"The most learned female who ever lived"

Elizabeth Carter (Deal, Kent, England, 16th December 1717 – London, England, 19th February 1806)

Elizabeth Carter as Minerva by John Fayram

It seems as though we have not seen many ladies here in the salon of late so today we are joined by a learned woman. One of the circle of bluestockings that includes previous guests, Hannah More, Charlotte Lennox and Hesther Thrale, Elizabeth Carter made her name as a writer and translator and moved in the highest intellectual circles. Described by Francis Lord Napier as "a fine old Slut", there was much, much more to her than just gossip.

Carter was born the daughter of a Margaret and Nicholas Carter, a clergyman who had pioneering ideas about the education of girls and encouraged the little girl to dedicate herself to her academic studies. Fiercely intelligent, as a child she taught herself a number of languages both classical and modern, whilst also studying history, the natural sciences and literature. Despite her later achievements, she initially found her academic studies challenging yet, despite being advised to give up some of her subjects, she persevered at the expense of her health, suffering from debilitating headaches throughout her life.

By the age of 21, Carter was already embarked on a number of academic translations and spent long hours working on her own original poetry, as well as publishing in journals and periodicals to some acclaim and celebrity.  For all her academic achievements, it would be as a translator that Carter made her name and in 1758 she published a celebrated translation of All the Works of Epictetus, Which are Now Extant. This pioneering philosophical work sealed her reputation and her provided Carter with financial security for life.

Like our previous subject, Hesther Thrale, Carter was a good friend to Samuel Johnson and had a number of suitors, all of whom she rejected in favour of her circle of friends. As the years drew on she divided her time between Deal and London, where she died as a respected and popular woman of achievement.

"Thraliana is itself an odd Thing!": The Life of Hesther Thrale

Hester Lynch Thrale (nee Hester Lynch Salusbury; Caernarvonshire, Wales, 27th January 1741 – London, England, 2nd May 1821)

Hester Thrale with her daughter Queeney by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1777-78 

It is a joy to welcome one of my favourite Georgian ladies to the salon today. For many years thought of as Dr Johnson's Mrs Thrale, the reputation of Hester Thrale (aka Hester Lynch Piozzi) has been reevaluated of late as her writings and diaries have been devoured by subsequent generations!

Hesther was born into privilege as the only daughter of diarist John Salusbury and his wife, Hester. She spent her early childhood in the surroundings of Bodvel Hall, Caernarvonshire, and was a fiercely inquisitive and bright child who immersed herself in writing and literature from an early age.

However, for all of their illustrious pedigree, life was not free of concerns for the Salusburys and the free spending of John's mother and brother meant that they were constantly juggling one financial misfortune or another. As John sank into despondency and the family moved to London, he became increasingly volatile until, in a last effort to save the solvency of his name, he departed for Nova Scotia.

Hester married for the first time on 11th October 1763 when she became the wife of the wealthy Member of Parliament and brewery magnate, Henry Thrale. Although the couple had a dozen children, four of whom survived into adulthood, the marriage was often strained but Thrale's distant behaviour and occasional infidelities. Court gossips whispered that Hester had married beneath her and Thrale seemed ill-suited to court life. However, the couple certainly respected one another and although they might not have shared a storybook romance or blazing passion, they certainly had a deep and abiding affection for one another.

Hesther Thrale, 1785-1786

Buoyed by her own pedigree and her husband's financial capital, Hester's life became a social whirlwind and she moved in the highest circles, befriending titans of the literary set and enjoying a particularly close friendship with Samuel Johnson, who would later praise her in verse. She counted Fanny Burney among her friends, though this particular relationship would one day be tested by Hester's second marriage.

On 4th April 1781 Hester became a widow and an enormously wealthy one at that, inheriting a vast sum of money and the couple's home of Streatham Park. Here she held literary salons attended by luminaries of the cultural world and Johnson had his own quarters there whilst working in the library. She first met musician Gabriel Mario Piozzi at a party in 1777 and was immediately taken by his talent; in the years that followed he often visited Hester to perform for her and by 1782, the widow admitted in her own journals that she was in love with Piozzi, tormented by the knowledge that their social standing was vastly different and that any apparently scandalous behaviour on her part would no doubt percolate down to her children.

In fact, Hester attempted to end her burgeoning romance with Piozzi in 1783 yet Hester was so unhappy at his departure that her own daughters had him recalled and on his return, Hester and Johnson exchanged letters in which Johnson's jealousy came to the fore, resulting in an estrangement between the close friends. Finally Piozzi and Hester were married on 25th July 1784 and the couple took up residence at Brynbella, a country house on the edge of Hester's Bach y Graig estate in Wales. She spent the time here in reflection, considering whether it would be possible to lay claim to the lands her father had owned in Canada and eventually resolving her feud with Johnson, just prior to his death. In fact, she went on to publish Anecdotes of the late Samuel Johnson in 1786 and her collected letters in 1788.

Hester Lynch Piozzi by Mariano Bovi, 1800

Hester's historical writings recognised the achievements of women throughout history and she became a noted diarist in the final years of her life. She died in Bristol after a fall and was buried beside Piozzi at Corpus Christi Church, Tremeirchion.

Charlotte Lennox, Bluestocking

Charlotte Lennox (née Barbara Ramsay; Gibraltar, 1730 – London, England, 4th January 1804)

Well, another lady today... I suppose I had better look through my bureau for a story about a gentleman soon or I shall be getting annoyed missives with my morning tea. Like me today's guest is a lady of letters and it is a joy to welcome Charlotte Lennox to the Guide.

