The Parish Church of St Mary, Rye

Monica Edwards

Monica Edwards (née Monica le Doux Newton; 1912 – January 18, 1998), was born in Belper, Derbyshire, but spent much of her childhood living in Rye Harbour where her father was the Vicar. (He conducted the funeral of the men who died in the Mary Stanford Lifeboat Disaster). Here she encountered the fishermen and rural characters who would later appear in her "Romney Marsh" series of books. In 1933 she married Bill Edwards in Rye Harbour Church. Monica published articles and verses in a variety of publications, spending eight years as editor of a correspondence magazine for parents, before the publication of her first book "Wish For A Pony" in 1947. This was set at Westling (a renamed version of Rye Harbour), with the town of Rye itself renamed Dunsford and nearby Winchelsea becoming Winklesea. The lead character, Tamzin Grey, was clearly based on Monica herself as a girl (like the author she was a vicar's daughter).

In November 1947, Monica and Bill Edwards moved to Punch Bowl Farm in Thursley, South West Surrey, the setting for her other main series of books (slightly renamed to Punchbowl Farm). The main characters in the Romney Marsh series are Tamzin, Rissa, Meryon and Roger; in the Punchbowl Farm series they are the Thornton siblings Dion, Andrea, Lindsey and Peter.

Bill Edwards died in 1990, and Monica on 18 January 1998.

  • The Churchwardens
  • St Mary's Church
  • Church Square, Rye
  • East Sussex
  • TN31 7HF

01797 222318 (Administrator)