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Dame Catherine Ann Cookson DBE (27 June 1906 – 11 June 1998) was an English author. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Cookson became Britain's most widely read novelist, while remaining a relatively low-profile figure in the world of celebrity writers. Her books were inspired by her deprived youth in North East England, the setting for her novels. North-East England is one of the nine official Regions of England and comprises the combined area of Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear

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Early life

Born Kate McMullen (Catherine Ann Davies) at 5 Leam Lane in Tyne Dock, South Shields, (then part of County Durham), she later moved to East Jarrow, County Durham (now in Tyne and Wear), which would become the setting for one of her best known novels, The Fifteen Streets. Tyne Dock is a small neighbourhood within the town of South Shields, England, on the south of the River Tyne. South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne. Jarrow (ˈjæroʊ or /ˈjærə/ is a Town on the River Tyne, England with a Population around 27000 (2001 Census) Cookson was the illegitimate child of an alcoholic mother, Kate Fawcett. Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions As a child, Cookson thought that her unmarried mother was her sister, and was raised by her grandmother Rose McMullen and her step-grandfather John McMullen.

She left school at 13 and, after a period of domestic service, took a laundry job in the workhouse in South Shields. Laundry can be items of Clothing and other Textiles that require Washing the act of washing clothing and textiles A workhouse, colloquially known as a spike was a place where people who were unable to support themselves could go to live and work South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne. In 1929 she moved south to run the laundry at Hastings workhouse, saving every penny to buy herself a large Victorian house and taking in gentleman lodgers to supplement her income. Hastings is a town on the coast of East Sussex in England; it is also the administrative centre for the Borough of the same name

In June 1940, at the age of 34, she married Tom Cookson, a teacher at Hastings Grammar School. The William Parker Sports College, formerly known as Hastings Grammar School, and later as William Parker School, is a Secondary school in Hastings After experiencing four miscarriages late in pregnancy, it was discovered she was suffering from a rare vascular disease, telangiectasia, which causes bleeding from the nose, fingers and stomach and results in anemia. Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the natural or spontaneous end of a Pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving generally defined The blood vessels are part of the Circulatory system and function to transport Blood throughout the body Telangiectasias are small dilated Blood vessels near the surface of the skin or Mucous membranes measuring between 0 Anemia ( AmE) or anæmia/anaemia ( BrE) (from the Ancient Greek grc-Latn anaîmia, meaning “without blood” is defined as a qualitative A mental breakdown followed the miscarriages, from which she took a decade to recover. Mental breakdown (also known as nervous breakdown or snapping) is a non-medical term used to describe a sudden acute attack of Mental illness such as

Writing career

Cookson took up writing as a form of therapy to tackle her depression, and joined Hastings Writers' Group. Hastings Writers' Group is an organisation for published and aspiring writers based in Hastings, East Sussex. Her first novel, Kate Hannigan, was published in 1950. Though it was labelled a romance, she expressed discontent with the stereotype. A romance novel is a literary Genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries Her books were, she said, historical novels about people and conditions she knew. An historical novel is a Novel in which the story is set among historical events or more generally in which the time of the action predates the lifetime of the Author Cookson had little to do with the London literary circus. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. She was always more interested in practicing the art of writing. Her research could be uncomfortable - going down a mine, for instance, because her heroine came from a mining area. Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body Having in her youth wanted to write about "above stairs" in grand houses, she later and successfully concentrated on people ground down by circumstances, taking care to know them well.

Cookson went on to write almost 100 books, selling more than 123 million copies of her books, her works being translated into at least 20 languages. She also authored books under the pseudonyms Catherine Marchant and a name derived from her childhood name, Katie McMullen. A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias)

She remained the most borrowed author from public libraries in the UK for more than 20 years, only losing the title in 2004, which is testament to the ongoing popularity of her novels. A public library (also called circulating library) is a Library which is accessible by the Public and is generally funded from public sources (such "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "

