This biography is republished from The Dictionary of Irish Biography and was written by Linde Lunney. Shared by permission in line with Creative Commons ‘Attribution’ (CC BY) licencing.
Born: 28 February 1857, Ireland
Died: 3 June 1939
Country most active: United Kingdom
Also known as: Nell
Eleanor Jane Alexander (1857–1939), called ‘Nell ’ at home, was born 28 February 1857 in the rectory, Fahan, Co. Donegal. She was educated at home and, after several disappointing love affairs, remained unmarried and later kept house for her widowed father. A delegate from Armagh to the first meeting of the Women’s National Health Association of Ireland (April 1908), she was awarded the MBE (1918) for war work, having been in charge of an auxiliary military hospital. She was also a Lady of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and a magistrate in Middlesex. She edited her father’s autobiography, published with additional material as Primate Alexander (1914), and also wrote novels: Lady Anne’s walk (1903) includes a good rendition of Ulster dialect, and The rambling rector (1904) and The lady of the well (1906). Some of her verse was published in the Spectator, The Times, and elsewhere, and she was a member of the Irish Literary Society in London. She was granted apartments in Hampton Court palace, London, and died 3 June 1939.