Florence Marryat's parents separated when she was an infant, and she was educated at home by governesses and with the help of her father’s extensive library. In 1854, she married Thomas Ross Church and travelled throughout India with him. By 1860, she had suffered a breakdown and returned to England, pregnant, with her three older children. It was during this period of caring for her children alone that she wrote her first novel, Love’s Conflict.
She published more than 70 works, including travel articles, and novels. She also acted with the D’Oyly Carte company in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, and toured with George Grossmith in his revue Entre Nous.
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