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Elinor Brent-Dyer

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  Photograph of Elinor Brent-Dyer taken in the 1950s
 
Elinor M. Brent-Dyer was born as Gladys Eleanor May Dyer on 6th April 1894, in South Shields, the only daughter of Eleanor Watson Rutherford and Charles Morris Brent Dyer. Her father, who had been married before, left home when she was three years old. In 1912, her brother Henzell died at age seventeen of cerebro-spinal fever. After her father died, her mother remarried in 1913.

Elinor was educated at a small local private school in South Shields and returned there to teach when she was eighteen after spending two years at the City of Leeds Training College. Her teaching career spanned 36 years, during which she taught in a wide variety of state and private schools in the northeast, in Middlesex, Bedfordshire, Hampshire, and finally in Hereford.

In the early 1920s she adopted the name Elinor Mary Brent-Dyer. A holiday she spent in the Austrian Tyrol at Pertisau-am-Achensee gave her the inspiration for the first location in the Chalet School series. However, her first book, Gerry goes to school, was published in 1922 and was written for the child actress Hazel Bainbridge. Her first 'Chalet' story, The school at the chalet, was originally published in 1923.

In 1930, the same year that Jean of storms was serialised, she converted to Roman Catholicism.

When her stepfather died she started her own school in Hereford, The Margaret Roper School. It was non-denominational but with a strong religious tradition. Many Chalet School customs were followed, the girls even wore a similar uniform made in the Chalet School's colours of brown and flame. Elinor was rather untidy, erratic and flamboyant and not really suited to being a headmistress. After her school closed in 1948 she devoted most of her time to writing.

Elinor's mother died in 1957 and in 1964 Brent-Dyer moved to Redhill where she died on 20th September 1969.

During her lifetime Elinor M. Brent-Dyer published 101 books but she is remembered mainly for her Chalet School series. The series numbers 59 books and is the longest-surviving series of girls' school-stories ever known, having been continuously in print for more than 70 years. 100,000 paperback copies are still being sold each year. Among her published books are other school stories; family, historical, adventure and animal stories; a cookery book, and four educational geography-readers. She also wrote plays and numerous unpublished poems and was a keen musician.

In 1994, the year of the centenary of her Elinor Brent-Dyer's birth, Friends of the Chalet School put up plaques in Pertisau, South Shields and Hereford, and a headstone was erected on her grave in Redstone Cemetery, since there was not one previously. They also put flowers on her grave on the anniversaries of her birth and death and on other special occasions.
 
 
 
 
 
   book cover of Gerry Goes to School (La Rochelle) by Elinor M Brent-Dyer    book cover of A Head Girl's Difficulties (La Rochelle) by Elinor M Brent-Dyer 
 

Works

Selected books by the author

Chalet School series

  1. The School at the Chalet (1925)
  2. Jo of the Chalet School
  3. The Princess of the Chalet School
  4. The Head-Girl of the Chalet School
  5. The Rivals of the Chalet School
  6. Eustacia Goes to the Chalet School
  7. The Chalet School and Jo
  8. The Chalet Girls in Camp
  9. The Exploits of the Chalet Girls
  10. The Chalet School and the Lintons (1)
  11. The New House at the Chalet School
  12. Jo Returns to the Chalet School
  13. The New Chalet School (2)
  14. The Chalet School in Exile
  15. The Chalet School Goes to it (3)
  16. Highland Twins at the Chalet School
  17. Lavender Laughs in the Chalet School (4)
  18. Gay From China at the Chalet School (5)
  19. Jo to the Rescue
  20. The Mystery at the Chalet School (6)
  21. Tom Tackles the Chalet School (6)
  22. The Chalet School and Rosalie (6)
  23. Three Go to the Chalet School
  24. The Chalet School and the Island
  25. Peggy Of The Chalet School
  26. Carola Storms the Chalet School
  27. The Wrong Chalet School
  28. Shocks for the Chalet School
  29. The Chalet School in the Oberland
  30. Bride Leads the Chalet School
  31. Changes for the Chalet School
  32. Joey Goes to the Oberland
  33. The Chalet School and Barbara
  34. The Chalet School Does it Again
  35. A Chalet Girl from Kenya
  36. Mary-Lou of the Chalet School
  37. A Genius at the Chalet School (7)
  38. A Problem for the Chalet School
  39. The New Mistress at the Chalet School
  40. Excitements at the Chalet School
  41. The Coming of Age of the Chalet School
  42. The Chalet School and Richenda
  43. Trials for the Chalet School
  44. Theodora and the Chalet School
  45. Joey and Co. in Tirol
  46. Ruey Richardson - Chaletian (8)
  47. A Leader in the Chalet School
  48. The Chalet School Wins the Trick
  49. A Future Chalet School Girl
  50. The Feud in the Chalet School
  51. The Chalet School Triplets
  52. The Chalet School Reunion
  53. Jane and the Chalet School
  54. Redheads at the Chalet School
  55. Adrienne and the Chalet School
  56. Summer Term at the Chalet School
  57. Challenge for the Chalet School
  58. Two Sams at the Chalet School
  59. Althea Joins the Chalet School
  60. Prefects of the Chalet School (1970)

Other titles

A head girl's difficulties(1923)
The maids of La Rochelle (1924)
A thrilling term at Janeways (1927)
Seven scamps are not all boys (1927)
Judy the guide (1928)
The feud in the fifth remove (1931)
Monica turns up trumps (1936)
The little missus (1942)
Fardingdales (1950)
Kennelmaid Nan (1954)
The school at Skelton Hall (1962)



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