Jane Lumley, Baroness Lumley ( Lady Jane Fitzalan; 1537 – 27 July 1578), sometimes called Joanna, was an English noblewoman. She was the first person to translate

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...

into English.

Life and family

Jane is the eldest child of three siblings, named Henry and Mary FitzAlan, and daughter of

Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel Henry Fitzalan, 12th Earl of Arundel KG (23 April 151224 February 1580) was an English nobleman, who over his long life assumed a prominent place at the court of all the later Tudor sovereigns, probably the only person to do so. Court caree ...

and his first wife, Lady Katherine Grey (died 1542). Arundel had Lady Jane and her sister

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

educated very well, and his library, later known as the Lumley Library, was central to this project. She married John Lumley, first Baron Lumley (c. 1533–1609), between 1550 and 1553, when she was 12 or 15. They had three children, all of whom died in childhood. Lumley himself was a scholar, translator and book collector, who supported the literary activities of his wife. The couple first lived at

Lumley Castle Lumley Castle is a 14th-century quadrangular castle at Chester-le-Street in the North of England, near the city of Durham and a property of the Earl of Scarbrough. It is a Grade I listed building. It is currently a hotel. History It is named a ...

in Durham, and then joined Arundel in

Nonsuch Palace Nonsuch Palace was a Tudor royal palace, built by Henry VIII in Surrey, England; it stood from 1538 to 1682–83. Its site lies in what is now Nonsuch Park on the boundaries of the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey and the London Borough ...

where Jane nursed her father through illness before predeceasing him. She is interred in the

Lumley Chapel The Lumley Chapel is a redundant Anglican church in the suburban village of Cheam, in the London Borough of Sutton, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under ...

Cheam Cheam () is a suburb of London, England, south-west of Charing Cross. It is divided into North Cheam, Cheam Village and South Cheam. Cheam Village contains the listed buildings Lumley Chapel and the 16th-century Whitehall. It is adjacent to tw ...

in south London. Lady Lumley was first cousin to

Lady Jane Grey Lady Jane Grey ( 1537 – 12 February 1554), later known as Lady Jane Dudley (after her marriage) and as the "Nine Days' Queen", was an English noblewoman who claimed the throne of England and Ireland from 10 July until 19 July 1553. Jane was ...

Learning

Lady Lumley's scholarship and learning gained her a considerable contemporary reputation. She translated selected orations of

Isocrates Isocrates (; grc, Ἰσοκράτης ; 436–338 BC) was an ancient Greek rhetorician, one of the ten Attic orators. Among the most influential Greek rhetoricians of his time, Isocrates made many contributions to rhetoric and education throu ...

from Greek into Latin, and Euripides's ''

Iphigeneia at Aulis ''Iphigenia in Aulis'' or ''Iphigenia at Aulis'' ( grc, Ἰφιγένεια ἐν Αὐλίδι, Īphigéneia en Aulídi; variously translated, including the Latin ''Iphigenia in Aulide'') is the last of the extant works by the playwright Euripide ...

'' from the original Greek (or possibly, according to Caroline Coleman, from

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' wa ...

's Latin translation) into English. Her manuscripts were preserved in her father's library, which was joined, after his death, to John Lumley's own considerable library and then passed into crown control in 1609. Lady Lumley's translation of ''Iphigenia'' is the first known dramatic work to be written by a woman in English, and the first known translation of a classical play into English by any hand.

Death and burial

Baroness Lumley passed away on the 27th of July 1578. In 1596. Lumley's husband John Lumley erected a tomb for her in

Lumley chapel The Lumley Chapel is a redundant Anglican church in the suburban village of Cheam, in the London Borough of Sutton, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under ...

in St. Dunstan's parish church in

, in which Jane Lumley and her three children were interred.

References

Sources

*Claire Buck, ed. "Lumley, Joanna Fitzalan (c. 1537-1576/77)", ''The Bloomsbury Guide to Women's Literature''. New York: Prentice Hall, 1992, p. 764 *Caroline Coleman, "Lumley, Joanna, Lady", ''British Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide''. London: Routledge, 1989, p. 427 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lumley, Baroness Lumley, Jane English translators Lumley 1537 births 1578 deaths People of the Elizabethan era English women dramatists and playwrights Greek–English translators Daughters of British earls Wives of knights

Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

16th-century English women writers 16th-century English writers 16th-century English women 16th-century English dramatists and playwrights