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Mary Russell Mitford (16 December 1787 – 10 January 1855) was an English author and dramatist. She was born at Alresford in
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
. She is best known for ''
Our Village ''Our Village'' is a collection of about 100 literary sketches of rural life written by Mary Russell Mitford (1787–1855), and originally published during the 1820s and 1830s. The series first appeared in ''The Lady's Magazine''. The full t ...
'', a series of sketches of village scenes and vividly drawn characters based upon her life in
Three Mile Cross Three Mile Cross is a village in the civil parish of Shinfield, to the south of Reading, and immediately north of the adjoining village of Spencers Wood, in the English county of Berkshire. In the 1960s, the M4 Motorway was built and became a n ...
near
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
in
Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
.


Childhood

She was the only daughter of George Mitford (or Midford), who apparently trained as a medical doctor, and Mary Russell, a descendant of the aristocratic Russell family. She grew up near
Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 â€“ 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...
and was an acquaintance of hers when young. At ten years old in 1797, young Mary Russell Mitford won her father a lottery ticket worth £20,000, but by the 1810s the small family suffered financial difficulties. In the 1800s and 1810s they lived in large properties in
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
and then
Grazeley Grazeley is an area covering the small villages of Grazeley in the civil parish of Shinfield and Grazeley Green in the civil parish of Wokefield, south of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. To the east is the village of Spencers Wood, ...
(in Sulhamstead Abbots parish), but, when the money was all gone after 1819, they lived on a small remnant of the doctor's lost fortune and the proceeds of his daughter's literary career. He is thought to have inspired Mary with the keen delight in incongruities, the lively sympathy, self-willed vigorous individuality, and tolerance which inspire so many of her sketches of character. She cared for her mother and father until their deaths and supported them and herself by proceeds from her writing. From age 10 to 15 she attended a school in
Hans Place Hans Place (usually pronounced ) is a garden square in the Knightsbridge district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, immediately south of Harrods in SW1. It is named after Sir Hans Sloane, 1st Baronet, PRS (16 April 1660 â ...
, Knightsbridge, London, the successor to
Reading Abbey Girls' School Reading Abbey Girls' School, also known as Reading Ladies’ Boarding School, was an educational establishment in Reading, Berkshire open from at least 1755 until 1794. Many of its pupils went on to make a mark on English culture and society, part ...
, which Austen had attended a few years earlier. Her father engaged
Frances Arabella Rowden Reading Abbey Girls' School, also known as Reading Ladies’ Boarding School, was an educational establishment in Reading, Berkshire open from at least 1755 until 1794. Many of its pupils went on to make a mark on English culture and society, part ...
, formerly governess to the family of
Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough (24 January 1758 – 3 February 1844), styled the Viscount Duncannon from 1758 to 1793, was an Anglo-Irish peer. Background Ponsonby was the eldest son of Viscount Duncannon (who succeeded as the 2 ...
, to give her extra tuition. Rowden was not only a published poet, but according to Mitford, "she had a knack of making poetesses of her pupils". Rowden took Mitford to
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...
, especially to plays featuring John Kemble, and entranced her with the life of the theatre.


