Mary Letitia Martin (1815–1850) was an Irish writer who was known as the "Princess of Connemara". Educated at home in the upper-class style, she was fluent in numerous languages. She published two books in her lifetime, and a third was published posthumously. After losing her fortune during the Great Famine, Martin and her husband went to Belgium for a time, where she contributed to periodicals. They sailed to America in 1850, but Martin died 10 days after arrival due to complications of premature childbirth.

Biography

Martin was born into the chief landowning family of

Connemara Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speak ...

, the Martins of

Ballynahinch Ballynahinch may refer to: Northern Ireland * Ballynahinch, County Armagh, a townland *Ballynahinch, County Down, a town Republic of Ireland *Ballynahinch (barony), in County Galway *Ballynahinch, County Galway, a townland in County Galway * Bally ...

Castle, a branch of the

Martyn Martyn may refer to: *Martyn (surname), one of the Tribes of Galway and others *Martyn (given name) See also *Martin (disambiguation) *Marten (disambiguation) A marten is a mammal in the family ''Mustelidae''. Marten, Mårten, or Martén may also ...

Tribe of Galway. Her parents were

Thomas Barnwall Martin Thomas Barnwall Martin (1784 – April 1847) was an Irish landowner and politician. Martin was the eldest surviving son of Richard Martin, humanitarian and Member of Parliament for Galway County, by his first wife Elizabeth Vesey. Following a ...

and Julia Kirwin; her paternal grandfather was Richard Martin MP (1754–1834). Educated at home and by herself, Martin became fluent in Irish, English, French and a number of other languages. According to

Maria Edgeworth Maria Edgeworth (1 January 1768 – 22 May 1849) was a prolific Anglo-Irish novelist of adults' and children's literature. She was one of the first realist writers in children's literature and was a significant figure in the evolution of the n ...

, who had met her during her tour of Connemara in 1833, she was courted in 1834 by Count Adolphe de Werdinsky, whom she had met in London earlier that year. She refused to marry and de Werdinsky feigned a suicide attempt at Ballynahinch. Martin published her first novel, ''St. Etienne, a Tale of the Vendean War'', in 1845. In 1847, she married a cousin, Colonel Arthur Gonne Bell. He took the name of Martin on marriage, by Royal Licence. In the same year, her father died of

famine fever Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...

contracted while visiting his tenants in the

Clifden Clifden (, meaning "stepping stones") is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Cap ...

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse'' ...

Famine

On the death of her father, Martin inherited a heavily encumbered estate of . In the following two years, her remaining fortune was destroyed in the famine as she attempted to alleviate its effects on her tenants. Penniless, she emigrated with her husband to Belgium. There she contributed to a number of periodicals, notably ''Encyclopaedie Des Gens Du Monde''.

USA and death

In 1850, her autobiographical novel, ''Julia Howard'', was published. That same year, the Martins sailed for America. She died ten days after arriving in New York City, following giving birth prematurely on board ship. The baby died, too. Her husband returned to England. He arranged for the posthumous publication of her novel, ''Deed, not Words'' (1857). In 1883, he was killed in a railway accident.

Select bibliography

* ''St. Etienne'', a romance, 1845. * ''Julia Howard. A Romance'', London, Richard Bentley, 1850. * ''Deeds, not Words; or, the Flemings of Dundalk. A Domestic Tale'', London, G. Routledge, 1857.

Notes

References

* * ''Humanity Dick'', Shevawn Lynam, 1975. * ''Galway Authors'', Helen Maher,

Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who built ...

, 1975. * ''Connemara after the Famine: Journal of a Survey of the Martin Estate by Thomas Colville Scott'', 1853. Edited by Tim Robinson, Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1995. * ''The Tribes of Galway'', by Adrian James Martyn,

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

, 2001. * ''The Eccentric Member for Galway'', Peter Phillips, 2003. * Maria Edgeworth, ''Tour in Connemara and the Martins of Ballinahinch'', edited by Harold Edgeworth Butler. London 1950. Chapter II: A Sequel (pp. 80–101). * ''The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Review'', vol. 35 (1851) p. 100 * Peter Phillips, ''Humanity Dick: the eccentric member for Galway'', Parapress Limited, 2003 , 978-1-898594-76-5

External links

* http://www.libraryireland.com/biography/MaryLaetitiaBellMartin.php {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Mary Letitia 1815 births 1850 deaths People from County Galway 19th-century Irish novelists 19th-century Irish women writers 19th-century Irish writers Irish expatriates in Belgium Irish women novelists Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens) Deaths in childbirth