Some of the Shipwrecked

Mary Rackham, born in Norwich in 1848, emerged as a significant figure in East Anglian literature after marrying farmer Fairman Joseph Mann in 1871. She became involved with her local workhouse, using her experiences to inspire her writing, which began in the 1880s with the self-published novel The Parish of Hilby. Over her three-decade career, she produced thirty-three novels and numerous short stories and plays, often depicting the harsh realities of rural life in Norfolk. Following her husband's death in 1913, she moved to Sheringham and continued her literary contributions until her passing in 1929.