Winifred Peck

Winifred Peck (1882-1962) was born Winifred Frances Knox in Oxford, England. She was the third of the six children of the fourth Bishop of Manchester. Her mother Ellen was the daughter of the Bishop of Lahore. She had an older sister, Ethel, as well as four brothers. The eldest, E. V. Knox, became well known as editor of Punch; Dillwyn (Dilly) Knox became a legendary code-breaker who worked for British Intelligence during both world wars; Wilfred Knox earned distinction as an Anglican clergyman and theologian; and the best-known of the four brothers was Ronald, a man of extraordinary talents, who carved a considerable reputation as Monsignor Knox. A few years after her mother's death, Winifred became one of the first pupils at Wycombe Abbey School, and later studied at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. Returning to Manchester, and under the influence of Christian Socialism, she acted as a social worker in her father's diocese, as well as starting out as a professional writer. After writing a biography of Louis IX, she turned to fiction in her thirties, writing over twenty novels, including two detective mysteries. She married James Peck in 1911, and they had two sons together. James was knighted in 1938, and it was as Lady Peck that his wife was known to many contemporary reviewers.