Edith Mary Pargeter, OBE, BEM , also known by her nom de plume Ellis Peters, was a British author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics; she is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both historical and modern. She was born in the village of Horsehay . Her father was a clerk at a local ironworks. She was educated at Dawley Church of England School and the old Coalbrookdale High School for Girls. She had Welsh ancestry, and many of her short stories and books are set in Wales and its... borderlands, and/or have Welsh protagonists. During World War II, she worked in an administrative role in the Women's Royal Naval Service —and reached the rank of petty officer by 1 January 1944 when she was awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Year Honours. In 1947 she visited Czechoslovakia and became fascinated by the Czech language and culture. She became fluent in Czech and published award-winning translations of Czech poetry and prose into English.
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| Birthdate: | September 28, 1913 |
| Birthplace: | Horsehay |
| Date of death: | October 14, 1995 |
| Religion: | Anglicanism |
| Also known as: | Ellis Peters, Edith Mary Pargeter |