Born the daughter of Royal Navy officer James Ramsay and his wife, Charlotte spent the first years of her life in New York before travelling to London at the age of 15 to become companion to Lady Isabella Finch. Two years late she published a volume of poetry dedicated to her employer and for a while looked set for a role at court until she married Alexander Lennox, a Scot noted only for his indolence and, later, an unsuccessful claim to the Earldom of Lennox. The couple had two children but spent little of their married life together, as their union was not a happy one.

At the age of 18 Charlotte decided that her future lay on the stage but the critics and audiences thought otherwise. Even as she attempted to make a name for herself as an actress Charlotte continued to write poetry and when The Art of Coquetry was published in Gentleman's Magazine in 1750, it attracted the attention of Samuel Johnson, who became one of her greatest champions. Whilst others found much in Charlotte to dislike,  including a hot temper and bad manners, Johnson was utterly beguiled by her and brought her into the highest echelons of the London literary world. She was far from universally popular though and her abrasive character did nothing to endear her to her female peers within her new social circle. 

Her debut novel, The Life of Harriot Stuart, Written by Herself, was successful yet her greatest success was certainly her second, The Female Quixote, or, The Adventures of Arabella. Championed by Johnson and Henry Fielding, the novel sold incredibly well in England and across Europe upon its publication in 1792. Although it was published anonymously,  there was in truth no secret as to the identity of its author. Indeed, Charlotte's other work all identified itself as "by the author of The Female Quixote".

In the years that followed Charlotte published further novels and wrote extensively for journals, as well as producing a play that was put on by David Garrick. She also became a leading literary translator and critic yet never repeated her earlier successes and eventually sank into poverty, her meagre existence supported by the Literary Fund. The woman who had been so celebrated ended her days alone and was buried in an  unmarked grave at Broad Court Cemetery.

For many years Charlotte's work fell into relative obscurity but she has since been championed by scholars as a significant figure of Georgian literature; it is a pleasure to commemorate her eventful days.

Abolition, Faith and Education: Hannah More

Hannah More (Fishponds, Bristol, England, 2nd February 1745 – Clifton, Bristol, England, 7th September 1833)

Hannah More by Henry William Pickersgill, 1821

It must be something in the air because this seems to be a time for tales of ground-breaking women. Yesterday we met a scandalous, radical lady and today we're staying in female company, this time to meet a passionate advocate of education who found time to be a celebrated author on the side!

Hannah was one of five daughters born to Mary and schoolmaster Jacob More, a man who believed unequivocally that education was not only the right of boys and men. He home-schooled his children until 1758 when he established two school, one for boys and one for girls, which he passed to the keeping of his eldest daughters. It was here than Hannah completed her education; she was a passionate and dedicated student and as a young lady took up the position of teacher there. Teaching was Hannah's passion and she searched for a play that might be suitable for her students to perform as part of their studies. When nothing suitable presented itself, she wrote her own and in 1762, completed The Search After Happiness. The play captured the public imagination and copies of it were sold throughout England.

Continuing to write, Hannah left her teaching career behind when she became engaged to a landowner, William Turner. Turner's initial enthusiasm seemed to cool and after six years without marriage, the engagement was ended. Hannah was devastated and suffered a breakdown; perhaps feeling a sense of responsibility for her predicament, William provided his heartbroken former-bethrothed with a £200 annuity and she left her home behind to travel to London. A meeting with David Garrick proved pivotal for Hannah and before long her plays were being performed on the London stage, the playwright herself forming friendships with the likes of Horace Walpole, Elizabeth Montagu and Samuel Johnson. Her pivotal involvement with the Blue Stockings Society inspired her to write her 1782 poem, The Bas Bleu, or, Conversation, and Hannah became an intimate member of the most elite intellectual circles in London.

With Montagu, Hannah championed the efforts of Ann Yearsley, a Bristol poet who found herself in financial straits. In order to protect Yearsley's earnings from her husband, Hannah kept her royalties in trust but Yearsley came to resent this arrangement and the women fell out spectacularly. Upset by this turn of events, Hannah withdrew somewhat from her social life and concentrated instead on her work.

Portraits in the Characters of the Muses in the Temple of Apollo by Richard Samuel, 1778 (Hannah More is standing, second from right)

Although Hannah had always had a strong religious faith, her faith deepened throughout the 1780s and she left behind her literary circle to move among prominent abolitionists including William Wilberforce. She produced articles and books on the subjects of religion and emancipation, as well as works that dealt with female education and a number of poems and stories. By now settled permanently in Somerset, Hannah wrote at an extraordinary rate, collaborating with Beilby Porteus, Bishop of London, on the multi-million selling series, Cheap Repository Tracts.

By 1800 Hannah and her sister, Martha, had followed their father's lead and established 12 schools for the children of farmers and local workers. Here they were educated in religion and taught how to read. However, Hannah drew the line at teaching the poor how to write; as far as she was concerned, being able to read was education enough.

Hannah's cottage in Cheddar

In her dotage Hannah moved to Clifton, where she received dozens of visitors and well-wishers who wanted to meet this remarkable lady. From the most famous to the most humble, all were made welcome and she talked of her work, her faith and the philanthropic acts which she continued to fund. Hannah lived just long enough to see the successful passage of the Slavery Abolition Act and died in 1833, leaving behind not only a fortune in excess of £30,000 but also a legacy of literature, education and philanthropy that is remembered to this day.