Anna Trapnell ( ''

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

'' 1650s), was an alleged prophetess active in England in the 1650s, associated with the Fifth Monarchists whom she joined in 1652.

Early life

Anna Trapnell was born sometime during the 1630s in

Stepney Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name appli ...

, England, in the Parish of St. Dunstan's. Her father was a

shipwright Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befo ...

, and brought his family up in a Thameside maritime parish that was rife with wealth disparity. Despite not having been baptized, Trapnell had religious zeal at a very early age, and is quoted as having said: "When a child, the Lord awed my spirit, and so for the least trespass, my heart was smitten".Purkiss, Diane, and Association Libraries. "The English Civil War". Basic Books, 2007. She claims that her first recorded vision occurred after the death of her mother in 1647.

Journey into Cornwall

In January 1654, Trapnell fell into a trance for eleven or twelve days, during which time she sang, prayed and prophesied before a large crowd of people. Her trance and the news of it propelled her to fame around England. She was sharply critical of the

Protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its in ...

government of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three ...

, and she preached equality of the sexes. She was considered mad. Anna Trapnell travelled to

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...

following a dream. In April 1654 she was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace, and brought before the

magistrates The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

in Truro. Anticipating that she would be considered a taciturn witch she overwhelmed the court with verbosity. Judges asked her questions about the reasons for her travels and her purpose for preaching. She responded with questions, parables, and quotations from the Bible. The intense questioning and the ambiguity of her responses is reminiscent of the trial of Jesus before the Crucifixion. Whether this report of her trial is accurate, however, is debatable, for the only of account of Anna Trapnell's trial is her own.Mintz, Susannah. "The Spectacular Self of Anna Trapnell's Report and Plea". Pacific Coast Philology, 2000. Trapnell was subsequently transported from Cornwall to London and imprisoned by order of the

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

Bridewell Bridewell Palace in London was built as a residence of King Henry VIII and was one of his homes early in his reign for eight years. Given to the City of London Corporation by his son King Edward VI for use as an orphanage and place of cor ...

. She was released in July 1654. She continued her prophesies upon her release, and accounts of her activities were recorded in ''Strange and Wonderful Newes from White-Hall'', ''The Cry of a Stone'', ''A Legacy for Saints'', and ''Anna Trapnel's Report and Plea'', all published in 1654.

Legacy

Anna Trapnell was a revolutionary woman writer, for she gained notoriety during a time when women were dismissed as incompetent. Her motivations are not known, and the accuracy of her stories is questionable considering they were all first-person accounts. However, the influence of her preaching and the size of her audience are impressive.

Works

* ''A Narrative of Her Journey Into Cornwall''. — a biography including details of the trial.

Notes

References

*Hobby, Elaine. ''Virtue of necessity: English women's writing 1649–88''. University of Michigan, 1989. *Wright, Stephanie Hodgson. ''Women's writings of the early modern period 1588–1688''. Edinburgh University, 2002. *Magro, Maria. "Spiritual Biography and Radical Sectarian Women's Discourse: Anna Trapnel and the Bad Girls of the English Revolution". Journal of Medieval and Modern Studies, 2004.

External links

cris cheek's performance of Anna Trapnel March 26 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trapnell, Anna 1630s births Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 17th-century English women writers 17th-century English writers English pamphleteers Protofeminism Feminism and spirituality Fifth Monarchists People from Stepney Women in the English Civil War Feminism in England