Catharine Trotter Cockburn

Catharine Trotter was born in London on 16 August 1674 or 1679,[lower-alpha 1] to Scottish parents. Her father, Captain David Trotter, was a respected commodore in the Royal Navy, known personally to King Charles II and the Duke of York, who valued his distinguished service. In 1683, Captain Trotter participated in the demolition of Tangier, and while escorting the fleet of merchant ships belonging to the Turkey Company, he succumbed to the plague in Alexandretta (Iscanderoon) in early 1684. Unfortunately, his widow and children faced financial hardship as his property fell into dishonest hands. Catharine's mother, Sarah Bellenden, was closely related to Lord Bellenden, the Duke of Lauderdale and the Earl of Perth.[4]

Catharine Trotter was initially raised as a Protestant but converted to Roman Catholicism at a young age.

During the remaining years of King Charles II's reign, Mrs. Trotter received a pension from the Admiralty, and Queen Anne granted her an annual allowance of £20. It is likely that the widow received additional support from her husband's brother and her own affluent cousins in raising her two fatherless daughters. The elder daughter married Dr. Inglis, a medical officer who served with the Duke of Marlborough in his military campaigns and later became the army's physician-general.[4]

Catharine, the younger daughter, displayed a keen intellect, a natural aptitude for acquiring knowledge and a talent for penmanship and extemporaneous verse from an early age. Although her formal education is not documented, she referred to it in her poem "Poem on the Busts," suggesting that it was modest and ordinary. Nevertheless, her thirst for knowledge remained unquenched and obstacles only fueled her determination. She avidly read books, progressing from imaginative works that captivated her as a child to treatises on moral philosophy and religion as her reasoning abilities and judgment developed. She taught herself French and, with the help of a friend, Latin. Her verses, written at the age of fourteen and sent to Mr. Beville Higgons, were intended as encouraging advice, emphasizing resignation and the conscientious application of the admirable qualities attributed to him rather than solely expressing admiration for his charms.[5]

Her writings were didactic in nature, and while her songs contained amorous elements, they emphasized self-control and morality. Due to her father's professional connections, her mother's aristocratic ties, and her own remarkable talents, Catharine Trotter had a wide circle of acquaintances. Despite facing financial constraints and likely having little wealth of her own apart from her writing earnings, Trotter moved in esteemed social circles and was frequently welcomed as a guest in the homes of the wealthy and influential. Her beauty and genuine manners exuded an unassuming intellectual superiority.[5]

The title page of a 1696 edition of Trotter's Agnes de Castro

At the age of 14, Trotter published her first novel, titled The Adventures of a Young Lady (later retitled Olinda's Adventures), anonymously in 1693. Just two years later, in 1695, her first play, Agnes de Castro, was staged at the Theatre Royal and published the following year. The dedication in the published version revealed her personal friendship and advisory relationship with the Earl of Dorset and Middlesex. This tragic play was not based on historical events but on Aphra Behn's English translation of a French novel.[6]

In 1696, Trotter, along with Delarivier Manley and Mary Pix, was satirized in the anonymous play The Female Wits. She was depicted as "Calista, a lady who pretends to have learned languages and assumes for herself the name of critic." The following year, Trotter sent a set of complimentary verses to William Congreve regarding his play The Mourning Bride, which likely sparked or solidified Congreve's interest in her literary pursuits. Congreve's published letter to her indicates their prior acquaintance.[6]

In 1698, her second tragedy, Fatal Friendship, was performed at the newly established theater in Lincoln's Inn Fields. It was later published with a dedication to the Princess of Wales. The play not only solidified Trotter's reputation as a playwright but also garnered a shower of complimentary verses and expanded her network of influential and fashionable friends. It is reasonable to assume that it brought considerable financial gain.[6]

Before the text of Fatal Friendship, several sets of eulogistic verses were dedicated to Trotter, including one by P. Harman, who also wrote the prologue; one by an anonymous writer (likely Lady Sarah Piers); and another by the playwright John Hughes, who hailed her as "the first of stage reformers." The language used is straightforward and unaffected, occasionally employing colloquial contractions like "'em" for "them," which became popular during the Restoration period. The plot of the play is ordinary but well-crafted, featuring compelling dramatic situations. The moral lesson drawn at the conclusion emphasizes the importance of self-distrust and the dangers of overconfidence. While contemporary critics regarded Fatal Friendship as Trotter's finest dramatic work, Dr. Birch regretfully omitted her four other plays due to space constraints in his edition of her works.[7]

In 1700, Trotter was among the audacious Englishwomen who collectively mourned the death of John Dryden in verse under the collective names of the Nine Muses. As a result, she received praise and was addressed as a "muse" by a group of admiring poets.[6]

In early 1701, her comedy Love at a Loss, or Most Votes Carry It, was performed at the Theatre Royal and published in May of the same year, with a dedication to Lady Piers. According to Dr. Birch, Trotter had formed an early and close friendship with Lady Piers. Later in the same year, her third tragedy, The Unhappy Penitent, was performed at Drury Lane and published in August. It was dedicated to Lord Halifax, and a set of verses by Lady Piers was included, inscribed "To the excellent Mrs. Catherine Trotter." In May 1702, Trotter wrote her defense of Mr. Locke's Essay of Human Understanding, which earned her the personal friendship of John Locke and Lady Masham. Through them, she was introduced to many notable individuals, including Mr. Peter King, a barrister and member of Parliament who was Locke's maternal nephew.[8]

