Eliza Kirkham Mathews (born Eliza Kirkham Strong; 17 January 1772 17 January 1802) was a British novelist and poet.
Early life
Mathews was born on 17 January 1772 in
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
, Devon, the daughter of an Exeter physician.
[PoetryFoundation: Eliza Kirkham Mathews biography](_blank)
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Career
Mathews published her first collection of poetry, ''Poems'' in 1796, under her maiden name, Eliza Kirkham Strong, as it wasn't until 1797 she married Charles Mathews
Charles Mathews (28 June 1776, London – 28 June 1835, Devonport) was an English theatre manager and comic actor, well known during his time for his gift of impersonation and skill at table entertainment. His play ''At Home'', in which he pla ...
. She completed several novels and children's books as well as numerous uncollected poems, including a collection of essays called ''The Pharos: A Collection of Periodical Essays'', published in 1787. Her final publication, the 1801 novel ''What Has Been'', concerns a woman's inability to support her family by writing fiction. Her second poetry collection, also called ''Poems'' (1802), gathered and published posthumously, is mainly composed of sonnets, elegies, and odes.
Attribution issues
Some biographies suggest that her first novel was ''Simple Facts; or, The History of an Orphan'' published in 1793.
Personal life
In 1797 she married Charles Mathews
Charles Mathews (28 June 1776, London – 28 June 1835, Devonport) was an English theatre manager and comic actor, well known during his time for his gift of impersonation and skill at table entertainment. His play ''At Home'', in which he pla ...
(28 June 1776 28 June 1835), an English theatre manager and comic actor,"Eliza Mathews"
''Oxford DNB'', subscription required to whom she was married until her death in 1802.
Death
Mathews died of consumption in York in 1802, aged 30 years old.
References
External links
PoetryFoundation: Eliza Kirkham Mathews biographyCambridge University Press: Eliza Kirkham Mathews biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathews, Eliza Kirkham
1772 births
1802 deaths
Writers from Exeter
18th-century English poets
19th-century English poets