Books in film and television

Many Catherine Cookson novels have been transferred to stage, film and radio. It was on television, however, that she achieved her greatest media success, with a series of dramas on ITV lasting over a decade and achieving huge ratings. Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent Eighteen Cookson adaptions were made, regularly attracting more than 10 million viewers. The first was an adaption of The Fifteen Streets (1989) starring Sean Bean and Jane Horrocks, which became hugely successful. Shaun Mark Bean (born 17 April 1959 is an English Film and stage Actor. Jane Horrocks (born 18 January 1964) is an English actress, Musician, and singer The Black Velvet Gown (1991), with Janet McTeer, Bob Peck and Geraldine Somerville, won the International Emmy award for best drama. Janet McTeer, OBE (born May 8, 1961) is an award-winning British Actress. Bob Peck ( 23 August 1945 – 4 April 1999) was an English stage, Television, and Film Actor Geraldine Margaret Agnew-Somerville (born 19 May 1967 is an Irish-born British actress best known for her role as Penhaligon in Cracker and as Harry's mum Lily In 1994, Catherine Zeta Jones played a supporting role in The Cinder Path and the same year also saw Tracy Whitwell and Ray Stevenson in The Dwelling Place. Catherine Zeta-Jones ( "zeeta" born September 25, 1969) is a Welsh actress, presently based in the United States George Raymond "Ray" Stevenson (born May 25, 1964) is a British Film and Television Actor, best known for Ray Stevenson also appeared in The Tide of Life (1996) with Gillian Kearney and future Rome co-star James Purefoy. Gillian Kearney (born 9 May 1972, Aigburth, Liverpool) is an English Actress. James Brian Mark Purefoy (born June 3 1964) is an English Actor. Another very popular movie was the 1995 adaption of 'The Gambling Man starring Robson Green. Robson Golightly Green (born December 18, 1964 in Hexham, Northumberland) is an English Actor and Singer

Other televised adaptations include: The Mallens (1979–1980) with John Hallam and Juliet Stevenson; The Black Candle (1991) with Nathaniel Parker and Cathy Sandford; The Man Who Cried (1993) with Ciarán Hinds and Amanda Root; The Glass Virgin (1995) with Nigel Havers and Brendan Coyle; The Girl (1996) with Siobhan Flynn; The Moth (1997) with Jack Davenport and Justine Waddell; The Rag Nymph (1997) with Honeysuckle Weeks, Alec Newman and Crispin Bonham-Carter; The Wingless Bird (1997) with Claire Skinner and Julian Wadham; Colour Blind (1998) with Tony Armatrading and Carmen Ejogo; The Round Tower (1998) with Emilia Fox and Ben Miles; Tilly Trotter (1999) with Carli Norris; and A Dinner of Herbs (2000) with Melanie Clark Pullen and Joseph May. The Mallens was a popular Granada Television adaptation of Catherine Cookson novels that ran for 13 episodes from 1979-1980 John Hallam ( 28 October 1941 &ndash 14 November 2006) was a Northern Irish actor Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson CBE (born October 30, 1956) is an English Actress. Nathaniel Parker (born 18 May, 1962) is an English Actor best known for his role as Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley in Ciarán Hinds (born 9 February 1953; Anglicised pronunciation in ˈkɪərɔːn ˈhaɪndz is an IFTA award-winning Irish Actor Amanda Root (born 1963 in Chelmsford, Essex is an English stage and screen actress. Nigel Allan Havers (born 6 November, 1951 in London) is a BAFTA nominated English Actor. David Coyle (born 2 December 1963) is an English Actor. He is probably best known for his role as one of the main characters Kaz Sweeney Jack Davenport (born March 1[[ 973]] is a British film and television Actor who became known in the mid 1990s for his role in the TV series This Justine Waddell (born November 4, 1976) is a South African born actress. This article is about the British actress For the album of the same name see The Submarines. Alec Newman is a Scottish stage television and film actor He was born in Glasgow on 27 November 1974 Crispin Bonham-Carter (born 23 September, 1969) is an English Actor. Claire Skinner (born 1965) is an English actress, who is well known in the United Kingdom for her television career Carmen Ejogo Wright (born 1 January 1974) is a British actress. Emilia Rose Elizabeth Fox (born 31 July 1974) is an award-winning English actress. Ben Miles (born 1967 Wimbledon London) is an English Actor, best known for his starring role as Patrick Maitland in the British TV Comedy Melanie Clark Pullen (born 1977 in Ireland) is an Irish actress, producer and Writer. Joseph May (born 16 June 1974, Southampton, United Kingdom) is a British-born actor who has appeared in television and film on both sides of

