Catherine Maria Fanshawe (1765–1834) was an English poet, whose work was praised by

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...

. She and her sisters were also artists.W. P. Courtney, revised by Rebecca Mills: "Fanshawe, Catherine Maria". ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford, UK: OUP, 2004
Retrieved 4 September 2018.
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Biography

Catherine Maria Fanshawe was born at Shabden in

Chipstead, Surrey Chipstead is a predominantly commuter village in north-east Surrey, England, that has been a small ecclesiastical parish since the Domesday Survey of 1086. Its rolling landscape meant that Chipstead's development was late and restricted compar ...

, 1765. She was the daughter of John Fanshawe (1738–1816), a Surrey squire, and his wife Penelope (''née'' Dredge).Virginia Blain, Patricia Clements and Isobel Grundy: ''The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. Women Writers from the Middle Ages to the Present'' (London: Batsford, 1990), p. 356. Fanshawe's father held a post in the household of

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

. After the father's death in 1816, Fanshawe and her two sisters were co-heirs. They lived at 15

Berkeley Square Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent ...

, London, and at Midhurst House,

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, Surrey, but also visited Italy due to their poor health. Fanshawe died after a long illness at

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...

Heath, then in Surrey, on 17 April 1834.

Work

Fanshawe wrote clever

occasional verse Occasional poetry is poetry composed for a particular occasion. In the history of literature, it is often studied in connection with orality, performance, and patronage. Term As a term of literary criticism, "occasional poetry" describes the work' ...

after the Romantic school. Some of her poems were printed in publications by

Joanna Baillie Joanna Baillie (11 September 1762 – 23 February 1851) was a Scottish poet and dramatist, known for such works as ''Plays on the Passions'' (three volumes, 1798–1812) and ''Fugitive Verses'' (1840). Her work shows an interest in moral philoso ...

and

Mary Russell Mitford Mary Russell Mitford (16 December 1787 – 10 January 1855) was an English author and dramatist. She was born at New Alresford, Alresford in Hampshire. She is best known for ''Our Village'', a series of sketches of village scenes and vividly dr ...

in 1823 and 1859, then together in 1865 and 1876. Mitford described her as "admirable as a letter-writer, as a reader of Shakespeare, and as a designer in almost every style." Her poems "sparkle with irony. She mimics political voices she disagrees with." The diary she kept has not been found. Fanshawe's best-known production is the famous "Riddle on the Letter H", beginning "'Twas whispered in heaven and 'twas muttered in hell," which has often been attributed to Byron.Jarndyce Booksellers' catalogue ''Women Writers 1795–1927 Part I: A–F'' (London, Summer 2017). Her "Fragment in Imitation of Wordsworth" appears in the ''Oxford Book of Parodies'' (edited by John Gross). Walter Scott admired her poetry as "quite beautiful". He also related that Catherine and her sisters were the first publishers of the ''Memoirs'' of

Ann, Lady Fanshawe Ann Fanshawe, Lady Fanshawe (25 March 1625 – 20 January 1680) was an English memoirist and cookery author. Her recipe for ice cream is thought to be the earliest recorded in Europe. Early life and education Ann (or Anne) Harrison was born on 2 ...

(1625–1680), which cover her life up to 1672 and were completed in 1676. These appeared in 1829.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fanshawe, Catherine Maria 1765 births 1834 deaths English women poets 18th-century British women writers 18th-century English people 19th-century English women writers 19th-century English writers 18th-century English poets 19th-century English poets People from Surrey 18th-century English women