Agnes Maule Machar

Agnes Maule Machar (23 January 1837 – 24 January 1927) was a Canadian author, poet and social reformer. She published at least eight novels, a biography, poetry and essays, some under her own name, and others under the pen name Fidelis.

Early life Machar's father, John Machar immigrated to Canada in 1827, and married Margaret Sim (a fellow Scottish immigrant) in Montreal in 1832. The couple established themselves in Kingston, Ontario (then part of Upper Canada), where her father was the pastor of St. Andrew's Church, The couple's first child died in infancy; Agnes was born in 1837; and her brother, John Maule, in 1841. In 1874 she received another prize, this time for For King and Country, awarded by The Canadian Monthly and National Review; the novel is probably her best known work.

As an essayist, Machar frequently wrote about challenges faced by Christianity in the face of rapidly advancing scientific knowledge.

A witness to Confederation, Machar was concerned about English–French tensions in the young country. She wrote poetry, fiction, and historical accounts of French achievements in Canada. She has also been recognized by the Kingston Historical Society as a prominent woman in Kingston society.

Selected works

Faithful Unto Death: A Memorial of John Anderson, Late Janitor of Queen's College, Kingston, C.W. (1859; published anonymously) Katie Johnstone's Cross (1870) Lucy Raymond: or The Children's Watchword (1871) Memorials of the life and ministry of the Rev. John Machar, late minister of St. Andrew's Church, Kingston (1873) For King and Country: A Story of 1812 (1874) Lost and Won Stories of New France (1890) Marjorie's Canadian Winter (1891) Roland Graeme, Knight (1892) Down the river to the sea (1894) Heir of Fairmount Grange (1895) Lays of the "True North" and Other Canadian Poems (1899) Stories of Old Kingston (1908) Stories of the British Empire (1913)