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Bha Josephine Tey ainmeil air feadh na Rìoghachd Aonaichte mar sgrìobhadair. Rugadh i ann an Inbhir Nis ann an ochd ceud deug, naochad ʼs a sia (1896). 

Bha i a’ sgrìobhadh ann am Beurla. Cha robh Gàidhlig aice. Cha robh i a’ taobhadh ris a’ Ghàidhlig, a rèir choltais. Bha sin a dh’aindeoin ʼs gun robh Gàidhlig aig a h-athair.

B’ e ‘Josephine Tey’ ainm-pinn.  ʼS e an t-ainm ceart a bha oirre – Ealasaid Nic an Tòisich. Thàinig ‘Josephine’ bho a màthair. Bhuineadh ise do dh’Inbhir Nis. 

Thogadh athair Ealasaid, Cailean Mac an Tòisich, faisg air Sìldeag ann an Ros an Iar. Ghluais a theaghlach a dh’Inbhir Nis. Dh’fhosgail iad bùth. Bha iad a’ reic glasraich agus measan.

Dh’fhàg Ealasaid Inbhir Nis airson a dhol gu Physical Training College ann am meadhan Shasainn. Bha i a’ fuireach airson ùine ann an Sasainn. Ghabh i gràdh mòr air an dùthaich.

Thill i a dh’Inbhir Nis. Bha i a’ cumail an taighe airson a h-athar. Bha esan na bhanntrach. Thòisich i air sgrìobhadh – bàrdachd, sgeulachdan goirid agus nobhailean – fon ainm-pinn ‘Gordon Daviot’. Bha i measail air Daviot, no Deimhidh, taobh a-muigh Inbhir Nis.

Sgrìobh i dealbh-chluichean a chaidh air an àrd-ùrlar anns a’ West End. Bha Richard of Bordeaux gu sònraichte ainmeil. Bha John Gielgud na phrìomh chleasaiche ann. Bha e fhèin agus Ealasaid nan deagh charaidean.

An dèidh a’ chogaidh, cha robh fèill air dealbh-chluichean mar a bha roimhe. Rinn Ealasaid ath-chruthachadh oirre fhèin mar sgrìobhadair nobhailean eucorach agus dìomhaireachd. Ghabh i ‘Josephine Tey’ oirre fhèin. Tha cuid dhen bheachd gun robh i am measg nan sgrìobhadairean a b’ fheàrr riamh de nobhailean dhen t-seòrsa seo. B’ e an tè a b’ ainmeile aice ‘The Daughter of Time’.Ìý

Bha Ealasaid car prìobhaideach. Bha, mar gum biodh, dà bheatha aice – an tè aig an taigh agus tè eile ann an Lunnainn am measg a caraidean anns a’ West End. Chaochail i le aillse ann an Sasainn ann an naoi ceud deug, caogad ʼs a dhà (1952). Cha robh fios aig mòran de a caraidean gun robh i eadhon tinn.

Josephine Tey was famous throughout the United Kingdom as a writer. She was born in Inverness in 1896.

She wrote in English. She had no Gaelic. She wasn’t favourable towards Gaelic. That was despite her father being a Gaelic-speaker.

‘Josephine Tey’ was a pen-name. Her actual name was Elizabeth MacKintosh. ‘Josephine’ came from her mother. She belonged to Inverness.

Beth’s father, Colin MacKintosh, was raised near Shieldaig in Wester Ross. His family moved to Inverness. They opened a shop. They were selling vegetables and fruit. 

Beth went to a Physical Training College in the Midlands of England. She was also living for a while in England. She developed a great love for the country.

She returned to Inverness. She was keeping house for her father. He was a widower. She started to write – poetry, short stories and novels – under the pen-name Gordon Daviot. She was very keen on Daviot, outside Inverness.

She wrote plays that went on the stage in the West End. ‘Richard of Bordeaux’ was particularly well-known. John Gielgud was the lead actor in it. He and Beth were good friends.

After the war, plays were no longer as popular as they had been. Beth reinvented herself as a writer of crime and mystery novels. She adopted the name ‘Josephine Tey’. Some people think she was among the best-ever writers of novels of that type. Her best-known one is ‘The Daughter of Time’.

Beth was somewhat private. She had, as it were, two lives – one at home and another in London among her friends in the West End. She died of cancer in England in 1952. Few of her friends even knew that she was ill.