In the summer of 1707, during her stay with Madame de Vere, an invalid residing near Ripley, Surrey, Catherine Trotter encountered a young clergyman named Fenn. She greatly admired his preaching, conversation and character. Mr. Fenn developed strong feelings for her and proposed marriage, receiving the support and intervention of Lady Piers. While Trotter valued Fenn's friendship, she had already developed a preference for another individual. This favored rival was Rev. Patrick Cockburn, a scholar and gentleman who had a distant relationship to both the Burnet and Trotter families. They had engaged in friendly correspondence for several months, discussing topics related to philosophy and practical religion that were of significant interest to both parties. The advances made by Mr. Fenn led to mutual realisation, and the situation reached a critical point.[13]

In Trotter's verses titled "Calliope's Directions: How to Deserve and Distinguish the Muse's Inspirations," she skillfully defines the uses of tragic, comic and satiric poetry. As Calliope, her jurisdiction extended only to heroic strains and general eloquence, making it inappropriate to discuss any other type of verse. A few lines from the poem exemplify her style:[6]

"Let none presume the hallowed way to tread
By other than the noblest motives led :
If for a sordid gain, or glittering fame,
To please without instructing be your aim,
To lower means your grovelling thoughts confine,
Unworthy of an art that's all divine."

Trotter's hiatus from writing, spanning sixteen to eighteen years, garnered public attention, as did her subsequent return to writing. Commentators on her works may have misinterpreted her own words on this matter, drawing unwarranted conclusions. It is important to note that during those years, Trotter had limited exposure to new books. Nevertheless, she possessed works such as the Bible, Shakespeare and Milton's writings, Lord Bacon's works, Cudworth's works and Bishop Cumberland's works. Despite her withdrawal from the bustling center of British activity, her seclusion allowed her reflections to mature, enriching her intellectual growth more than continuous observation would have. Her mental faculties remained sharp and polished through constant exercise.[19] Extracts from her controversial writings demonstrate her writing style.[20]

In the preface to her "Letter to Dr. Holdsworth," Trotter made a statement, possibly referring to Lord King:[21]

"The great zeal Mr. Locke showed for the conversion of deists, the serious veneration he expresses for the Divine Revelation, and (how little soever he was fond of particular systems) the care he took not to oppose any established articles of faith, make it a work worthy a sincere Christian to support his character against the injudiciousness of those who have reproached him as a Socinian heretic, an enemy, an underminer of religion. That there are no plain proofs from his writings to ground such a charge upon, is a sufficient foundation for this defence; but that he was certainly no Socinian, I am farther well assured by the authority of one who was intimate to his most private thoughts, and who is as eminent for his probity, as for the high station he at present possesses."

In a letter to her niece dated "Long Horseley, September 29, 1748," Trotter expressed her dissatisfaction upon reviewing Mr. Locke's views on moral relations,[22] stating that his plan limited the consideration to the present order of things. While he was not guilty of making morality uncertain, Trotter feared that his ideas might have unintentionally fueled a contemporary, overly ambitious scheme. Trotter's opinion of Bishop Butler, one of her most esteemed contemporaries, is also noteworthy. In letters to Mrs. Arbuthnot from 1738,[23] she praised Bishop Butler's judicious writing, his profound understanding of human nature and his clarity of thought. Trotter emphasized that various modern moralists had been insufficient in establishing moral virtue solely on the moral sense, the essential difference and relations of things, or the sole will of God. She argued that all three principles together formed a solid foundation and obligation for moral practice, with the moral sense, conscience and essential difference of things revealing God's will. Trotter held Bishop Butler's "The Analogy" in high regard and considered it a valuable work that effectively addressed objections raised by deists, reinforcing the believer's conviction in God's wisdom and reconciliation with mankind. In later letters, dated October 2, 1747, from "Long Horseley," Trotter reiterated her deep appreciation for Bishop Butler's writings, expressing complete satisfaction with his doctrine and endorsing every sentence he wrote as aligning with her theological beliefs.[19]

The Cockburns had three daughters named Mary, Catherine and Grissel, and a son named John.[24]

In 1743 one of Trotter's daughters died, followed by her husband in January 1749. This took a toll on Trotter's health and she died on May 11, 1749, in Longhorsley, near Morpeth.[25] Trotter was better alongside her husband and youngest daughter in Longhorsley. Their tomb bore an inscription derived from Proverbs 31:31, altered to read, "Let their own works praise them in the gates."[18]

Trotter's reputation has undergone changes over the past three centuries, with a recent resurgence in interest due to the efforts of feminist critics, including Anne Kelley.[26] Some suggest that the decline of her reputation can be attributed to the fact that she produced a significant amount of work early in her life but less in her later years. Her career was heavily focused on the beginning, and the literary community of her time, particularly men, often emphasized her youth and beauty rather than her writings. Certain literary historians believe that her relative obscurity resulted from an overemphasis on her philosophical works at the expense of her creative writing. Thomas Birch, her biographer, included only one play in his two-volume collection of her works and disregarded "Olinda's Adventures" entirely. Some critics deemed her philosophical writings as derivative, particularly her defense of Locke's Essay, which potentially affected her reputation.

Contemporary scholarly interest in Trotter's dramatic writing has centered on gender studies, acknowledging the influence of her gender on her work. Trotter herself recognized the limitations imposed on her as a woman and expressed her discontent through her writing. In the dedication to "Fatal Friendship" (1698), she reflects on the expectation of facing criticism when a woman assumes a distinct role in society, especially if she engages in what is considered the domain of men. Both Trotter's literary works, where women play prominent roles, and her personal life offer substantial material for feminist analysis.

• Catherine Trotter Cockburn at Stanford Encyclopedia.
• Works by Catharine Trotter at Project Gutenberg
• Olinda's Adventures; or, The Amours of a Young Lady at Project Gutenberg.
• Works by or about Catharine Trotter at Internet Archive