She went to art school in London, and became the lover of Frank Harris, an Irish editor, writer and publisher for whom she worked. She later married Sir Roderick Jones, although she kept her maiden name for writing, and the couple had four children. Her great-granddaughter is Samantha Cameron, is the wife of the former British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Bagnold published multiple works including novels, poems, and plays. She published experiences during World War I, first as a nurse in
A Diary Without Dates, then as a driver in
The Happy Foreigner. She is most well known for her 1935 novel
National Velvet, which was later made into a movie starring a young Elizabeth Taylor in 1944.
Bagnold died on March 31 1981 at the age of 92. She is buried in St. Margaret's churchyard in Rottingdean.
