Harriet Raikes
Encyclopedia
Harriet Raikes was the daughter of Thomas Raikes the Younger, a merchant and banker in London
, and the granddaughter of Thomas Raikes
the Elder, also merchant and banker in London and Governor of the Bank of England
from 1797 to 1799.
Her father became a famous dandy
traveller in Europe
, meeting the highest celebrities of his times and he was also a diarist. In 1861 Harriet edited her father's correspondence with the 2nd Duke of Wellington
.
She was also the author of The Marriage Contract (London: Richard Bentley, 1849, 2 vols), which is the first recorded murder mystery novel in English
by a woman.
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...
, and the granddaughter of Thomas Raikes
Thomas Raikes
Thomas Raikes was a British merchant particularly trading from London with Russia, a banker and newspaper proprietor...
the Elder, also merchant and banker in London and Governor of the Bank of England
Governor of the Bank of England
The Governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the Bank, with the incumbent grooming his or her successor...
from 1797 to 1799.
Her father became a famous dandy
Dandy
A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of Self...
traveller in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, meeting the highest celebrities of his times and he was also a diarist. In 1861 Harriet edited her father's correspondence with the 2nd Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington
Lieutenant-General Arthur Richard Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington KG, PC , styled Lord Douro between 1812 and 1814 and Marquess of Douro between 1814 and 1852, was a British soldier and politician...
.
She was also the author of The Marriage Contract (London: Richard Bentley, 1849, 2 vols), which is the first recorded murder mystery novel in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by a woman.