Mary Alcock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Alcock
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Title page of Mary Cumberland Alcock's Poems, &c. &c. Ed. Joanna Hughes (London : C. Dilly, 1799) (Internet Archive)
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| Born | Mary Cumberland c. 1742 Stanwick, Northamptonshire |
| Died | 1798, 57 yrs. Northamptonshire |
| Occupation | writer |
| Notable work | Poems … by the Late Mrs Mary Alcock Ed. Joanna Hughes (London: C. Dilly, 1799) |
| Spouse | Alexander Alcock |
| Relatives | Joanna Bentley (1704/5–1775) (mother); Denison Cumberland (1705/6–1774) (father); Richard Bentley (grandfather); Richard Cumberland (brother) |
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Mary Alcock (born Mary Cumberland, around 1742 – 1798) was an English writer. She wrote poems and essays. She also helped others, which is called being a philanthropist. Mary was part of a group of writers who met with Lady Anne Miller in Bath.
Mary's Early Life
Mary Cumberland was the youngest child in her family. Her mother was Joanna Bentley. Her father was Bishop Denison Cumberland. Mary had a famous grandfather, Richard Bentley. He was a classicist and led Trinity College, Cambridge. Her brother, Richard Cumberland, became a well-known playwright.
Mary grew up in Stanwick, Northamptonshire and Fulham, Middlesex. In 1762, her family moved to Kingdom of Ireland. This happened because her father became a chaplain there.
Family and Challenges
Around 1770, Mary got married to a man named Alexander Alcock. Her husband faced health challenges. Mary also took care of her parents when they were sick. After her sister Elizabeth died in 1770, Mary looked after her seven nieces.
By the early 1780s, Mary was a widow. She moved to Bath, Somerset. There, she joined a group of writers led by Anne Miller. Mary even took part in poetry contests! She also spent time helping people through different charities.
Her Writings
Mary Alcock wrote many poems and essays. She wrote about her life and the world around her. She also wrote two pieces that made fun of popular "sentimental novels." These were called "The Scribbler" and "A Receipt for Writing a Novel." She thought these novels were "hobgoblin nonsense."
Mary was not always strong or healthy. She passed away at age 57 in Northamptonshire. After her death, her niece Joanna Hughes collected Mary's writings. She published them in a book of poems and essays. Important people like Charles Burney and Hannah More supported the book. Some members of the royal family also subscribed to it.
Selected Works
- The Confined Debtor: a Fragment from a Prison (1775)
- The Air Balloon, or, Flying Mortal (London: E. Macklew, 1784): This was a poem published without her name.
- Poems … by the Late Mrs Mary Alcock Edited by Joanna Hughes (London: C. Dilly, 1799)
See also
- Romantic literature in English
