Childhood and Adolescence

Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born on September 15, 1890 into an English wealthy upper-middle-class family in Torquay, Devon. She was the youngest of her three siblings. Her mother Clara was from Dublin, but later settled with her family in England. Miller’s father, Fred Miller, was born in New York City and travelled a lot after leaving boarding school in Switzerland. The two married in St. Peter’s Church in April 1878.

When Fred’s father died, he left Clara the money which the couple used to lease a villa in Torquay named Ashfield, where Agatha was born. Christie had a “very happy” childhood, and had many strong female role models since she was young. She and her siblings believed that their mother was a psychic.

Christie’s mother wished to educate her at home, and taught her how to read and write, though she had also taught herself to read. She read a large volume of books even as a young child, and many of her early memories were of the books she read.

Unfortunately, Christie’s father Fred died in 1901 when she was 11 years old, and the family was soon broken up. His death marked the end of her childhood. The following year, she began attending school in Torquay, but after having difficulty adjusting, was sent to Paris in 1905 to continue her finishing school education.