Radcliffe, Ann

The English author Ann Radcliffe was born in London as the daughter of William and Ann Ward. In 1772, the family moved to Bath, but Ann spent long periods with relatives. In 1787, she married William Radcliffe, a student at Oxford University. He became a reporter for the radical Gazetteer and New Daily Advertiser and later editor and owner of the English Chronicle. The couple was childless, and since her husband was mostly away from home, Ann Radcliffe devoted her time to writing. Her first novels were published anonymously, but because of their growing popularity and positive reception they were later published under her own name.