Charlotte Forman (1715–1787) was a British journalist, translator, political essayist and activist. Between 1756 and 1780, she wrote political essays and news from abroad for many newspapers under various
pseudonyms
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
, most notably Probus (in ''The Gazetteer'' and the ''Public Ledger''). Unknown in her lifetime, in more recent years Forman's career has garnered significance as she was one of the few women of the period who wrote essays on what were considered masculine subjects (politics and trade).
Essays and writings which can be attributed to her have been described as erudite and moralising and, due to
sexist
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primaril ...
attitudes towards women prevalent at the time, were considered to have been written by a man.
Early life
Forman was one of five children of Charles Forman, an Irish
Jacobite and pamphleteer, and his wife Mary. During the
Jacobite rising of 1715
The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ;
or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts
The House of Stuart, ori ...
, her father (a clerk of the English war office) fled to France after he delayed sending orders to the English general
Charles Wills
General Sir Charles Wills (October 166625 December 1741) was a professional soldier from Cornwall, who was Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance and Member of Parliament for Totnes from 1718 to 1741.
He began his military career in 1689, serving s ...
, who was fighting the Jacobites. Therefore, there is ambiguity as to whether Charlotte was born in England or France, although she later wrote that she had bee "nursed in the
palace of the Trianon" in France. She however lived in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
for most of her life in extreme poverty, and went into
debtors' prison
A debtors' prison is a prison for people who are unable to pay debt. Until the mid-19th century, debtors' prisons (usually similar in form to locked workhouses) were a common way to deal with unpaid debt in Western Europe.Cory, Lucinda"A Historic ...
for a short time in 1767.
Writing career
Forman was unknown in her lifetime but in more recent years her career garnered significance as she was one of the few women of the period who wrote essays on stereotypically masculine subjects. Forman wrote a number of political essays for the ''
Gazetteer and London Daily Advertiser'' between 1756 and 1760, then continued in the ''
Public Ledger, or, Daily Register of Commerce and Intelligence'' in 1760. Both newspapers were aimed at merchants, traders, and shopkeepers in London, and contained information relating to international trade such as shipping news and offers of wholesale and retail goods. Forman wrote a number of letters 'To the printer' as a regular correspondent.
Forman's essays in the ''Gazetteer'' and the ''Public Ledger'', all signed under the pseudonym Probus, were written in the months leading up to and during the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754†...
. A large number (roughly 200) of the surviving essays comment upon the diplomatic news, offering historical background relevant to understanding the interests of the contending nations, weighing the credibility of various news reports, and analysing the interests of England, Prussia, France, Holland, Austria, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and Denmark. She consistently supported the English war effort, reassures readers that England has the capacity to defeat France, defends
Frederick the Great
Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...
and
William Pitt the Elder
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, (15 November 170811 May 1778) was a British statesman of the Whig group who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. Historians call him Chatham or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish ...
from critics, and argues against a premature peace that would make unnecessary concessions to France.
Her frequent correspondence with
Radical
Radical may refer to:
Politics and ideology Politics
*Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change
*Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...
satirist and politician
John Wilkes
John Wilkes (17 October 1725 – 26 December 1797) was an English radical journalist and politician, as well as a magistrate, essayist and soldier. He was first elected a Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fo ...
have been described as providing modern readers with "graphic evidence of the struggles of an independent woman in the 18th century attempting to support herself by writing". She described herself as a literary
day labourer
Day labor (or day labour in American and British English spelling differences, Commonwealth spelling) is work done where the worker is hired and paid one day at a time, with no promise that more work will be available in the future. It is a form ...
.
She is not known to have published anything under her own name, although there are almost certainly many works published anonymously which cannot now be attributed.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Forman, Charlotte
18th-century British women writers
British political journalists
1715 births
1784 deaths
18th-century pseudonymous writers
Pseudonymous women writers