Daphne du Maurier

"I walked this land with a dreamer's freedom and with a
waking man's perception - places, houses whispered to
me their secrets and shared with me their sorrows and
their joys. And in return I gave them something of myself
a few of my novels passing into the folk-lore of this
ancient place."

Daphne du Maurier, 1907-1989

Daphne was born on the 13th May 1907, grand-daughter of the brilliant artist and writer George du Maurier, daughter of Gerald, the most famous Actor Manager of his day, she came from a creative and successful family who bought a holiday home in Cornwall in the 1920's and that house - Ferryside at Bodinnick - became Daphne's favourite haunt and a place of solitude that enabled her to work seriously on her early writing career.

She began writing short stories in 1928, and in 1931 her first novel, 'The Loving Spirit' was published. It received rave reviews and further books followed. Then came her most famous three novels, 'Jamaica Inn', 'Frenchman's Creek' and Rebecca'. Each novel being inspired by her love of Cornwall, where she lived and wrote.

She was known as Daphne du Maurier from 1907 to 1932 when she married Frederick Browning (1896-1965) a military man and became Mrs Frederick Browning while writing as Daphne du Maurier (1932-1946). She was titled Lady Browning; Daphne du Maurier (1946-1969) and later on receiving the honorific Dame of the British Empire, she was Lady Browning; Dame Daphne du Maurier DBE (1969-1989).

She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1969, she was titled Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, DBE, but she never used the title.

Daphne du Maurier was a member of the Cornish nationalist pressure group/political party Mebyon Kernow.

Born in London but for many years she lived at Ferryside, the house her parents bought in 1926 on the Bodinnick side of the River Fowey overlooking the Ferry Crossing, where she spent so many happy early years. In 1943 she moved to Menabilly with her husband where wrote many of her books in a writing-hut in the grounds with a view over the Gribbin, which she rented for many years from the Rashleigh family. In 1965 her husband Frederick died and in 1969 she moved to Kilmarth, both near Fowey, Par and Tywardreath.

Daphne died aged 81 at her home at Kilmarth in 1989, which had been the setting for many of her books. Her body was cremated and her ashes scattered at Kilmarth.

The famous three mile Hall Walk between Polruan and Bodinnick passes alongside Ferryside at Bodinnick and offers stunning views over Fowey, the estuary and out to sea.

Novels

*The Loving Spirit......1931*	*The Parasites......1949*
*I'll Never Be Young Again......1932*	*My Cousin Rachel......1951*
*The Progress of Julius......1933*	*The Scapegoat......1957*
*Jamaica Inn......1936*	*Castle Dor (with Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch)......1962*
*Rebecca......1938*	*The Flight of the Falcon......1965*
*Hungry Hill......1943*	*The House on the Strand......1969*
*Frenchman's Creek......1941*	*Rule Britannia......1972*
*The King's General......1946*

Short Stories

*Come Wind, Come Weather......1940*
*The Apple Tree......1952*	Also published as The Birds and other Stories
*Early Stories......1959*	*All written between the years 1927 and 1930*
*The Breaking Point......1959*	*Also as The Blue Lenses*
*Not Before Midnight......1971*	*Also as Don't Look Now*
*The Rendez-vous......1981*

Non Fiction

*Gerald......1934*	*Vanishing Cornwall......1967*
*The Du Mauriers......1937*	*Golden Lads......1975*
*The Young George du Maurier......1951*	*The Winding Stair......1976*
*Mary Anne......1954*	Myself When Young - The Shaping of a Writer......1977
*The Infernal World of Branwell Bronte...1960*	*The Rebecca Notebooks......1981*
*The Glass-Blowers......1963*	*Enchanted Cornwall......1989*

Biographies & Related Books

*Trilby......1895*	George du Maurier
*Daphne du Maurier......1987*	Richard Kelly
*Daphne du Maurier......1993*	Margaret Forster
*Daphne du Maurier Country......1987*	Martyn Shallcross
*Daphne - A Portrait of Daphne du Maurier......1991*	Judith Cook
*Mrs de Winter......1993*	Susan Hill
*Daphne du Maurier, Letters from Menabilly, Portrait of a Friendship......1993*	Edited by Oriel Malet
*The Cornish World of Daphne du Maurier......1995*	Curtis Brown et al

Daphne du Maurier

Fowey Polkerris Polruan Tywardreath Gribbin Head Menabilly

Cornish Authors Famous Cornish People