Anna Maria Hall (Mrs. S. C. Hall)

Anna Maria Hall (1800–1881), who published as Mrs. S. C. Hall, was an Irish-born novelist and writer of sketches. Born in Dublin and raised in County Wexford, she moved to England and in 1824 married the journalist and editor Samuel Carter Hall, with whom she wrote the illustrated survey Ireland: Its Scenery, Character, etc. Her Sketches of Irish Character (1829) made her reputation, and she followed it with novels such as The Buccaneer (1832), set under Cromwell, and Marian, as well as plays and many stories for children. She was also active in charitable work, including support for hospitals and for governesses.