Mary Champion de Crespigny
Mary Champion de Crespigny (née Clarke; c. 1749 - 12 July 1812) was an English novelist and letter writer.
Mary Champion de Crespigny | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mary Clarke c. 1749 |
| Died | 12 July 1812 Richmond House, Richmond |
| Notable works | The Pavilion |
| Spouse | Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 1st Baronet (1734–1818) |
| Children | Sir William Champion de Crespigny, 2nd Baronet (1765–1829) |
Personal life
Mary Clarke was born c. 1749, an only daughter.[1]
She married Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 1st Baronet. They had one child, a son named William, born on 1 January 1765.[2] William was educated at Eton College and Trinity Hall, Cambridge[2] and was MP for Southampton 1818–1826.[2][3]
She died at Richmond House on 12 July 1812.[1]
Writing
Around 1780, Mary Champion de Crespigny wrote a series of letters to her son, William, then aged 15. These were published as Letters of Advice from a Mother to her Son in 1803 and were dedicated to John Moore, the Archbishop of Canterbury.[1]
In 1796, she published her only novel, The Pavilion, in four volumes.[1]
She is one of the "lost" women writers listed by Dale Spender in Mothers of the Novel: 100 Good Women Writers Before Jane Austen.
References
- "Mary, Lady Champion de Crespigny © Orlando Project". orlando.cambridge.org. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- "DE CRESPIGNY, Sir William Champion, 2nd Bt. (1765-1829), Kingrew, Fawley, Hants and Champion Lodge, Camberwell, Surr. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- "Summary of Individual | Legacies of British Slave-ownership". www.ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2021.