Works

Mitford's youthful ambition had been to be the greatest English poetess, and her first publications were poems in the manner of
Samuel Taylor Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge (; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poe ...
and
Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...
(''Miscellaneous Verses'', 1810, reviewed by Scott in the ''Quarterly''; ''Christina, the Maid of the South Seas'', a metrical tale based on the first news of discovery of the last surviving mutineer of the H. M. S. Bounty and a generation of British-Tahitian children on
Pitcairn Island Pitcairn Island is the only inhabited island of the Pitcairn Islands, of which many inhabitants are descendants of mutineers of HMS ''Bounty''. Geography The island is of volcanic origin, with a rugged cliff coastline. Unlike many other ...
in 1811; and ''Blanche'', part of a projected series of "Narrative Poems on the Female Character", in 1813). Her play ''Julian'' was produced at
Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
, with
William Charles Macready William Charles Macready (3 March 179327 April 1873) was an English actor. Life He was born in London the son of William Macready the elder, and actress Christina Ann Birch. Educated at Rugby School where he became headboy, and where now the t ...
in the title role, in 1823; ''Foscari'' at Covent Garden, with
Charles Kemble Charles Kemble (25 November 1775 – 12 November 1854) was a Welsh-born English actor of a prominent theatre family. Life Charles Kemble was one of 13 siblings and the youngest son of English Roman Catholic theatre manager/actor Roger Kemble ...
as the hero, in 1826; while ''Rienzi'', 1828, the best of her plays, ran for 34 performances, and Mitford's friend,
Thomas Noon Talfourd Sir Thomas Noon Talfourd SL (26 May 179513 March 1854) was an English judge, Radical politician and author. Life The son of a well-to-do brewer, Talfourd was born in Reading, Berkshire. He received his education at Hendon and Reading School. ...
, supposed that its popularity detracted from the success of his own play, ''Ion''. ''Charles the First'' was refused a licence by the
Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main cha ...
, but was played at the Surrey Theatre in 1834. The prose, to which she was driven by the need to earn a living, was the most successful and financially rewarding of her literary productions. The first series of ''Our Village'' sketches appeared in book form in 1824 (having first appeared in ''
The Lady's Magazine London fashionable spencer ">Spencer_(clothing).html" ;"title="walking dresses, July 1812, including a Spencer (clothing)">spencer ''The Lady's Magazine; or Entertaining Companion for the Fair Sex, Appropriated Solely to Their Use and Amuseme ...
'' five years previously), a second in 1826, a third in 1828, a fourth in 1830, a fifth in 1832. They were reprinted several times. ''Belford Regis'', another series of literary sketches in which the neighbourhood and society of Reading were idealised, was published in 1835. Her description of village
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
in ''Our Village'' has been called "the first major prose on the game". Her ''Recollections of a Literary Life'' (1852) is a series of
causerie Causerie (from French, "talk, chat") is a literary style of short informal essays mostly unknown in the English-speaking world. A causerie is generally short, light and humorous and is often published as a newspaper column (although it is not defin ...
s about her favourite books. Her talk was said by her friends,
Elizabeth Barrett Browning Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime. Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Elizabet ...
and Hengist Horne, to have been even more amusing than her books, and five volumes of her ''Life and Letters'', published in 1870 and 1872, show her to have been a delightful letter-writer. The many collections available of her letters provide especially useful commentary and criticism of her Romantic and Victorian literary contemporaries.


Reception

Mitford was a prolific and successful writer, though the quality of her prose has elicited mixed opinions. In his introduction to a 1997 reprint of selections from ''Our Village'',
Ronald Blythe Ronald George Blythe (born 6 November 1922)"Dr Ronald Blythe ...
stated that "it is hard to know what to praise most, her style or her spirit. Both rise to heights rarely found either in the women's journalism of her day or in a woman who by every law of the time should have been crushed by adversity." On the other hand, Tom Fort, writing in 2017, took the view that "for a reader of today she is rather hard going ... She is, I'm sorry to say, trite, sentimental, long-winded, short-sighted, arch, chatty and twee."
Esther Meynell Esther Hallam Meynell née Moorhouse (1878 – 4 February 1955) was an English writer. Biography Meynell was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire. Her father was the Yorkshire Quaker Samuel Moorhouse. The family moved to Sussex when Esther wa ...
's 1939 novel ''English Spinster: a portrait'' is a fictional treatment of the life of Mary Russell Mitford.


Bibliography

* 1810: ''Miscellaneous Poems'' * 1811: ''Christina, the Maid of the South Seas'' (poetry) * 1812: ''Watlington Hill'' * 1812: ''Blanch of Castile'' * 1813: ''Narrative Poems on the Female Character'' * 1823: ''Julian: A tragedy'' (play) * 1824: ''Our Village'', Volume 1 (Volume 2 1826; Volume 3, 1828; Volume 4, 1830; Volume 5, 1832) * 1826: ''Foscari: A tragedy'' (play) * 1827: ''Dramatic Scenes, Sonnets, and other Poems'' * 1828: ''Rienzi: A tragedy in five acts'' (play) * 1830: Editor, ''Stories of American Life, by American Writers'', Volume 2 * 1831: ''Mary Queen of Scots'' * 1831: ''American Stories for Little Boys and Girls'' (Editor) * 1832: ''Tales for Young People'' (Editor) * 1832: ''Lights and Shadows of American life'' (Editor) * 1834: ''Charles the First: An historical tragedy'' (play) * 1835: ''Sadak and Kalascado'' * 1835: ''Belford Regis; or, Sketches of a Country Town'' (in three volumes) * 1837: ''Country Stories'' * 1852: ''Recollections of a Literary Life, or Books, Places and People'' (three volumes) * 1854: ''Atherton, and Other Tales'' (three volumes) * 1854: ''Dramatic Works''


