Verily Anderson


Verily Anderson was a British author, best known for writing the screenplay of the 1960 film No Kidding, based on her 1958 book Beware of Children, for writing Brownie books and writing genealogical books about the Gurney, Barclay and Buxton families.

Biography

Born as Verily Bruce on 12 January 1915 in Edgbaston, Birmingham, she was the daughter of Francis Rosslyn Courtenay Bruce and Rachel Gurney, the fourth of her parents' five children.
Verily Bruce was educated at Edgbaston High School for Girls, Birmingham, between the ages of four and seven, then she attended Normanhurst School in Battle, Sussex. At 16, she went to Royal College of Music in London. She was in the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry between 1938 and 1941.
On 2 August 1940 she married Captain Donald Clive Anderson, son of Frank Anderson, thereafter using the name Verily Anderson for her writing. She was with the BBC in TV and radio between 1946 and 2002, working on Woman's Hour and writing TV plays.
On 10 August 1971, she married Paul Edward Paget.
She last resided in Frogshall, Northrepps, Norfolk, where she died at home on 16 July 2010, aged 95, just after completing a book, Castellans of Herstmonceux . She is buried with her husband Paul Paget in neighbouring Sidestrand.

Children

Children of Verily Bruce and Captain Donald Clive Anderson:
  1. Marian O'Hare, designer.
  2. Rachel Anderson, a writer mostly of children's literature.
  3. Eddie Anderson, a television producer.
  4. Janie Anderson, a writer and radio presenter.
  5. Alexandra Walker, a literacy tutor to young people.

    Gurney family history and genealogy

Verily Anderson was the author two books about the Gurney, Barclay and Buxton families:

Brownie books

Beware of Children, 1960, renamed No Kidding in North America. Directed by Gerald Thomas and starring Leslie Phillips, Geraldine McEwan, Julia Lockwood.