| Early s | William Champion Streatfeild, curate to Henry Venn, marries Janet Venn, daughter of the Rector.
Ruth Streatfeild born. |
| Childhood |
| 24 December | Mary Noel Streatfeild born. (By this time, William is curate to his own father, Rector of Frant.) |
| William appointed Vicar of Amberley, and the family moves to Amberley, in Sussex. |
| - | Barbara, William (Bill) and Joyce Streatfeild born. |
| William appointed Vicar of St Peter's Church, and the family moves to St. Leonard's, on the south coast.
Joyce dies of tuberculosis (not yet two years old).
Ruth and Noel begin attending Hastings and St. Leonard's Ladies' College. |
| Late | Miss Bishop, headmistress of Hastings and St. Leonard's Ladies' College, asks William and Janet to remove Noel from the school at the end of term. |
| February, | William appointed Vicar of St. Mary the Virgin Church, and the family moves to Eastbourne.
Ruth, Noel and Barbara attend Laleham school. |
| Noel and Ruth see Edris Stannis (later to be known as Ninette de Valois) perform the Dying Swan with Lila Field's Little Wonders.
Noel leaves school, and enrols at Eastbourne School of Domestic Economy. |
| World War One |
| Begins voluntary work in the kitchens at a hospital for wounded soldiers. |
| Richenda Streatfeild (youngest daughter of William and Janet) born.
With Ruth, Noel produces two plays to support the war effort. |
| Employed at Woolwich Arsenal, London, as a munitions worker. |
| Actress |
| January, | Begins studying at Academy of Dramatic Art. |
| - | Tours British Isles with Charles Doran Shakespeare Company. |
| | Acts part in children's pantomime, and meets troupe of child dancers. |
| Tours UK and then South Africa with Arthur Bourchier Company. |
| | Enrols in correspondence course for writing, and has short story published in magazine. |
| October | Departs on tour of Australia. |
| December | William made Bishop of Lewes. |
| 17 February, | William dies of heart attack. Noel still in Australia, and unable to attend funeral. |
| First Novels |
| Begins writing The Whicharts. |
| September, | The Whicharts published. |
| June, | Elected to membership of PEN. |
| Early | Mabel Carey, children's editor of J. M. Dent and Sons, asks Noel to write a children's story about the theatre. |
| First Children's Books |
| Mid | Completes manuscript for Ballet Shoes.
Travels to America to look into writing film scripts. |
| 28 September | Ballet Shoes published and is immediate best seller. |
| Travels with Bertram Mills Circus to research The Circus is Coming. |
| February | Wins Carnegie gold medal for The Circus is Coming. |
| World War Two |
| - | Voluntary work as Air Raid Warden in Mayfair area.
Voluntary work running mobile canteen for Air Raid Shelters in Deptford area.
Voluntary work public speaking on behalf of Women's Voluntary Service.
Writes four adult novels, five children's books, nine romances and innumerable articles and short stories. |
| 10 May | Flat destroyed by bomb. |
| After the War |
| Travels to America to research film studios for The Painted Garden. |
| Begins delivering lectures on children's books. |
| - | The Bell Family radio serials play on the Children's Hour, and are frequently voted top play of the year. |
| A National Monument |
| Early s | Decides to stop writing adult novels. |
| A Vicarage Family, the first of her autobiographical works, is published. |
| Suffers a stroke. |
| December | Appears on Desert Island Discs. |
| July - December | Suffers a series of small strokes, and moves into a nursing home. |
| Receives the Order of the British Empire. |
| 11 September | Dies in nursing home. |
| March, | Blue plaque unveiled at Streatfeild House, the former vicarage in Hastings. |