Mary Clarke (letter writer) facts for kids
Mary Clarke (born Jepp, died 1705) was an English woman known for writing many letters. She married Edward Clarke in 1675. They had eleven children together. While her husband was a Member of Parliament in London, Mary managed their family home in Somerset. She also raised their children. Mary wrote often to her husband. She also exchanged letters with the famous thinker John Locke.
Mary Clarke's Early Life
Mary Jepp was born in Somerset in the 1650s. Her parents were Samuel and Elizabeth Jepp. Sadly, both her parents died when she was young. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Baber, raised her. When her grandmother passed away in 1672, Mary inherited land. This land was worth £400, which was a lot of money back then.
Mary's Family and Home
Mary Jepp married Edward Clarke on April 13, 1675. They had eleven children. Three of their children died when they were babies. Eight children grew up: Edward, Elizabeth, Anne, John, Mary, Jepp, Samuel, and Jane.
The Clarkes first lived in London. Later, they moved to the Chipley Park estate in Chipley, Somerset. They rebuilt the main house there. Edward Clarke became a Member of Parliament for Taunton in 1690. He spent most of his time in London when Parliament was meeting. This meant Mary Clarke was left to raise the children and manage the estate.
Edward was involved in a big money change in 1696. This was called the Great Recoinage of 1696. After this, he became unpopular in his local area. People blamed him for the hard times that followed. His enemies spread rumors about him. This made him stay in London for his own safety. Mary worked hard to help clear his name in Taunton.
Mary's Letters and Ideas
Mary Clarke was a dedicated letter writer. She wrote many letters to her husband. Many of these letters are kept safe at the Somerset Archives and Local Studies. Her clever letters show she was very smart. She was interested in the social and political issues of her time. She also wrote about personal things like farming and managing their estate.
Mary and Edward wrote a lot about their children. They discussed their studies, health, and how they were growing up. As the children got older, the parents wrote about their plans. For example, they talked about Elizabeth's marriage. They also discussed John's dream of becoming a merchant. He later became an apprentice to Benjamin Furly. Hundreds of their letters have survived today.
The Clarkes also wrote to John Locke. Locke was a friend of Edward and a cousin of Mary. He had even suggested that Mary marry his friend Sir William Pelham before she met Edward. Locke's replies about how to educate their son, Edward Junior, were later published. This book was called Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693).
Their letters included almost 400 messages. These were later published in the Correspondence of John Locke. Some Thoughts Concerning Education was mostly about educating young men. But Locke also wrote privately to the Clarkes about young women. Their daughter Elizabeth became one of his favorites.
Mary Clarke's practical ideas sometimes differed from Locke's perfect view of parenting. For example, she used servants to help with childcare. Locke thought it would be better not to. She also found it hard to read Latin to her son for two hours every day. Locke believed every child could be taught in the same way. But Edward seemed slow to learn. One of his tutors even asked to leave. He said he had taught Edward as much as he could. Mary was worried. She wrote to Locke that Edward seemed "a sort of downe right honest Blockheaded boy."
Locke believed in teaching children at home. He suggested a Huguenot tutor. However, after trying several tutors, the Clarkes decided to send their children to schools.
Death and Legacy
Mary Clarke died at Chipley on January 10, 1705. She was buried on February 8 in Chew Magna.
