Anne Locke
Encyclopedia
Anne Locke (1530-after 1590) was an English poet, translator and Calvinist religious figure.
lived for a period in the Locke household, and in 1557 Anne took two of her children and followed Knox to Geneva
, where she translated works of John Calvin
. Henry joined them there, and the family, including the young Henry Lok
who would be known as a poet, returned to England in 1560. Knox sent her reports from Scotland of his reforming endeavours, and she worked to find him support among London merchants. Henry died in 1571, and in 1572 she married Edward Dering
, who died in 1576. Her third husband was Richard Prowse of Exeter. In 1590 she published a translation of a work of Jean Taffin.
in English, A Meditation of a Penitent Sinner, as scholars now agree; it comprises 26 sonnets based on Psalm 51. It was added to a 1560 volume of sermon translations that she dedicated to the Duchess of Suffolk. The sonnet craft shows the influences of both Thomas Wyatt
and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
.
was a merchant and diplomatic agent for Henry VIII. His second wife and Anne's stepmother Margery was the widow of Henry Brinklow
, mercer and polemicist. Through his connection to Thomas Cromwell, Stephen found a position for Anne's mother, also called Margery, as silkwoman to Ann Boleyn.
Henry Locke was a mercer and one of many children of the mercer William Locke or Lok (who married four times); William Locke was also connected to Cromwell. Her sister-in-law and one of Henry Locke's sisters was Rose Hickman (1526–1613), known as a Protestant autobiographical writer, married to Anthony Hickman. Henry Locke's other sister Elizabeth married Richard Hill; both Rose and Elizabeth were Marian exiles. Elizabeth later married Nicholas Bullingham
, after his first wife died (1566). Michael Locke was a backer of Martin Frobisher
, and married Jane, daughter of Joan Wilkinson, an evangelical associate of Ann Boleyn and her chaplain William Latymer
.
Life
She married first Henry Locke. In 1553 John KnoxJohn Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
lived for a period in the Locke household, and in 1557 Anne took two of her children and followed Knox to Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, where she translated works of John Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
. Henry joined them there, and the family, including the young Henry Lok
Henry Lok
-Life:He was third son of Henry Lok, a London mercer , by his wife Anne Vaughan, the poet. Michael Lok the traveller was the poet's uncle, and Sir William Lok was his grandfather; Michael Cosworth was his cousin....
who would be known as a poet, returned to England in 1560. Knox sent her reports from Scotland of his reforming endeavours, and she worked to find him support among London merchants. Henry died in 1571, and in 1572 she married Edward Dering
Edward Dering (clergyman)
Edward Dering was an English clergyman and academic, known as a classical scholar, controversialist, supporter of Thomas Cartwright, and fiery preacher against his fellow clergy...
, who died in 1576. Her third husband was Richard Prowse of Exeter. In 1590 she published a translation of a work of Jean Taffin.
Poetry
She published the first sonnet sequenceSonnet sequence
A sonnet sequence is a group of sonnets thematically unified to create a long work, although generally, unlike the stanza, each sonnet so connected can also be read as a meaningful separate unit....
in English, A Meditation of a Penitent Sinner, as scholars now agree; it comprises 26 sonnets based on Psalm 51. It was added to a 1560 volume of sermon translations that she dedicated to the Duchess of Suffolk. The sonnet craft shows the influences of both Thomas Wyatt
Thomas Wyatt (poet)
Sir Thomas Wyatt was a 16th-century English lyrical poet credited with introducing the sonnet into English. He was born at Allington Castle, near Maidstone in Kent – though his family was originally from Yorkshire...
and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
Henry Howard, KG, , known as The Earl of Surrey although he never was a peer, was an English aristocrat, and one of the founders of English Renaissance poetry.-Life:...
.
Editions
- Kel Morin-Parsons (editor) (1997), Anne Locke. A Meditation of a Penitent Sinner: Anne Locke's Sonnet Sequence with Locke's Epistle
- Susan Felch (editor) (1999), The Collected Works of Anne Vaughan Lock
Family connections
Ann Locke's family background was a dense web of relationships involving the Mercers' Company, the court, Marian exiles and notable religious figures. Her father Stephen VaughanStephen Vaughan (merchant)
Stephen Vaughan was an English merchant, royal agent and diplomat, and supporter of the Protestant Reformation.-Life:He was a merchant of London. About 1520 he made the acquaintance of Thomas Cromwell, and in March 1523-4 he was in Cromwell's service. Through Cromwell's influence he was employed...
was a merchant and diplomatic agent for Henry VIII. His second wife and Anne's stepmother Margery was the widow of Henry Brinklow
Henry Brinklow
Henry Brinklow, also Brynklow or Brinkelow, , was an English polemicist. As he worked for a number of years under the pseudonym Roderyck, or Roderigo, Mors, he may also be referred to by this name in contemporaneous accounts.-Life as Henry Brinklow:Henry Brinklow was the ninth child of Sibyl ...
, mercer and polemicist. Through his connection to Thomas Cromwell, Stephen found a position for Anne's mother, also called Margery, as silkwoman to Ann Boleyn.
Henry Locke was a mercer and one of many children of the mercer William Locke or Lok (who married four times); William Locke was also connected to Cromwell. Her sister-in-law and one of Henry Locke's sisters was Rose Hickman (1526–1613), known as a Protestant autobiographical writer, married to Anthony Hickman. Henry Locke's other sister Elizabeth married Richard Hill; both Rose and Elizabeth were Marian exiles. Elizabeth later married Nicholas Bullingham
Nicholas Bullingham
Nicholas Bullingham was an English Bishop of Worcester.-Life:Nicholas Bullingham was born in Worcester in around 1520. He was sent to the Royal Grammar School Worcester, after which he entered Oxford University. In 1543, he became a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford...
, after his first wife died (1566). Michael Locke was a backer of Martin Frobisher
Martin Frobisher
Sir Martin Frobisher was an English seaman who made three voyages to the New World to look for the Northwest Passage...
, and married Jane, daughter of Joan Wilkinson, an evangelical associate of Ann Boleyn and her chaplain William Latymer
William Latymer
William Latymer or Latimer was an English evangelical clergyman, Dean of Peterborough from 1560. He was chaplain to Anne Boleyn, and is best known for his biography of her, the Chronickille of Anne Bulleyne.-Life:...
.