Anne Manning (17 February 1807 – 14 September 1879) was an English novelist. Born in London, she was an active writer, having 51 works to her credit. Though her writings were antiquated in style, they were considered to have some literary charm and a delicate historical imagination. Her best known novel features the young wife of the poet

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

Background and life

Manning initially produced two books of non-fiction, followed by her first fictional work ''Village Belles'' (first published in 1833, though some modern sources mistakenly say 1838). Her best known works were initially printed as serials in '' Sharpe's Magazine'' and later published in book form. She is best known for ''The Maiden and Married Life of Mary Powell, afterwards Mistress Milton'', which first appeared anonymously in 1849 and was later just referred to as ''Mary Powell''. It is derived from the story of the young wife of

. She is also known for ''The Household of Sir Thomas More'', a picture of More's home life in the form of a diary written by his daughter Margaret. ''Mary Powell'' was so popular that her subsequent works simply identified Manning as "The Author of Mary Powell," otherwise remaining anonymous.Room, Adria
Dictionary of Pseudonyms
p. 387 (5th ed. 2010)(14 February 1880)
Memoriam: Anne Manning, Author of "Mary Powell", by the author of "Moravian Life in the Black Forest"
''

Englishwoman's Review ''The Englishwoman's Review'' was a feminist periodical published in England between 1866 and 1910. Until 1869 called in full ''The Englishwoman's Review: a journal of woman's work'', in 1870 (after a break in publication) it was renamed ''The ...

'' A number of sources subsequently attributed the pseudonym of "Mary Powell" to

Hannah Mary Rathbone Hannah Mary Rathbone (5 July 1798, in Shropshire – 26 March 1878, in Liverpool) was an English writer and the author of ''The Diary of Lady Willoughby''. Life Reynolds was born in 1798. Her parents were Joseph Reynolds and Deborah (born Dearman ...

, whose ''The Diary of Lady Willoughby'' (1844) was similar in style to Manning, and erroneously suggested that Manning had at some point married and become Mrs. Rathbone.(October 1901)
Anne Manning - A Query
''Library Journal'', p. 730. Manning and Rathbone both released a number of works which used Caslon Old Face font, to add a visual element to the notion that their works were actual diaries of long ago persons.Hasell, Duncan Ingraham
Material Fictions: Readers and Texuality in the British Novel, 1814--1852
pp. 177–178 (2009 Ph.D. dissertation).Simmons, James. C
Thackeray's ''Esmond'' and Anne Manning's "Spurious Antiques"
in ''The Victorian Newsletter'', Fall 1972, No. 42, pp. 22–24. Manning never married, and was considered a chronic invalid, living for many years at

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earlie ...

Hill in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

until her mother died, and then at sister's house near

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Roc ...

, where she died in 1879.Women Novelists of Queen Victoria's Reign
pp. 211-16 (biographical sketch by

Charlotte Mary Yonge Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823–1901) was an English novelist, who wrote in the service of the church. Her abundant books helped to spread the influence of the Oxford Movement and show her keen interest in matters of public health and sanitation. ...

) (1897) Although inexpensive reprints of ''Mary Powell'' and ''The Household of Sir Thomas More'' were published into the 1930s, Manning's archaic style has long since fallen out of favor.Mitchell, Sally, ed
Victorian Britain: An Encyclopedia
p. 476 (1988, Routledge 2011)

Selected bibliography

Manning wrote over 50 books.Sutherland, John
The Longman Companion to Victorian Fiction
p. 411The World's Greatest Books, Volume 6
p. 155 (see note) (1910) They include: *''A Sister's Gift'' (1826, non-fiction) *''Stories from the History of Italy'' (1831, non-fiction) *''Village Belles'' (1833, first novel) *''The Maiden and Married Life of Mary Powell, afterwards Mistress Milton'' (1849) *
The Household of Sir Thomas More
' (1852) *''The Colloquies of Edward Osborne'' (1852) (regarding Edward Osborne)(20 November 1852)
The Colloquies of Edward Osborne (review)
''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'', p. 17 *''Cherry & Violet'' (1853) *''The Adventures of Caliph Haroun Alraschid (1855) *''The Old Chelsea Bun-House'' (1855) (in reference to the

Chelsea Bun House The old Chelsea Bun House was a shop in Chelsea which sold buns in the 18th century. It was famous for its Chelsea bun and also did a great trade in hot cross buns at Easter. It was patronised by royalty such as Kings George II, George III ...

) *''The Good Old Times'' (1857) *''Deborah's Diary'' (1858) (a sequel to ''Mary Powell'', in the voice of Milton and Powell's daughter) *''The Ladies of Bever Hollow'' (1858) *''The Year Nine. A Tale of the Tyrol'' (1858) *''Poplar House Academy'' (1859) *''A Noble Purpose Nobly Won'' (1862) *''The Duchess of Trajetto'' (1863) *''Meadowleigh: A Tale of English Country Life'' (1863) *''An Interrupted Wedding'' (1864)Bateson, F. W., ed
The Cambridge bibliography of English literature, Vol. III 1800-1900
p. 495 (1969 ed.). *''The Lincolnshire Tragedy: Passages in the Life of the Faire Gospeller, Mistress Anne Askew'' (1866) (about

Anne Askew Anne Askew (sometimes spelled Ayscough or Ascue) married name Anne Kyme, (152116 July 1546) was an English writer, poet, and Anabaptist preacher who was condemned as a heretic during the reign of Henry VIII of England. She and Margaret Chey ...

) *''Jacques Bonneval, or the Days of the Dragonnades'' (1867)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Manning, Anne 1807 births 1879 deaths 19th-century British novelists British women novelists 19th-century British women writers 19th-century British writers British historical novelists Women historical novelists Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period