Bella Sidney Woolf
Encyclopedia
Bella Sidney Woolf OBE
(1877 – 1960) was an English
author
, sister of author Leonard Woolf
and wife, in her second marriage, of Hong Kong
colonial secretary
and colonial Ceylonese administrator Tom Southorn.
, the eldest (or 2nd eldest) of ten children to Marie (née de Jongh) and a Jewish barrister Solomon Rees Sydney. Her father died in 1892.
At the end of 1907 she travelled to Ceylon
to visit her brother, Leonard Woolf, then a junior civil servant
stationed in Kandy
. In the following months she met Robert Heath Lock, Assistant Director of the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, near Kandy. They were married either at that time or, more likely, in 1910. Anyhow, in August 1908, she went back to England with her brother, who was returning briefly before taking up a promotion as Assistant Government Agent
of Hambantota
.
of Hong Kong
, Acting Administrator of Hong Kong
on various occasions, and Governor of The Gambia
.
From this time she sometimes went by the name Bella Woolf Southorn, and occasionally used Bella Sidney Southorn. But she continued to publish as Bella Sidney Woolf.
She greatly enjoyed her life as the wife of a colonial civil servant and was fascinated by all the places she lived, which informed her writing, both fiction and what we would now call 'tourist guides'.
During her years in Hong Kong she was active in community work and was commissioner of the Girl Guides
from 1926 to 1936. In 1935 she was awarded an OBE.
Her How To See Ceylon was published in 1914, and incorporating her experience of car journeys with her husband "along the sunny roads of Ceylon" is considered the first pocket guidebook to the island. Three more editions followed in 1922, 1924 and 1929.
While Tom was Governor of The Gambia, from 1936, she wrote a detailed history of the tiny West African territory.
Her approach was quite liberal for the day. She saw value in the cultures that the British Empire embraced and was concerned at what she perceived as their erosion. "It is unfortunate that so many natives are adopting English dress, blind to the fact that it destroys all their individuality and Oriental grace", she wrote, of Ceylon, and "Kandyan divorce laws are so enlightened that....".
Her short propagandist booklet Right against might; the great war of 1914, published in 1914, has been reprinted by the original publisher in modern times.
Much of Woolf's fictional writing was short stories drawn from her life as the wife of two colonial civil servants. Some of these were later compiled as Bits of Old China and Under the Mosquito Curtain.
Woolf also wrote several children's books, all drawing on her various overseas experiences; The Twins in Ceylon and its sequels were very popular.
^ sometimes credited to 'Woolf, Bella Sidney (Mrs. R. H. Lock)'
^^ credited to 'Woolf, Bella Sidney (Mrs. W. T. Southorn)'
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(1877 – 1960) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, sister of author Leonard Woolf
Leonard Woolf
Leonard Sidney Woolf was an English political theorist, author, publisher and civil servant, and husband of author Virginia Woolf.-Early life:...
and wife, in her second marriage, of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
colonial secretary
Chief Secretary for Administration
The Chief Secretary for Administration , commonly known as Chief Secretary and abbreviated as CS, is the second highest position of the Hong Kong Government...
and colonial Ceylonese administrator Tom Southorn.
Early life
Woolf was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the eldest (or 2nd eldest) of ten children to Marie (née de Jongh) and a Jewish barrister Solomon Rees Sydney. Her father died in 1892.
At the end of 1907 she travelled to Ceylon
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
to visit her brother, Leonard Woolf, then a junior civil servant
Ceylon Civil Service
The Ceylon Civil Service, popularly known by its acronym CCS, originated as the elite civil service of the Government of Ceylon under British colonial rule in 1833 and carried on after independence, until May 1, 1963 when it was abolished and the much larger Ceylon Administrative Service was...
stationed in Kandy
Kandy
Kandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...
. In the following months she met Robert Heath Lock, Assistant Director of the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, near Kandy. They were married either at that time or, more likely, in 1910. Anyhow, in August 1908, she went back to England with her brother, who was returning briefly before taking up a promotion as Assistant Government Agent
Government agent
A government agent or a federal agent is an agent of a federal law enforcement agency....
of Hambantota
Hambantota
Hambantota is a coastal city in the south of Sri Lanka. It is the capital of the Hambantota District...
.
