Sarah E Smith

As an historian, I usually don’t have a lot of time for geography. It’s professional pride. We’re at opposite ends of the humanities – and like daleks and cybermen, historians and geographers are fundamentally different. One is a noble exponent of detection, the other a mere scientist.

but for Phyllis Pearsall, I am prepared to make an exception. Because like our Kate Shrewsday and a post of hers earlier in the year on Kaspar, Phyllis Pearsall was also instrumental in solving my plot problems.

Born in 1906, Phyllis  had one brother – the painter – Anthony Goss, CBE, RA. Her mother was an Irish Catholic Suffragette and her father – in addition to being a Hungarian Jewish Immigrant – was the owner of cartography company Geographia Ltd which went bankrupt and was re-founded by  Alexander Goss, as the American Geographia Map Company.

I wish I could have included her…