William John Locke

Sitter in 8 portraits
Born in Barbados. After studying at Cambridge, Locke became a teacher. In 1890, he became seriously ill, and he remained tuberculous for the rest of his life. The earliest of his numerous novels, At the Gate of Samaria, was published in 1895, and his first popular success, The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne, in 1905. Locke dramatised The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne and several of his other books between 1907 and 1912; their focus on modern marriage was much in fashion in plays of the time, their happy endings were satisfying to audiences, and dramatic writing was then extremely lucrative. Over twenty films have been made from Locke's works, including Ladies in Lavender (2004).