Second marriage
In 1921, aged around 44, she re-married, to Tom Southorn, whom she met in Ceylon through Leonard. In 1904 as a junior civil servant, Tom had met Leonard off the boat on his arrival in Ceylon. He served a long period in colonial service in Ceylon and rose to be colonial secretaryChief Secretary for Administration
The Chief Secretary for Administration , commonly known as Chief Secretary and abbreviated as CS, is the second highest position of the Hong Kong Government...
of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Acting Administrator of Hong Kong
Governor of Hong Kong
The Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions...
on various occasions, and Governor of The Gambia
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
.
From this time she sometimes went by the name Bella Woolf Southorn, and occasionally used Bella Sidney Southorn. But she continued to publish as Bella Sidney Woolf.
She greatly enjoyed her life as the wife of a colonial civil servant and was fascinated by all the places she lived, which informed her writing, both fiction and what we would now call 'tourist guides'.
During her years in Hong Kong she was active in community work and was commissioner of the Girl Guides
Hong Kong Girl Guides Association
Hong Kong Girl Guides Association is the sole Guide organisation in Hong Kong. It was formally established in 1919 though the first Girl Guides Company was formed in 1916. The association became a full member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1978...
from 1926 to 1936. In 1935 she was awarded an OBE.
Author
Woolf wrote fiction and non-fiction. In both she drew on her experiences in her husbands' various colonial postings - to write stories and to write guides to the localities, customs and people. She also authored and co-authored on current events and scienceHer How To See Ceylon was published in 1914, and incorporating her experience of car journeys with her husband "along the sunny roads of Ceylon" is considered the first pocket guidebook to the island. Three more editions followed in 1922, 1924 and 1929.
While Tom was Governor of The Gambia, from 1936, she wrote a detailed history of the tiny West African territory.
Her approach was quite liberal for the day. She saw value in the cultures that the British Empire embraced and was concerned at what she perceived as their erosion. "It is unfortunate that so many natives are adopting English dress, blind to the fact that it destroys all their individuality and Oriental grace", she wrote, of Ceylon, and "Kandyan divorce laws are so enlightened that....".
Her short propagandist booklet Right against might; the great war of 1914, published in 1914, has been reprinted by the original publisher in modern times.
Much of Woolf's fictional writing was short stories drawn from her life as the wife of two colonial civil servants. Some of these were later compiled as Bits of Old China and Under the Mosquito Curtain.
Woolf also wrote several children's books, all drawing on her various overseas experiences; The Twins in Ceylon and its sequels were very popular.
Works
- Jerry & Joe, A Tale of Two Jubilees (Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier, Edinburgh, 1897)
- All in a Castle Fair (Cassell, New York, 1900)
- Dear Sweet Anne or The Mysterious Veres (Collins, probably 1900-1910)
- Golden House (Duckworth and Co., c1910)^
- The Twins in Ceylon (Duckworth and Co., London, 1909, 1913) and sequels
- How To See Ceylon (1st Ed: Visidunu Prakashakayo, 1914; 2nd Ed: Times of Ceylon Co, 1922; 4th Ed: Times of Ceylon Co, 1929) (ISBN 9559170511)
- Right against might; the great war of 1914 (Cambridge, W. Heffer, 1914) (Reprinted: Pranava Books, 2009)
- Eastern Star-Dust (Times of Ceylon, Colombo, 1922)
- The Strange Little Girl (Thomas Nelson and Sons, London c1923)^
- Little Miss Prue
- Chips of China (Kelly and Walsh Ltd, Shanghai, 1930)
- From Groves of Palm (W. Heffer & Sons Ltd, Cambridge, 1925)^^
- Bits of Old China and Under the Mosquito Curtain
^ sometimes credited to 'Woolf, Bella Sidney (Mrs. R. H. Lock)'
^^ credited to 'Woolf, Bella Sidney (Mrs. W. T. Southorn)'
Co-authored
- Recent Progress in the Study of Variation, Heredity, and Evolution, (Robert Heath Lock, Leonard Doncaster, Bella Sidney Woolf) (Pranava Books, 1916. Reprinted Pranava Books, 2009)
- Little Folks - The Magazine for Boys and Girls Volume 84 [1916], Geoffrey H. White. Eveline M. Williams. D. H. Parry. Nancy M. Hayes. Walter Copeland. Bella Sidney Woolf. Squirrel. et al (Cassell and Co. Ltd, London, 1916)