wrote and compiled a book of prayers, "Feed my
Lambs", with Marguerite Stephen, but her most active phase seems to
have ended in the mid-1930s.
I got quite caught up in this and am sorry to have so little to
report. I could make suggestions for further research if you are
interested in going to considerable trouble over this, and paying for
certain library and genealogical services.
I wish you well with your project, and will be returning to your nice
website from time to time to see what's new.
Good luck - Leli |
