Mary Champion de Crespigny

Mary Champion de Crespigny
Born
Mary Clarke
c. 1749
DiedJuly 12, 1812(1812-07-12) (aged 62–63)
Richmond House, Richmond
Notable worksThe Pavilion
SpouseSir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 1st Baronet (1734–1818)
ChildrenSir William Champion de Crespigny, 2nd Baronet (1765–1829)

Mary Champion de Crespigny (née Clarke; c. 1749 – 12 July 1812) was an English novelist and letter writer.

Personal life

Mary Clarke was born c. 1749, her parents' only daughter.[1]

She married Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 1st Baronet. They had one child, a son named William, born on 1 January 1765.[2] William was educated at Eton College and Trinity Hall, Cambridge[2] and was MP for Southampton 1818–1826.[2][3]

She died at Richmond House on 12 July 1812.[1]

Writing

Around 1780, Mary Champion de Crespigny wrote a series of letters to her son, William, then aged 15. These were published as Letters of Advice from a Mother to her Son in 1803 and were dedicated to John Moore, the Archbishop of Canterbury.[1]

In 1796, she published her only novel, The Pavilion, in four volumes.[1]

She is one of the "lost" women writers listed by Dale Spender in Mothers of the Novel: 100 Good Women Writers Before Jane Austen.

References