Anna Maria Bennett
Encyclopedia
Anna Maria Bennett was an English
novel
ist. Some sources give her name as Agnes Maria Bennett.
Her best-known work is the epistolary novel
Agnes de-Courci (1789).
after moving to London
, she met Vice-Admiral Thomas Pye
. She became his housekeeper and mistress in Tooting
, Surrey
. The couple had at least two illegitimate children together, Thomas Pye Bennett, and Harriet Pye Bennett. The latter became a famous actress as Harriet Pye Esten, with her mother helping to launch her career.
Vol 4 'Memoirs of Charles Lee Lewes p 199: 'Mrs Bennet, Manageress & Authoress. She is the daughter of Mr Evans, a grocer on the Back, Bristol (who was native of Merthertidwell (sic) in Glamorganshire) where this lady was born. She married one Bennet, a tanner of Brecknock. Many domestic occurrences, which would ill become me to relate, I shall passover; distinguished characters are not judged by common rules but I will not demonstrate any given position at the expence of a lady's feelings.
We find her some time back in the occupation of a slop-seller, in Wych St, St Clements, London; after that in a chandlers shop in the Borough, where Admiral Pye one day accidentally sheltered himself from a shower of rain; her polite attention to the old gentleman so won upon him, that in a little time she was elevated to the post of his housekeeper, at Tooting in Surrey.
She minc'd his meat, & made his bed
And warm'd it too, sometimes, 'tis said.'
Mrs Bennet (as she is spelt by Lewes) is also mentioned in Vol 3 of his Memoirs p 90 and Mrs Esten p 83.
In 1804 Richard Westall exhibited portraits of Miss Bennett (363) and Mrs Esten (374) suggesting that Anna Maria had another daughter. Westall is mentioned as being betrothed to a Miss Bennett (Farington Diaries Nov 3/4 1804) but the marriage does not take place. Westall had a pupil William James Bennett who could be another member of the family. 'A Curious Genealogical Medley' by James F. Fuller (1913) indicates the links between the Bennetts and the Hamilton family. Mrs Esten is said to have had a daughter whose father was the 8th Duke of Hamilton. Sir William Hamilton was related to the 8th duke and his wife Emma was Nelson's sweetheart. Paintings by Westall of incidents in the life of Nelson were exhibited at the RA in 1807. A portrait of Miss Hamilton was exhibited at the RA in 1804 (377) and the original is now at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.
In the publication 'Anna or Memoirs of a Welch (sic) Heiress', published in Dublin in 1804 the author Agnes Maria Bennett (also called Anna) dedicates the book to Princess Charlotte Matilda, Princess Royal of England. The Dedication ends: 'Permit an orphan, Madam, to find an asylum at your feet; she is young, virtuous and friendless: the vicissitudes of her fortune are many of them taken from real life'.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist. Some sources give her name as Agnes Maria Bennett.
Her best-known work is the epistolary novel
Epistolary novel
An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used. Recently, electronic "documents" such as recordings and radio, blogs, and e-mails have also come into use...
Agnes de-Courci (1789).
Family
Anna was probably the daughter of David Evans, described variously as a customs officer or grocer. She was briefly married to customs officer Thomas Bennett, but while working in a chandler's shopShip chandler
A ship chandler is a retail dealer in special supplies or equipment for ships.For traditional sailing ships items that could be found in a chandler might include: rosin, turpentine, tar, pitch , linseed oil, whale oil, tallow, lard, varnish, twine, rope and cordage, hemp, oakum, tools A ship...
after moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, she met Vice-Admiral Thomas Pye
Thomas Pye
Sir Thomas Pye was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War, and the American War of Independence...
. She became his housekeeper and mistress in Tooting
Tooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. The couple had at least two illegitimate children together, Thomas Pye Bennett, and Harriet Pye Bennett. The latter became a famous actress as Harriet Pye Esten, with her mother helping to launch her career.
Works
- Anna: or Memoirs of a Welch Heiress, 1785
- Juvenile Indiscretions, 1786
- Agnes de-Courci: a Domestic Tale, 1789
- Ellen, Countess of Castle Howel, 1794
- The Beggar Girl and he Benefactors, 1797
- De Valcourt, 1800
- Vicissitudes Abroad, 1806
Vol 4 'Memoirs of Charles Lee Lewes p 199: 'Mrs Bennet, Manageress & Authoress. She is the daughter of Mr Evans, a grocer on the Back, Bristol (who was native of Merthertidwell (sic) in Glamorganshire) where this lady was born. She married one Bennet, a tanner of Brecknock. Many domestic occurrences, which would ill become me to relate, I shall passover; distinguished characters are not judged by common rules but I will not demonstrate any given position at the expence of a lady's feelings.
We find her some time back in the occupation of a slop-seller, in Wych St, St Clements, London; after that in a chandlers shop in the Borough, where Admiral Pye one day accidentally sheltered himself from a shower of rain; her polite attention to the old gentleman so won upon him, that in a little time she was elevated to the post of his housekeeper, at Tooting in Surrey.
She minc'd his meat, & made his bed
And warm'd it too, sometimes, 'tis said.'
Mrs Bennet (as she is spelt by Lewes) is also mentioned in Vol 3 of his Memoirs p 90 and Mrs Esten p 83.
In 1804 Richard Westall exhibited portraits of Miss Bennett (363) and Mrs Esten (374) suggesting that Anna Maria had another daughter. Westall is mentioned as being betrothed to a Miss Bennett (Farington Diaries Nov 3/4 1804) but the marriage does not take place. Westall had a pupil William James Bennett who could be another member of the family. 'A Curious Genealogical Medley' by James F. Fuller (1913) indicates the links between the Bennetts and the Hamilton family. Mrs Esten is said to have had a daughter whose father was the 8th Duke of Hamilton. Sir William Hamilton was related to the 8th duke and his wife Emma was Nelson's sweetheart. Paintings by Westall of incidents in the life of Nelson were exhibited at the RA in 1807. A portrait of Miss Hamilton was exhibited at the RA in 1804 (377) and the original is now at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.
In the publication 'Anna or Memoirs of a Welch (sic) Heiress', published in Dublin in 1804 the author Agnes Maria Bennett (also called Anna) dedicates the book to Princess Charlotte Matilda, Princess Royal of England. The Dedication ends: 'Permit an orphan, Madam, to find an asylum at your feet; she is young, virtuous and friendless: the vicissitudes of her fortune are many of them taken from real life'.
External links
- Ian Johnstone, Author Biography
- Online version of Agnes De-Courci