| Administrative History | Mary Mackay (1855-1924), known by her pseudonym Marie Corelli, was an English novelist who lived at Mason Croft in Stratford-upon-Avon from 1901 until her death.
The artist John Ruskin (1819-1900) used to own Brantwood on Lake Coniston. Ruskin was friends with the artist Arthur Severn (1842-1931), Violet’s father, who inherited Ruskin’s house and also was married to Ruskin’s neice. Marie Corelli had a close relationship with Arthur Severn, writing daily letters to him from 1906 to 1917 and sometimes communicating in babyish language. She called him ‘Pendragon’. Arthur Severn stayed at Mason Croft, using a room as his studio and Marie Corelli visited him at Brantwood. It is said that her novel ‘The Life Everlasting’ features a disguised version of Severn. |