Martha Moulsworth facts for kids

Martha Moulsworth (born Martha Dorsett on November 10, 1577) was an English writer. She lived most of her life in Hoddesdon, England. She is famous for her poem, Memorandum of Martha Moulsworth, Widow, written in 1632. This poem is one of the first autobiographies ever written in English! It tells the story of her own life.

Martha Moulsworth's Life Story

Martha Moulsworth was likely a landowner, meaning she owned land. In her poem, she mentions that her father owned land and left it to her. This shows she came from a family with some wealth.

Her Amazing Education

Martha was very well educated for her time. In her Memorandum, she wrote that she learned Latin, which was unusual for women back then. Her writings also show she knew a lot about the Bible.

Some experts believe Martha was a follower of Laudianism, a type of Anglicanism. However, she was also the godmother to William Prynne, who had different religious views. This makes her exact religious beliefs a bit of a puzzle for historians.

After Martha died, a sermon (a religious speech) was given in her honor. It said that she loved to study history and theology (the study of religious beliefs). Experts Jane Stevenson and Peter Davidson say her poem suggests she spent her life reading and thinking about religious topics. They believe her poem is a type of spiritual autobiography, where she shares her religious journey.

A Puzzle About Her Father

In her poem, Martha claimed her father taught her Latin. But we know now that her father, Robert Dorsett, died when she was not even three years old. So, he couldn't have taught her Latin.

Robert Dorsett was an Anglican minister and a canon at Christ Church, Oxford. He was also a tutor to famous people like Philip Sidney. Historians think Martha might have said her father taught her Latin because she wanted to be like him. Or perhaps she felt she needed her father's approval for her learning.

Her Marriages

Martha Moulsworth was married three times. Her last husband, Bevill Moulsworth, was her favorite. Bevill was a goldsmith and a merchant. He was also part of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, a group for goldsmiths in London.

Martha Moulsworth's Writings

Martha Moulsworth is known for writing only one main work, her Memorandum. However, some experts think she might have written another poem too.

The Memorandum Poem

Martha wrote her Memorandum on November 10, 1632, which was her 55th birthday. The poem is 110 lines long. Each two lines (called a couplet) talk about one year of her life.

One part of the Memorandum is very special because it shows Martha's modern ideas about women's education. She believed women should have the chance to learn, just like men. Here's what she wrote, both in her original words and in modern English:

Martha Moulsworth's poem is different from those written by other women writers of her time, like Lady Mary Wroth. While others wrote about life at court, Martha wrote about her family and religious thoughts. Her poem is similar to the Devotions by John Donne, which was published around the same time.

There is only one known copy of Martha's Memorandum. It is found in a special book called a commonplace book at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. This book belonged to Marmaduke Rawdon. People didn't know about Martha's poem until the 1990s, and it was published for the first time shortly after that.

Other Possible Works

An expert named Steggle believes that another poem, called 'Thou who dost all my earthly thoughts employ', might also have been written by Martha Moulsworth. This poem was once thought to be by another writer named Mary Monck.

Images for kids

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  Rawdon House in Hoddesdon. The book containing Moulsworth's Memorandum belonged to Marmaduke Rawdon.