Manners for Men by Mrs Humphry | Best story read aloud

Charlotte Eliza Humphry, née Graham, was born at County Tyrone, the daughter of Rev. James Graham and his wife Eliza. Her father was the Senior Curate of St Columb’s Cathedral and Surrogate of the Diocese of Londonderry; he published a series of essays in opposition to Puseyite tractarianism and died when Charlotte was less than two years old. Charlotte was educated in Dublin. In adulthood she moved to London; by 1871 she was teaching English in a boarding school for girls near Paddington. She then had a secretarial role on the Drawing Room Gazette. Charlotte often working under the pseudonym “Madge“, began writing the “Girl’s Gossip“ column in Truth in 1873. The opportunity was offered by Henry Du Pré Labouchère and continued it throughout her career. She was one of the first female journalists to write a regular column devoted to women’s issues. At the beginning of her career, there were very limited spaces devoted to women in newspapers and magazines. In 1874 s