Isabel Ecclestone Mackay | |
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| Born | Isabel Ecclestone MacPherson (1875-11-25)November 25, 1875 Woodstock, Ontario |
| Died | August 15, 1928(1928-08-15) (aged 52) |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Spouse | Peter John Mackay |
Isabel Ecclestone Mackay (néeMacPherson) (November 25, 1875 – August 15, 1928) was a Canadian novelist and poet.
Born inWoodstock, Ontario, she was the daughter of Donald McLeod MacPherson, an early Scottish settler ofOxford County, and Priscilla Ecclestone of England. She was educated at theWoodstock Collegiate Institute.[1][2] At the age of 15 she started writing for Canadian newspapers and magazines.[3] From 1890 to 1909 she contributed to theWoodstock Daily Express using thepseudonym "Heather".[4]
In 1895, she married Peter John Mackay, a court stenographer. Together they had three daughters: Phyllis, Margaret, and Janet Priscilla.[2] The family moved toVancouver in 1909, after Peter landed a position with theBritish Columbia Supreme Court.[4] The couple would remain in Vancouver until their deaths, with Mackay making her mark as a prominent member of the literary community.[1] Among her close friends wereE. Pauline Johnson andMarjorie Pickthall, both of whom Mackay cared for at the end of their lives. She also played an integral role in the release of their final books, as a member of the trust that oversaw the release of Johnson'sLegends of Vancouver (1911) and as a hostess to Pickthall who wroteThe Wood Carver's Wife (1922) at the Mackay summer home inBoundary Bay.[4]
Over the last 34 years of her life, she published six novels, four collections of poems and five plays, in addition to contributing over three hundred poems and short stories to various publications. Mackay was the founder of the British Columbia chapter of theCanadian Women's Press Club, serving as its vice-president in 1914 and, subsequently, as its president 1916. She also served as the Vice-President of the Vancouver chapter of theCanadian Authors Association from 1922 to 1926.[3] In 1926, her play "Treasure" won the open CanadianImperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire contest.[5]
Mackay died of cancer on August 15, 1928.[5][4] She had been sick for a year prior to her death.[6]
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