16 Facts About Radclyffe Hall

Marguerite Antonia Radclyffe-Hall, more known under her pen name Radclyffe Hall, was an English poet and author, best known for the novel The Well of Loneliness, a groundbreaking work in lesbian literature.

Radclyffe Hall's father left in 1882, abandoning young Radclyffe Hall and her mother.

Radclyffe Hall frequently dipped into Hall's inheritance money for herself.

Radclyffe Hall began to do as she pleased, dressing in typical men's fashion of the times, such as trousers, monocles and hats.

Radclyffe Hall was the first to call Hall "John", after noting her resemblance to one of Hall's male ancestors, and Hall used this name for the rest of her life.

Batten encouraged Radclyffe Hall to begin seeking publishing for her poetry.

In 1915, Radclyffe Hall fell in love with Batten's cousin, Una Troubridge.

Troubridge and Radclyffe Hall would be lovers for the remainder of their lives.

Radclyffe Hall's Catholicism sat beside a life-long attachment to spiritualism and reincarnation.

One of the illustrations, which depicted Radclyffe Hall nailed to a cross, so horrified her that she could barely speak of it for years afterwards.

Radclyffe Hall was involved in affairs with other women throughout the years, including the actress Ethel Waters.

In 1930, Radclyffe Hall received the Gold Medal of the Eichelberger Humane Award.

Radclyffe Hall was a member of the PEN club, the council of the Society for Psychical Research and a fellow of the Zoological Society.

In 1997 Radclyffe Hall was listed at No 16 in the top 500 lesbian and gay heroes in The Pink Paper.

In 1943, Radclyffe Hall was diagnosed with cancer of the rectum.

Radclyffe Hall's body is buried in a vault in the Circle of Lebanon on the western side of Highgate Cemetery at the entrance of the chamber of the Batten family, where Mabel is buried.