Later life and death

Mitford met
Elizabeth Barrett Browning Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime. Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Elizabet ...
in 1836, and their acquaintance ripened into a warm friendship. The strain of poverty told on Mitford's work, for although her books sold at high prices, her income did not keep pace with her father's extravagances. In 1837, however, she received a
civil list A civil list is a list of individuals to whom money is paid by the government, typically for service to the state or as honorary pensions. It is a term especially associated with the United Kingdom and its former colonies of Canada, India, New Zeal ...
pension, and five years later, on 11 December 1842, her father died. A subscription was raised to pay his debts, and the surplus increased Mary's income. In 1851 she moved from Three Mile Cross to a cottage in
Swallowfield Swallowfield is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, about south of Reading, and north of the county boundary with Hampshire. Geography The civil parish of Swallowfield also includes the nearby villages of Riseley and Farley Hi ...
, three miles away, where she remained for the rest of her life. She died there on 10 January 1855, after being injured in a carriage accident the previous December. She is buried in the churchyard.


References

*


Literature

* ''The Life of Mary Russell Mitford, related in a Selection from her Letters'', 3 vols (1870 Bentley). *
Henry Fothergill Chorley Henry Fothergill Chorley (15 December 1808 – 16 February 1872) was an English literary, art and music critic, writer and editor. He was also an author of novels, drama, poetry and lyrics. Chorley was a prolific and important music and litera ...
(Ed.), ''Letters of Mary Russell Mitford'' (1872). * A.G.K. L'Estrange (Ed.), ''The Friendships of Mary Russell Mitford as recorded in Letters from Her Literary Correspondents'', 2 vols (1882 Hurst & Blackett). * William J. Roberts, ''(The Life and Friendships of) Mary Russell Mitford: The Tragedy of a Blue Stocking'' (Andrew Melrose, London 1913). (Modern publishing: Kessinger 2007, ) * M. Constance Hill, ''Mary Russell Mitford and Her Surroundings'' (Bodley Head, London 1920). * Marjorie Astin, ''Mary Russell Mitford – Her Circle and Her Books'' (Noel Douglas, London 1930). * James E. Agate, ''Mary Russell Mitford'' (1940). * Vera G. Watson, ''Mary Russell Mitford'' (Evans Brothers, 1949). * Caroline Mary Duncan-Jones, ''Miss Mitford and Mr. Harness. Records of a Friendship.'' (S.P.C.K./Talbot Press, London 1955). * W.A. Coles, 'Mary Russell Mitford: the inauguration of a literary career', ''Journal of the John Rylands Library'' 40 (1957), 33–46. * Pamela Horn (Ed.), ''Life in a Country Town: Reading and Mary Russell Mitford (1787–1855)'' (Beacon Publications, Sutton Courtenay 1984). * Catherine Addison, 'Gender and Genre in Mary Russell Mitford's ''Christina'',' ''English Studies in Africa'' 41, Part 2 (1998), 1–21. * Diego Saglia, 'Public and Private in Women's Romantic Poetry: Spaces, Gender, Genre in Mary Russell Mitford's Blanch,' ''Women's Writing'' 5.3 (1998), 405–19. * Martin Garrett, 'Mary Russell Mitford', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', 2004. * Diego Saglia, 'Mediterranean Unrest: 1820s Verse Tragedies and Revolutions in the South,' ''Romanticism'' 11.1 (2005) 99–113. * Alison Booth, 'Revisiting the Homes and Haunts of Mary Russell Mitford', ''Nineteenth Century Contexts'', 30 Part 1 (2008), 39–65. * Cecilia Pietropoli, 'The Story of the Foscaris, a Drama for Two Playwrights: Mary Mitford and Lord Byron,' in ''The Language of Performance in British Romanticism'' (Peter Lang, New York, 2008), 115–26. * Elisa Beshero-Bondar, 'Romancing the Pacific Isles Before Byron: Music, Sex, and Death in Mitford's ''Christina'',' ''ELH'' 76.2 (Summer 2009) 277–308.


External links


Digital Mitford: The Mary Russell Mitford Archive
This project is producing new digital editions of Mary Russell Mitford's correspondence and literary works, holds bibliographical listing of Mitford's writings, and lists locations of her manuscripts. * * * *
Bibliographical listing of commentaries
* * Mary Russell Mitford Collection. General Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitford, Mary Russell 1787 births 1855 deaths 19th-century English women writers 19th-century English dramatists and playwrights 19th-century English poets 19th-century English historians Cricket historians and writers English women dramatists and playwrights English women novelists English women poets Mary Russell People from Alresford People from Reading, Berkshire People from Shinfield People from Sulhamstead People from Swallowfield Road incident deaths in England