Sheila Pim (1909–1995)

Sheila Pim was born to a Quaker father and an English mother in Dublin, Ireland. She was educated at the French School in Bray before being sent to finishing school in Lausanne, Switzerland. She then went on to Cambridge University to read modern languages, intending to graduate with a degree in French and Italian. However, her mother's ill heath caused her to return to Ireland to look after her, and she remained there to take care of her father and an older incapacitated brother.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Sheila wrote seven novels, mostly crime fiction in a somewhat lighthearted style. She was also an avid amateur horticulturalist and wrote for the magazine My Garden. Her more serious work was a biography of the Irish plant collector Augustine Henry called The Wood and the Trees, published in 1966. Her brother died in 1964, leaving Sheila with no further family responsibilities. She then dedicated her time to the Friends Historical Society and took particular interest in helping in the traveller community. The Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland made Sheila an honorary life member and awarded her the Society's Medal of Honour for her services to the study of horticulture.