Plaidy, Jean (c. 1910–1993)

English historical novelist. A prolific writer, she produced popular historical novels under three different pseudonyms: Jean Plaidy, Victoria Holt, and Philippa Carr.

Jean Plaidy Hibbert never revealed her date of birth nor her maiden name. Her first novel, Beyond the Blue Mountains, was not published until 1947. The 90 novels she wrote under the name Jean Plaidy were fictionalized English history and were often particularly concerned with episodes involving queens and princesses.

Victoria Holt Under the name Victoria Holt she published Mistress of Mellyn (1961), a Victorian Gothic romance set in Cornwall. Some 30 more Victoria Holt novels were published, all of them set in the second half of the 19th century.

Philippa Carr Under the name Philippa Carr she wrote a series of novels set in various historical periods from Tudor times to World War II, aiming to show how historical events affected the lives of individuals. The central character in each is an English gentlewoman, and the series became known as the ‘Daughters of England’.