Philanthropy

Although she became a multi-millionaire from her books, Cookson was always famed for her care with money, although she indulged in discreet philanthropy, supporting causes in North East England and medical research in areas that were close to her heart. Philanthropy is the act of donating money goods services time and/or effort to support a socially beneficial cause with a defined objective and with no financial or material North-East England is one of the nine official Regions of England and comprises the combined area of Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear Biomedical research (or experimental medicine) in general simply known as medical research, is the Basic research or Applied research conducted When public lending rights were introduced for authors, she became immediately eligible for the maximum £5,000 a year but gave it away for the benefit of less fortunate writers. She also gave more than £1 million for research into a cure for the illness that had afflicted her.

In 1985 she created the Catherine Cookson Trust at the University of Newcastle, and promised it more than £800,000. Newcastle University is a leading research intensive University located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England. In gratitude, the university set up a lectureship in hematology. Hematology ( American English) or haematology ( British English) is the branch of biology (physiology Pathology, Clinical laboratory Some £40,000 was given to provide a laser to help treat bleeding disorders and £50,000 went to create a new post in ear, nose and throat studies, with particular reference to the detection of deafness in children. A laser is a device that emits Light ( Electromagnetic radiation) through a process called Stimulated emission. She had already given £20,000 towards the university's Hatton Gallery and £32,000 to its library. Her foundation continues to make donations to worthy causes in the UK, particularly those offering services to young people and cultural ventures. There is also a building named the Catherine Cookson Building which is part of the medical faculty at Newcastle University

Honours

She received the Freedom of the Borough of South Tyneside, today known as Catherine Cookson Country and an honorary degree from the University of Newcastle. South Tyneside is a Metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear in North East England. Newcastle University is a leading research intensive University located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England. The Variety Club of Great Britain named her Writer of the Year, and she was voted Personality of The North-East. Variety the Children's Charity was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 10, 1927 when a group of eleven men involved in Show

She was awarded an Order of the British Empire in 1985 and was elevated to a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1993. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V.

Later life

In later life, Catherine and Tom returned to the North East and settled first in Corbridge, a market town near Newcastle, and later in Langley, Northumberland, a small village nearby. Corbridge is a small town in Northumberland, England, situated 16 miles (25 km west of Newcastle and 4 miles (6 km east of Hexham Market town or market right is a legal term originating in the Medieval period for a European settlement that has the right to hold Markets Langley, or more correctly Langley-on-Tyne, is a small village in Northumberland, England, located near to the town of Hexham. As her health declined, they moved for a final time to Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne itself to be nearer medical facilities. Jesmond is a residential suburb and electoral ward just north of the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Newcastle upon Tyne ( (often shortened to Newcastle) is a city and Metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, England For the last few years of her life, she was bed-ridden and she gave her final TV interview to North East Tonight, the regional ITV Tyne Tees news programme, from her sickbed. North East Tonight is the evening regional news programme broadcast at 6pm each weekday on ITV Tyne Tees. Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television contractor for North East England. It was conducted by Mike Neville. Mike Neville MBE (born 17 October 1936, Willington Quay, Wallsend) is a former British television presenter

She died aged 91 (16 days before her 92nd birthday) at her home in Newcastle, although her novels, many written from her sickbed, continued to be published posthumously until 2002. Her husband, Tom Cookson, died on 28 June 1998, just 17 days after Catherine. Events 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) He had been hospitalised for a week and the cause of his death was not announced. A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for He was 86 years old.

Trivia

Bibliography

The Hamilton series

The Kate Hannigan series

The Tilly Trotter trilogy

The Mallen trilogy

The Bill Bailey trilogy

The Mary Ann stories

Children's stories

Written as Catherine Marchant

Written as Katie McMullen

Autobiographies

Biographies

External links

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