Prose; Poems; Plays, 1660-1840

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'I beg em ... to consider that I do not speak my own thoughts' 
Mary Lady Chudleigh, The Ladies Defence


Old entrance to Place Barton at Ashton

Elizabeth Polwhele also pens comedy and writes another play, The Frolics, in the 1660's.

Lady Mary Chudleigh, born at Winslade, lives at Place Barton, Ashton in Devon all her married life. She writes numerous poetical works, essays, masques, operas and plays: only the poetry survives; her best known work is The Ladies Defence. Mary has a coterie of women writers, some of whom probably live in Devon.

Delariviere Manley, so called "scandal novelist", begins writing plays whilst staying in Devon.

Catherine Jemmat, from Exeter is born circa 1714: she writes Miscellanies in Prose and Verse.

Hannah Cowley writes many plays and her poems make her famous in her life-time; she's a member of the Della Cruscan school of poets.

Joanna Southcott sees ghosts and becomes Devon’s famous prophet: The Strange Effects of Faith, 1801, begins a full-blown Millenarian movement. 

You might call Anne Hunt Devon’s Romantic women poet; she lives in Exeter and is a friend of Elizabeth Simcoe.

Emily Clark from Dartmouth composes Flower of Caernarvon, 1798 which, apparently, she writes to support her mother and sisters.

Mary Colling who writes quirky poetry, is friend and protégé of Anna Eliza Bray.


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