Mercy Doddridge born Mercy Maris (4 September 1709 – 4 April 1790) was a British dissenting laywoman and letter-writer.

Life

Doddridge was born in

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Englan ...

in 1709. She was the daughter of Richard Maris, a baker and

maltster Malting is the process of steeping, germinating and drying grain to convert it into malt. The malt is mainly used for brewing or whisky making, but can also be used to make malt vinegar or malt extract. Various grains are used for malting, most ...

in the city, and his second wife, Elizabeth Brindley, who also had three sons and both came from middle-class

dissenting Dissent is an opinion, philosophy or sentiment of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or policy enforced under the authority of a government, political party or other entity or individual. A dissenting person may be referred to as ...

families. In 1730 she was sent to stay with Mary and Ebenezer Hankins in

Upton-upon-Severn Upton-upon-Severn (or Upton on Severn, etc. and locally simply Upton) is a town and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England. Lying on the A4104 (formerly A440), the 2011 census recorded a population of 2,881 for the ...

in Worcestershire (this move is thought to be because her brother George was mentally unstable.) Her husband to be,

Philip Doddridge Philip Doddridge D.D. (26 June 1702 – 26 October 1751) was an English Nonconformist (specifically, Congregationalist) minister, educator, and hymnwriter. Early life Philip Doddridge was born in London the last of the twenty children of D ...

(1702–1751), was the principal of

Daventry Academy Daventry Academy was a dissenting academy, that is, a school or college set up by English Dissenters. It moved to many locations, but was most associated with Daventry, where its most famous pupil was Joseph Priestley. It had a high reputation, an ...

, founded in 1715, which he relocated from

Market Harborough Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, in the far southeast of the county, forming part of the border with Northamptonshire. Market Harborough's population was 25,143 in 2020. It is the admi ...

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

in 1729. In 1730 she was living with her aunt in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

when she met him and, after he had asked her aunt, he courted her. The courtship lasted for seven months, during which time she would have weekly letters. After the wedding in 1730 she moved into his house at 34 Marefair, Northampton, and he received a £400 dowry. Her husband's income at the time was £120 per year. Doddridge was frequently travelling and it was Mercy who looked after the school's finances. She corresponded with her husband but she sacked an employee on her own authority. The academy had at its largest seven employees to look after sixty-three students.

Marriage

On 22 December 1730 she married

and had nine children. The eldest, Elizabeth or Tetsey (1731–1736), died just before her fifth birthday and was buried under the platform of the Doddridge Chapel in Northampton. Of the remaining eight, four survived to adulthood: Mary, also known as Polly (1733–1799), who married John Humphreys; Mercy (1734–1809); Philip (1735–1785); and Anna Cecilia, also known as Caelia (1737–1811). The correspondence between Mercy and Philip Doddridge provides an insight into their lives.

Death and legacy

Doddridge died in 1790 in

Tewkesbury Tewkesbury ( ) is a medieval market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town has significant history in the Wars of the Roses and grew since the building of Tewkesbury Abbey. It stands at the confluence of the Riv ...

. One of her and her daughter Mary's letters is in the City of London archives.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doddridge, Mercy 1709 births 1790 deaths People from Worcester, England 18th-century British women writers