Mary Deverell facts for kids

Mary Deverell was born on 4 February 1731 near Minchinhampton, a town in Gloucestershire, England. She passed away in early September 1805 in Nailsworth, also in Gloucestershire. Mary was a writer who focused on moral and religious topics. She came from a family of cloth makers. Important people like Samuel Johnson supported her work. Mary was known for speaking out against the idea that women should only stay at home and focus on household duties.

Early Life and Education

Mary Deverell taught herself everything she knew. She did not go to a formal school. It is believed that she never married. Her self-education was very unusual for women during her time.

A Writer's Journey

Mary Deverell began her writing career by creating sermons. These were speeches usually given by a clergyman in church. She later wrote other books, including essays and plays.

Challenging Norms with Sermons

In 1774, a clergyman asked Mary to write a sermon for him to preach. This led her to publish a whole book of sermons that same year. Even though she often said she was humble, her writings showed a strong belief in women's rights.

Around 1774, Mary moved to London. Many important people, including members of the royal family and church leaders, bought her books. She noted that clergymen approved of her work. However, she also said that "the title of Sermons from a woman startles them!" This shows how unusual it was for a woman to write such serious religious texts. She even got permission from Charlotte, Princess Royal to dedicate a later edition of her sermons to her.

Writing for Young Minds

In 1781, Mary Deverell published a book called Miscellanies in Prose and Verse. She described it as "a light kind of summer reading" for young people. The book was very smart and covered many different subjects. Samuel Johnson, a famous writer, was one of its supporters.

In this book, Mary wrote about how hard it was for poor people to become writers. She also described her search for people who would support her work. In one poem, she imagined what it would be like if men and women switched roles. She strongly disagreed with the idea that "the female sphere is domestic." This meant she did not believe women should only be focused on home life. She even wrote that a woman stuck in an unhappy marriage felt like "the legal slave of a despotic sovereign," meaning she felt completely controlled.

Plays and Later Works

Not everyone liked Mary Deverell's writings. Hannah More, another female religious writer, did not think highly of Mary's long poem about female heroes, Theodora and Dydimus (1784).

Mary also wrote a play in 1792 called Mary, Queen of Scots. It seems this play was never performed on stage. Some critics at the time said the writing was not very good. However, a modern expert has praised the play for its "strong dramatic grasp" of the complex characters of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Queen Elizabeth I. In the same year, Mary published another book of essays specifically for women.

Later Years

After 1792, Mary Deverell was not as active in public life. She passed away in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, in 1805. Her burial took place in Minchinhampton on 12 September.