Eliza Rennie
Encyclopedia
Eliza Rennie or Mrs Eliza Walker (born probably (17 May 1813 – d. unknown) was a minor Scottish
romantic
/gothic
short story
author
and wrote a much-quoted book of literary gossip "Traits of Character - Being Twenty-Five Years' Literary and Personal Recollections, by a Contemporary". She was most notable for writing about her friendship with Mary Shelley
and her contemporaries.
, (one of her early patrons about whom Eliza wrote extensively in 'Traits of Character) was said to be Eliza's lover" is intriguing.
Eliza's first published work was her "Poems", written in 1828, when she was still a teenager. This juvenile work received mixed reviews, but it was sufficiently promising to enable her to gain access to literary salons and the company and friendship of some leading authors and characters of the day.
It has proven difficult to trace her ancestry and parentage as no contemporary accounts have been found, and the following biography is tentative and incomplete as it has been deduced from a comparison of published local and family histories, clues left by Eliza in her own writings, (which are not always wholly reliable, according to Geraldine Friedman) and an as-yet unverified process of deduction from a search of various parish records and census data.
Her father was almost certainly Dr. Alexander Home Stirling Rennie, born on (13 June 1797 in Kilsyth
, Scotland
, a distinguished physician who later studied at Marischal College
, Aberdeen
. Her grandfather is therefore assumed to be Revd Robert Rennie of Kilsyth, b (1762 - d 1820), a Church of Scotland
Minister and agricultural expert who was the author of treatises on peat moss, and a contributor to the Statistical Accounts of Scotland
. The family was sufficiently distinguished to be the subject of a page or two of Rev Anton's "History of Kilsyth" (publication ref needed)
Only one possible Scottish matching birth record between 1805 and 1820 has been found of an Elizabeth Rennie born on (17 May 1813) to a father named Alexr. Rennie in the tiny village of Udny, Aberdeenshire. The parish register gives her mother's name as Jean Taylor. This is possibly the same Jean Taylor, born on (8 June 1798),in Larbert
, just a few miles from Kilsyth. If this supposition is correct, then her parents were young teenagers, and it is probable, given the high social status and moral standing of the Rev Rennie and his family in Kilsyth, that the young couple either eloped or were sent away to a remote area to avoid the stigma of illegitimacy. Alexr Rennie then attended Marischal College in Aberdeen to study medicine, and on qualification moved to London between about 1818 and 1820.
It seems likely from Eliza's "Poems" that her mother died when she was very young, though no death record has yet been traced. She describes a rural childhood with very mixed feelings, and may have spent some time being cared for by family members in Kilsyth, but in any event she was very unhappy, felt betrayed, and apparently moved to London to join her father, possibly following the death of her grandfather in 1824. She spent the rest of her life living in London and the home counties, but never lost her Scottish identity.
and her literary set. In "Traits of Character" she describes a meeting with the Duke of Wellington
with whom she discussed her father and his support of William Wilberforce
and the anti-slavery movement. Her idealism and campaigning activities also extended to animal rights
activism and other causes. She was a regular churchgoer, and she was also interested in Spiritualism
.
Nothing is known about her later private or professional life apart from her own - rare - insights in Traits of Character. She describes a social life in London with excursions to spa towns and meetings with her publishers. She produced a steady string of short stories for the periodicals of the day, and writes about receiving a small legacy, possibly from her father's estate. She also writes about her inordinate fondness for her pet terrier, which was dognapped on two occasions for ransom, (apparently a popular crime in London in the mid-19th Century). Mr Walker is never mentioned, so the marriage may have ended prematurely.
Her place and date of death are unknown, and further research is needed.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
/gothic
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
author
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and wrote a much-quoted book of literary gossip "Traits of Character - Being Twenty-Five Years' Literary and Personal Recollections, by a Contemporary". She was most notable for writing about her friendship with Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley...
and her contemporaries.
Biography
Mary Shelley's biographer, Emily W Sunstein claims that Eliza was born to the famous engineering family Rennie, but this seems improbable and no corroborating evidence has been found. However, Sunstein's claim that "the literary Lord Dillon Henry Dillon, 13th Viscount DillonHenry Dillon, 13th Viscount Dillon
Henry Augustus Dillon-Lee, 13th Viscount Dillon was an Irish peer, writer and MP for Harwich and for County Mayo.His daughter Henrietta Maria married Edward John Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley.- Biography :...
, (one of her early patrons about whom Eliza wrote extensively in 'Traits of Character) was said to be Eliza's lover" is intriguing.
Eliza's first published work was her "Poems", written in 1828, when she was still a teenager. This juvenile work received mixed reviews, but it was sufficiently promising to enable her to gain access to literary salons and the company and friendship of some leading authors and characters of the day.
