Eliza Kirkham Mathews

Eliza Kirkham Mathews (born Eliza Kirkham Strong; 17 January 1772 – 17 January 1802) was a British novelist and poet.

Eliza Kirkham Mathews
Born17 January 1772
Exeter, Devon
Died17 January 1802 (1802-01-18) (aged 30)
York, Yorkshire
NationalityBritish
Occupations
  • Poet
  • novelist
Spouse
​
(m. 1797)​

Early life

Mathews was born on 17 January 1772 in Exeter, Devon, the daughter of an Exeter physician.[1]

Career

Mathews published her first collection of poetry, Poems in 1796, under her maiden name, Eliza Kirkham Strong, as it wasn't until 1797 she married Charles Mathews. She completed several novels and children's books as well as numerous uncollected poems, including a collection of essays called The Pharos: A Collection of Periodical Essays, published in 1787. Her final publication, the 1801 novel What Has Been, concerns a woman's inability to support her family by writing fiction. Her second poetry collection, also called Poems (1802), gathered and published posthumously, is mainly composed of sonnets, elegies, and odes.

Attribution issues

Some biographies suggest that her first novel was Simple Facts; or, The History of an Orphan published in 1793.[1][2] However there is some confusion about this attribution: some sources list the author of this book as either "Mrs. Mathews"[3] or "Charlotte Mathews".[4]

Personal life

In 1797 she married Charles Mathews (28 June 1776 – 28 June 1835), an English theatre manager and comic actor,[5][6] to whom she was married until her death in 1802.

Death

Mathews died of consumption in York in 1802, aged 30 years old.[1]

References
  1. PoetryFoundation: Eliza Kirkham Mathews biography
  2. PDF, Chawton House.
  3. Study Questions for Mrs. Mathews, Simple Facts; or, The History of an Orphan
  4. Paul Poplawski, A Jane Austen Encyclopedia, 1998, page 44
  5. "Mathews, Charles (1776–1835)" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  6. "Eliza Mathews", Oxford DNB, subscription required
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