Laetitia Pilkington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Laetitia Pilkington
Born	c. 1709
Died	29 July 1750
Genre	poetry
Notable works	Memoirs

Laetitia Pilkington (born Laetitia van Lewen; c. 1709 – 29 July 1750) was an Anglo-Irish poet and writer. She is best known for her book, Memoirs, which tells us a lot about the famous writer Jonathan Swift.

Laetitia Pilkington's Life

Early Years and Family

Laetitia was born around 1709. Her family was well-known. Her father was a doctor who helped deliver babies and later became the head of the College of Physicians for Ireland. Her mother was related to a respected person named Sir John Meade. Laetitia might have been born in Cork or Dublin, where her family moved by 1711.

Marriage and New Beginnings

In 1725, when she was a teenager, Laetitia married Matthew Pilkington. He was a priest. They met Jonathan Swift in 1725. Swift helped the Pilkingtons. He even helped Matthew get a job as a chaplain (a priest for a specific group) in London from 1732 to 1733.

When Laetitia visited London in 1733, she noticed Matthew had changed. He was very busy with other things and not focusing on his church duties.

In 1734, Laetitia and Matthew returned to Dublin. Matthew faced some legal problems there.

Challenges and Writing

By 1737, Laetitia and Matthew's marriage was having serious difficulties. They separated, and she faced challenges in seeing her children or getting her belongings. Their divorce was finalized in Dublin in February 1738. This was a difficult time for Laetitia.

After this, Laetitia began to write and sell her work. She wrote a special introduction for a play in 1737. She also wrote an opera called No Death but Marriage, which was performed but not published.

Moving to London

In 1739, Laetitia moved back to London to start fresh. She used the name "Mrs. Meade."

In London, she met Colley Cibber, a famous actor and writer. He gave her advice on how to earn money from writing. Laetitia became known for her clever conversations. She also wrote poems for others to use as their own. In 1739, a long poem she wrote called The Statues: or, The Trial of Constancy. A Tale for the Ladies was published.

Laetitia often struggled financially. In 1742, she was arrested because she owed two pounds. She was held in the Marshalsea prison for three months. It was hard for her to even pay for food. She wrote to many people for help. Colley Cibber helped her by arranging for sixteen important people to send her money. An Irish friend, Rev. Patrick Delany, also sent her money through the printer and novelist Samuel Richardson.

After leaving prison, Laetitia met Samuel Richardson. He gave her the money from Delany and also gave her some of his own. Richardson later asked for her advice on parts of his famous novel Clarissa.

In 1743, Laetitia started looking for people to subscribe (pay in advance) for her book, Memoirs. However, her ex-husband Matthew tried to stop the book from being published in London.

Return to Dublin

With financial help from Richardson, Laetitia moved back to Dublin in May 1747. She was not in good health and had little money. She wrote a complimentary letter to Robert King, who later became Lord Kingsborough. He was pleased with her writing and began to support her and her son, John.

Her son, John, talked a lot about their connection with King. A misunderstanding arose, and King thought the Pilkingtons had spoken badly about him. King came to Laetitia's home and asked for his letters back. Since the letters were important, Laetitia and John copied them before returning the originals.

The first two parts of her Memoirs were published in 1748. A third part was not finished when she died, but her son, John Carteret Pilkington, published it in 1754. Her Memoirs were influenced by other writers, like Alexander Pope.

Laetitia died on 29 July 1750, likely from a bleeding ulcer. She was buried in Dublin.

Years after her death, her son John published Robert King's letters in his own autobiography, The Real Story of John Carteret Pilkington.

Images for kids

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  A portrait of Laetitia Pilkington.