Tryphena Sparks (20 March 1851 – 17 March 1890), born in

Puddletown Puddletown is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated by the River Piddle, from which it derives its name, about northeast of the county town Dorchester. Its earlier name Piddletown fell out of favour, probably because ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

, the youngest child of James and Maria Sparks, was Thomas Hardy's cousin and possible lover, when she was 16 and he was 26. Hardy's mother suggested that Tryphena was not actually his cousin but his niece and he was thus prevented from marrying her. There are also suggestions that she had Hardy's child, a son called Randolph. The relationship ended when Hardy became engaged to

Emma Gifford Emma Lavinia Gifford (24 November 1840 – 27 November 1912) was an English writer and suffragist, who was the first wife of the novelist and poet Thomas Hardy. Early life Emma Gifford was born in Plymouth, Devon, on 24 November 1840 The secon ...

. She is considered by

John Fowles John Robert Fowles (; 31 March 1926 – 5 November 2005) was an English novelist of international renown, critically positioned between modernism and postmodernism. His work was influenced by Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, among others. Aft ...

an "important figure in both his emotional and imaginative life" and author Nicholas Hillyard considers that the affair is important in relation to Hardy's start as a novelist and poet. Sparks was the inspiration for Hardy's poem ''Thoughts of Phena at News of Her Death'' in which Hardy describes her as his "lost prize". She may also have inspired Hardy's story that later became '' Far from the Madding Crowd''. Other Hardy poems have been connected to Sparks, including ''In A Eweleaze Near Weatherbury'', ''At Rushy Pond'', ''A Spot'', ''The Wind's Prophecy'', ''To an Orphan Child'', and ''To a Motherless Child'', which is addressed to Tryphena's daughter whom he had met when visiting Topsham. The character of Sue Bridehead in Hardy's book ''

Jude The Obscure ''Jude the Obscure'' is a novel by Thomas Hardy, which began as a magazine serial in December 1894 and was first published in book form in 1895 (though the title page says 1896). It is Hardy's last completed novel. The protagonist, Jude Fawley ...

'' is also thought to have been based on Sparks and in the book's preface Hardy says that the circumstances of the novel had been suggested by the death of a woman in 1890. Sparks is the subject of ten separate 1960s publications by author Lois Deacon including ''Tryphena'', ''Thomas Hardy and Hardy's Sweetest Image'' and ''Providence and Mr Hardy'' published in 1966. Topsham Cemetery 2020-05-19 4

Having attended Stockwell Training College from 1870 to 1871, Sparks became headmistress of Plymouth Day School in 1872. In 1873 she met Charles Frederick Gale, a publican from Topsham,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

and they were married on 15 December 1877 at Plymouth. She was known in Topsham for the charitable work she did for the local fishermen. She had four children: Eleanor, Charles, George and Herbert. She died from a rupture caused by childbirth and is buried in Topsham,

. Hardy and his brother Henry visited her grave, leaving a note saying "In loving memory -Tom Hardy".

References

External links

Letters from Tryphena Sparks held by the National Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sparks, Tryphena 1851 births 1890 deaths People from West Dorset District Burials in Devon Thomas Hardy