Born in Great Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Menella Bute Smedley was the daughter of Edward Smedley, a clergyman, writer, and tutor, and Mary Hume Smedley. Sources differ about Menella's exact year of birth, which is placed between 1815 and 1820; during childhood her fragile health necessitated her living in Tenby for several years, presumably with relatives. The oldest of five children, Menella was later educated at home, receiving a thorough grounding in the classics--a rare privilege for a Victorian girl--that served her well in her writing career. The family lived in London until her father's failing health forced his early retirement to Dulwich. Like many Victorian daughters Smedley assumed her father's professional responsibilities--acting as his "amenuensis," according to one source--as his health continued to deteriorate.

Literary interests were endemic to the Smedley family, providing influences that helped shape Menella's writing career. An encyclopedia editor, Edward Smedley's only volume of poems was published...