Alcock, Deborah, 1835-1913

Deborah Alcock (1835-1913), novelist, was born in Ireland, the daughter of John Alcock, a clergyman of the Reformed Church of England and Ireland. A contemporary reviewer describes how, as a child, she sat on her father's knee while he regaled her with tales of Protestant persecution, so perhaps not surprisingly, her novels contain recurring themes of church history, particularly Continental Reformation and Calvinism. Her best known work was 'The Spanish Brothers' (1870), a story about Protestant martyrdom in sixteenth century Spain.

From the guide to the Papers of Deborah Alcock, 1838-c 1871, (University of Exeter)