Catherine Cookson; England’s Acclaimed Author and Humanitarian

England’s acclaimed author and humanitarian… whose work is just as relevant today.

Catherine Cookson had a tough upbringing. Born Catherine “Kate” McMullen in 1906, she grew up in South Shields. She was raised by her grandparents, and grew up believing her mother, who suffered with alcohol addiction, was her sister. Here’s how her life developed as a tale of sadness and hope.

She left school at 14, and later took a laundry job, before relocating to run a laundry service in Hastings. Here she met her husband, Tom Cookson, a teacher at Hastings Grammar school. But their life together wasn’t all straight sailing.

Dame Catherine suffered four miscarriages in the late stages of pregnancy. The diagnosis was telangiectasia, a rare vascular disease causing bleeding from the nose, fingers and stomach. She suffered severe depression – turmoil lasting a decade. But she found salvation.

Writing was therapeutic for Dame Catherine, helping her cope with depression. Her first novel, Kate Hannigan, was published in 1950. She went on to write over 100 books, selling more than 123 million copies, her novels being translated into at least 20 languages. She described her books as historic novels about people and conditions she knew. She died at 91, completing her final stories from her sickbed.

Longstanding Legacy

Dame Catherine became a multi-millionaire following her success. She donated over £1 million to medical research examining vascular diseases, including that conducted by the University of Newcastle with particular focus on detection of deafness in children. She also helped the university fund its Hatton Gallery and library. Furthermore, financial support went to less fortunate writers.

Today the Catherine Cookson Trust continues to make donations to worthy causes in the UK, especially to young or disadvantaged people in North East England, where Dame Catherine grew up.