Eleanor Davies (poet) facts for kids

Eleanor Davies (born 1590, died 1652) was an amazing English writer. She wrote nearly seventy short books, called pamphlets, during her life. She was known for her strong beliefs and for sharing her predictions about the future.

Early Life and Family

Eleanor was the fifth daughter of a nobleman, George Tuchet, 11th Baron Audley. She was very smart and studied Latin, religion, and law. In 1609, she married Sir John Davies and they had three children.

In 1625, Eleanor started looking after a 13-year-old boy named George Carr. He was Scottish and couldn't hear or speak. While he lived with Eleanor, he started saying things about the future. Soon after, Eleanor also began to share her own predictions.

Eleanor's Writings and Predictions

That same year, Eleanor published her first pamphlet. It was called A Warning to the Dragon and All his Angels. This book connected old religious stories, like those from the Book of Daniel, to what was happening in politics at the time.

Her husband, John Davies, didn't like her making predictions. He even burned some of her writings. One story says that Eleanor wore clothes like a widow and predicted her husband would die soon. He passed away about a year later.

In 1627, Eleanor married again to Sir Archibald Douglas. He was a soldier. Sadly, he also destroyed some of her important writings.

How Eleanor Made Predictions

Many of Eleanor's predictions were based on anagrams. An anagram is when you rearrange the letters of a word or name to make new words. For example, she rearranged the letters of her own name, Eleanor Audelie, to spell "Reveale O Daniel." She believed this was a message from the Bible.

Eleanor and the Royal Family

The Queen, Henrietta Maria, even asked Eleanor for advice when she was pregnant. However, Eleanor's relationship with the royal family wasn't always smooth. She had predicted that a powerful person, the Duke of Buckingham, would die. This prediction upset the King.

Challenges and Later Life

Eleanor faced several legal problems during her life. After her first husband died, she temporarily lost her home and other property.

In 1634, she was arrested for bringing her writings into England from Amsterdam. These writings were printed without permission. She was fined a large amount of money and put in prison.

After she was released, she was arrested again. She was sent to a hospital called Bedlam. Later, in 1638, she was moved to the Tower of London. She was released from the Tower in 1640. She was arrested two more times for not paying debts and for breaking publishing rules.

Eleanor Davies continued to write and share her unique ideas throughout her life. She was a brave and determined woman who wasn't afraid to speak her mind, even when it caused her trouble.