It has proven difficult to trace her ancestry and parentage as no contemporary accounts have been found, and the following biography is tentative and incomplete as it has been deduced from a comparison of published local and family histories, clues left by Eliza in her own writings, (which are not always wholly reliable, according to Geraldine Friedman) and an as-yet unverified process of deduction from a search of various parish records and census data.
Her father was almost certainly Dr. Alexander Home Stirling Rennie, born on (13 June 1797 in Kilsyth
Kilsyth
Kilsyth is a town of 10,100 roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.-Location:...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, a distinguished physician who later studied at Marischal College
Marischal College
Marischal College is a building and former university in the centre of the city of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland. The building is owned by the University of Aberdeen and used for ceremonial events...
, Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
. Her grandfather is therefore assumed to be Revd Robert Rennie of Kilsyth, b (1762 - d 1820), a Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
Minister and agricultural expert who was the author of treatises on peat moss, and a contributor to the Statistical Accounts of Scotland
Statistical Accounts of Scotland
The Statistical Accounts of Scotland are three series of documentary publications covering life in Scotland in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries....
. The family was sufficiently distinguished to be the subject of a page or two of Rev Anton's "History of Kilsyth" (publication ref needed)
Only one possible Scottish matching birth record between 1805 and 1820 has been found of an Elizabeth Rennie born on (17 May 1813) to a father named Alexr. Rennie in the tiny village of Udny, Aberdeenshire. The parish register gives her mother's name as Jean Taylor. This is possibly the same Jean Taylor, born on (8 June 1798),in Larbert
Larbert
Larbert is a small town in the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley above the River Carron which flows from the west. Larbert is 3 miles from the shoreline of the Firth of Forth and 2.5 miles northwest of Falkirk, the main town in the area...
, just a few miles from Kilsyth. If this supposition is correct, then her parents were young teenagers, and it is probable, given the high social status and moral standing of the Rev Rennie and his family in Kilsyth, that the young couple either eloped or were sent away to a remote area to avoid the stigma of illegitimacy. Alexr Rennie then attended Marischal College in Aberdeen to study medicine, and on qualification moved to London between about 1818 and 1820.
It seems likely from Eliza's "Poems" that her mother died when she was very young, though no death record has yet been traced. She describes a rural childhood with very mixed feelings, and may have spent some time being cared for by family members in Kilsyth, but in any event she was very unhappy, felt betrayed, and apparently moved to London to join her father, possibly following the death of her grandfather in 1824. She spent the rest of her life living in London and the home counties, but never lost her Scottish identity.
Life with Mary Shelley and her friends
As a teenaged published author in London with a father who had already achieved some professional and social success, Rennie appears to have had many admirers and friends, including Mary ShelleyMary Shelley
Mary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley...
and her literary set. In "Traits of Character" she describes a meeting with the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
with whom she discussed her father and his support of William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
and the anti-slavery movement. Her idealism and campaigning activities also extended to animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
activism and other causes. She was a regular churchgoer, and she was also interested in Spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
.
Later life
Her father's married in 1829, and the household moved to the country in 1834. Her father died in 1838 in a fall from a horse, leaving a widow and at least two young children. Eliza may have come back to Scotland following this bereavement. From the early 1830s she published under the name Mrs Eliza Walker. The first known record of her using this name is in 1831, in The Gem, A Literary Annual, Pages 173 - 189, a short story entitled "The Confessional; or, The Two Brothers. A Tale founded on Fact"Nothing is known about her later private or professional life apart from her own - rare - insights in Traits of Character. She describes a social life in London with excursions to spa towns and meetings with her publishers. She produced a steady string of short stories for the periodicals of the day, and writes about receiving a small legacy, possibly from her father's estate. She also writes about her inordinate fondness for her pet terrier, which was dognapped on two occasions for ransom, (apparently a popular crime in London in the mid-19th Century). Mr Walker is never mentioned, so the marriage may have ended prematurely.
Her place and date of death are unknown, and further research is needed.
Writings
- Poems by Eliza Rennie London: Lloyd, 1828 1 vol: viii, 182p. ISBN 3-628-54442-4 http://books.google.com/books?id=VBp012bKRI8C&pg=PA1&dq=eliza+rennie+poems
- Traits of Character - Being Twenty-Five Years' Literary and Personal Recollections, by a Contemporary http://books.google.com/books?id=LygwEgDUCUwC&pg=PA3&dq=traits+of+character. Eliza Rennie, 2 volumes London: Hurst and Blackett, 1860
External links
- http://www.paperclip.org.uk/kilsythweb/history/archivesources/eliza_rennie.htm
- http://books.google.com/books?id=LygwEgDUCUwC&pg=PA3&dq=traits+of+character