Elizabeth Helen Cresswell (1934 - 2005)

Born 11 Jul 1934 in Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Wife of Leslie Brian Rowe — married 1962 (to 1995) in Basford, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom

Died 26 Sep 2005 at age 71 in Eakring, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Helen Cresswell is Notable.

Helen Cresswell was born in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, England.

Author. Her most well known works are the Lizzie Dripping series and the Bagthorpe Saga

Elizabeth (more commonly known by her middle name Helen) was born in 1934. Her parents were Joseph Edward Cresswell (who worked for a manufacturer of electrical products) and Annie Edna Cresswell (nee Clarke). She was the middle of 3 children, having an older brother Peter and younger sister Pauline (born 1936).

In 1939 Elizabeth's parents and brother were living in West Bridgford. Elizabeth and her sister Pauline do not appear with their parents and brother on the 1939 register. It is not clear why, possibly they were staying elsewhere with relatives. However a newspaper clipping in 1949 confirms that an Elizabeth and Pauline Cresswell were resident at the same address given for their parents in the 1939 register (6 Eton Road). ^[1]

Elizabeth was educated at the Nottingham High School for Girls and at Kings College London where she graduated with a degree in English literature. She published her first book in 1960 and went on to write more than 100 children's books in total. She also adapted a number of her own works and the works of others for TV. Many of her adaptations became very successful TV series such as the Demon Headmaster, Famous Five and Moondial.

She married Brian Rowe in 1962. The couple had two children together. The marriage subsequently ended in 1995. ^[2]

She passed away at her home in Eakring in 2005. ^[3]

Research notes

The only birth registration found is for Edna Helen Cresswell ^[4], not Elizabeth Helen. The record has the correct mother's maiden name (Clarke). Was Helen initially registered as Edna but this was subsequently changed to Elizabeth? Edna was Helen's mother's middle name.

Sources

1. ↑ List of prize winners in the Nottingham Journal, Saturday 20th August 1949, page 6. Accessed at British Newspaper Archive on 18Sep2021
2. ↑ Marriage Registration: "England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005"
   General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 3c; Page: 104
   Ancestry uk Record 8753 #41376463 (accessed 18 September 2021)
   Elizabeth H Cresswell marriage Apr-May-Jun 1962 in Basford.
3. ↑ Death: "England and Wales, Death Index, 1989-2019"
   Greypower Deceased Data; Compiled By Wilmington Millennium; West Yorkshire, England; England and Wales Death Indexes
   Ancestry uk Record 60630 #6601488 (accessed 18 September 2021)
   Name: MS Elizabeth Helen Cresswell; Gender: Female; Age: 71; Birth Date: 11 Jul 1934; Last Residence: Newark, Nottinghamshire, England; Postal Code District: Ng22; Death Date: 26 Sep 2005.
4. ↑ Birth Registration: "England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007"
   General Register Office; United Kingdom; Reference: Volume 7b, Page 272
   Ancestry uk Record 8782 #25537690 (accessed 18 September 2021)
   Edna H Cresswell birth Jul-Aug-Sep 1934 in Basford.

See also:

• Wikipedia:Helen Cresswell
• Wikidata: Item Q444313