Mary (Lee) Chudleigh (1656 - 1710)

Born Aug 1656 in Clyst St George, Devon, England

Ancestors

Wife of George Chudleigh 3rd Bt. — married after 21 Feb 1674 in Clyst St George, Devon, England

Descendants

Died 15 Dec 1710 at age 54 in Ashton, Devon, England

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Biography

Mary (Lee) Chudleigh is Notable.

Mary, Lady Chudleigh, was an English Restoration poet and essayist. Her work spoke to the concerns of her contemporary women readers, and she is often seen as an early feminist. Her poems were much admired, and were praised by the Poet Laureate John Dryden.^[1] She was a member of the intellectual circle that included Mary Astell, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and other influential Restoration minds.

Chudleigh experimented with and wrote in a variety of literary forms, from lyric and satire to biblical paraphrase and philosophical essay. However, intrinsic within this wide formal range is her interest in, and promotion of, female education and self-determination in a world ruled by men.

Mary Lee was born in 1656, the daughter of Richard Lee and Mary (Sydenham) Lee. She was baptised at Clyst St George, Devon, England, on 19 August 1656.^[2]

She married George Chudleigh, who in 1691 was to become 3rd Baronet of Ashton, on 25 March 1674 at Clyst St George, Devon. ^[3] A licence for the marriage was granted on 21 February 1674. Mary was 17, single, but as a gentlewoman was recorded as 'Mrs'. She was married 'with her father's consent'. Her residence was recorded as Winslade, Devon. George Chudleigh, Esq., was 30, single, and resident of Ashton, Devon. ^[4]

The couple had at least five children for which evidence has been found, although some sources say they had six.^[3] Verified children are:

• Mary, September 1676 - January 1677. ^[5][6]
• George 1683 - 1738, who became 4th Baronet. ^[7]
• Richard 1685 - 1688. ^[8][9]
• Thomas 1687 - 1726. ^[10][11]
• Eliza Maria 1691 - 1702. ^[12]

Mary died on 15 December 1710 from severe rheumatism, and is buried in Ashton, Devon. She was 54. ^{[13] [14]}

Fleuron from Poems on Several Occasions.

Bibliography

• The Ladies' Defence, Or, The Bride-Woman's Counsellor Answer'd : A Poem in a Dialogue Between Sir John Brute, Sir William Loveall, Melissa, and a Parson (London, 1701)
• Poems on Several Occasions (London, 1703)
• The Song of the Three Children Paraphras'd
• Essays Upon Several Subjects in Prose and Verse (London, 1710)

Research Notes

Wikitree states that Mary was the oldest of three siblings. While it has been possible to trace a probable brother, William, born 1662, a Martha, bapt 1672 in Clyst St George, is more problematic. The location is right but there is no mother's name recorded, and the date of birth is ten years after the last child, William. ^[15]

In her introduction to Mary, Lady Chudleigh Selected Poems (Exeter: Shearsman, 2009) Julie Sampson mentions three siblings: William, whom she says died when Mary was 11; Martha (as above), who died when Mary was 16; and Richard, who was 25 years her junior and died at the age of 25.^[16] More research needed.

Sources

• Ezell, Margaret J M, ed, The Poems and Prose of Mary, Lady Chudleigh, (Women Writers in English), New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
• Sampson, J, ed, Mary, Lady Chudleigh Selected Poems Exeter: Shearsman, 2009

1. ↑ In a letter to his publisher Jacob Tonson, in 1697. From The Letters of John Dryden, ed. Charles E Ward (Durham, NC, Duke University Press, 1942), cited in Ezell (1993), p.xvii
2. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JQ1K-CJJ : 11 February 2018, Mary Lee, 19 Aug 1656); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 599,891.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Wikipedia contributors, "Mary Chudleigh," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Chudleigh&oldid=878273334 (accessed July 22, 2019).
4. ↑ Dean & Chapter Of Westminster Marriage Licences 1558-1699 & Vicar General Marriage Licences 1660-1679, Page 225, at Find My Past.
5. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NPLL-J4B : 11 February 2018, Mary Chudleigh, 20 Sep 1676); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 599,891.
6. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #187459024
7. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #187457116
8. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NPLL-GPR : 11 February 2018, Richard Chudleigh, 04 Nov 1685); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 599,891.
9. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #187457237
10. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NPLL-KRS : 11 February 2018, Thomas Chudleigh, 11 Aug 1687); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 599,891.
11. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #187460444
12. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #187457410
13. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK1V-4JNN : 29 March 2018), null, 1710; Burial, Ashton, Teignbridge District, Devon, England, St John The Baptist; citing record ID 149035370, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
14. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #149035370
15. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J38J-JWL : 11 February 2018, Martha Lee, 14 Dec 1672); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 599,891.
16. ↑ Sampson, 2009, p. 8.

See Also

• Wikipedia: Mary Chudleigh
• Wikidata: Item Q6470416, en:Wikipedia
• A Selection of poems by Mary Chudleigh at The Poetry Foundation