Lavinia Derwent

Lavinia Derwent was the pen name of Scottish author and broadcaster Elizabeth Dodd MBE (1909–1989).^[1] Derwent was born in an isolated farmhouse in the Cheviot Hills some seven miles from Jedburgh. She began making up stories about animals at an early age. She also wrote a version of Greyfriars bobby. Her autobiographical books, include her Border and Manse series. Border Bairn is set around her home town of Jedburgh, while Lady of the Manse has a Berwickshire setting. Derwent's Manse books drew on her experiences of keeping her brother's house in order. Her brother was a Church of Scotland minister.^[2]

Broadcasting

Derwent's first successful series was her Tammy Troot stories. They were read out in the 1920s on Auntie Kathleeen's Children's Hour on Scottish Radio.^[3] The first of the books was published in 1947. They were still being reprinted in the 1970s. In the 1970s she co-presented the television series Teatime Tales (alternating with Molly Weir and Cliff Hanley) on STV in which she recollected stories from her own childhood.^[1]

The Sula Books

Derwent wrote a best-selling book about a fictional island called Sula which later featured in BBC's Jackanory, read by John Cairney.^[4] It was also made into a television series. The original novels were: Sula,^[5] Return to Sula,^[6] The Boy From Sula^[7] and Song of Sula.^[8]

Bibliography

• Tammy Troot (1947)
• Tammy Troot's Capers (1947)
• Further Adventures of Tammy Troot (1975)
• Sula (1969)
• Return to Sula (1971)
• The Boy from Sula (1973)
• Song of Sula (1976)
• Macpherson's Island (1970)
• Macpherson's Skyscraper (1978)
• A Breath of Border Air (1977)
• Another Breath of Border Air (1978)
• God Bless the Borders (1981)
• A Border Bairn (1980)
• Beyond the Borders (1989)
• The Tale of Greyfriars Bobby (1985)
• The Lady of the Manse (1985)
• A Mouse in the Manse (1987)

References