Dorothy Kilner (1755–1836)

Dorothy Kilner was born into an English family of landowners and public servants. In childhood, she became a close friend of Mary Ann Maze, who became her sister-in-law Mary Ann Kilner when she married Dorothy's brother Thomas. Mary Ann Kilner was a prolific writer of children's stories. Dorothy moved into their house in London to help raise her nieces and nephews, and was inspired to begin writing herself under the pseudonyms "Mary Pelham" and "M.P." -- her true identity remained secret for a long time. Dorothy Kilner was best known for her popular juvenile fiction such as Life and Perambulation of a Mouse (1783).