Brilliana, Lady Harley (1598 – 29 October 1643), ''née'' Brilliana Conway, was an English letter writer. Her name was coined by her father, Sir Edward Conway, English governor of Brielle (called Brill in English) in Holland with the suffix ''-ian'' as a

demonym A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...

and the Latin feminine suffix ''-a''.

Letters

Some of Lady Harley's 375 letters to her husband,

Sir Robert Harley ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English language, English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist i ...

and her son

Sir Edward Harley Sir Edward Harley, 21 October 1624 to 8 December 1700, was an English politician from Herefordshire. A devout Puritan who fought for Parliament in the First English Civil War, Harley belonged to the moderate Presbyterian faction, which opposed ...

survive and show her to be an educated literary woman, at home in several languages. She was able to keep her husband informed of local political affairs when he was absent from home at Brampton Bryan in northwest Herefordshire, attending Parliament or for other reasons, and organised the collection of information locally for the Parliamentary Committee on Scandalous Ministers. She was deeply religious, and her letters frequently repeat religious sentiments and encouraged her family in their chosen Puritan practices. The letters also contain passages relating to personal details of their family life.

English Civil War

During the English Civil War, in the absence of her husband and sons, Lady Harley defended her home,

Brampton Bryan Castle Brampton Bryan Castle is a ruined medieval castle in the small village of Brampton Bryan in north-western Herefordshire, England, 50m south of the River Teme. The castle guarded an important route from Ludlow along the Teme Valley to Knighton an ...

, during a three-month siege by Royalist troops until the troops withdrew because they were needed at Gloucester. She then compelled her tenants to level the Royalist siege earthworks. She also dispatched 40 troops to raid a local Royalist camp at Knighton.

Death

Lady Harley died of pneumonia on 29 October 1643, probably as a result of the hardships endured during the siege. By tradition (with a few gaps) the eldest daughters of Lady Harley's female descendants have given each eldest daughter the middle name of Brilliana.

Bibliography

Lady Brilliana Harley's published correspondence can be found in three volumes: * * *Three letters, two dated August 24 and one August 25, which passed between Lady Harley and Sir J. Scudamore are printed from copies at Welbeck o
pp. 114
115 of the first volume of the report on the Harley papers belonging to the Duke of Portland
Fourteenth Report
Appendix. Part II). The British Library holds many unpublished letters from Lady Harley.

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

The HSL-SHL online journal provides a detailed bibliography of all works pertaining to Brilliana, Lady HarleyBBC Radio 4 UK Broadcast about her on 20 August 2008
1598 births 1643 deaths Roundheads People from Herefordshire Women in the English Civil War Brilliana Deaths from pneumonia in England English letter writers Women letter writers 17th-century English women writers 17th-century English writers {{England-writer-stub