Hannah Allen (, Archer; after first marriage, Allen, after second marriage, Hatt; c.1638 – 1668x1708), was a 17th-century British

nonconformist Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...

writer, who suffered from religious

insanity Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...

Biography

Hannah Archer, the daughter of John Archer of Snelston,

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, was born about 1638. At the age of two, her father died. Her maternal grandfather was William Hart of

Uttoxeter Uttoxeter ( , ) is a market town in the East Staffordshire district in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is near to the Derbyshire county border. It is situated from Burton upon Trent, from Stafford, from Stoke-on-Trent, from De ...

Woodland,

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

. While living with a paternal aunt, Allen attended school 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 ...

when she was 12, after which she returned to her widowed mother, and it was then that her depression was first recorded. Snelston5

While suffering from depression, she married, c. 1655, the merchant, Hannibal Allen (died 1663), and they had a son. After the husband's death, she expressed a form of insanity in religious form, characterized in her case by depression, self-doubt, and low appetite. The minister, John Shorthose, aided in her mental improvement which occurred between April 1666 and the spring of 1668, at which time she married Charles Hatt, a widower of

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

, having joined a Presbyterian congregation in London beforehand. Allen's rhapsodical work, ''Satan, his methods and malice baffled : a narrative of God's gracious dealings with Mrs. Hannah Allen, (afterwards married to Mr. Hatt) reciting the great advantages the devil made of her deep melancholy, and the triumphant victories, rich and sovereign graces, God gave her over all his stratagems and devices'', was published by John Wallis, in London, in 1683.

Selected works

* 1683, ''Satan, his methods and malice baffled : a narrative of God's gracious dealings with Mrs. Hannah Allen, (afterwards married to Mr. Hatt) reciting the great advantages the devil made of her deep melancholy, and the triumphant victories, rich and sovereign graces, God gave her over all his stratagems and devices''

References

Attribution

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Hannah 1638 births 17th-century English writers English women writers English religious writers Nonconformism People from Derbyshire Dales (district) 1660s deaths