Jane Brereton
Encyclopedia
Jane Brereton was an English poet notable as a correspondent to The Gentleman's Magazine
.
by Anne Jones, his wife, and was born in 1685. Unusually for the time, Jane was educated, at least up to the age of 16, when her father died. She showed an early interest in poetry.
In January 1711, she married Mr. Thomas Brereton, at that time a commoner of Brasenose College, Oxford
. Her husband soon spent his fortune, and went over to Paris
. Some time after this, a separation having taken place, she retired, 1721, to her native country in Wales, where she led a solitary life, seeing little company, except some intimate friends. About this time Mr. Brereton obtained from Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland
a post belonging to the customs at Parkgate, Cheshire
, but in February 1722, he was unfortunately drowned in the River Dee
at Saltney
, when the tide was coming in. Mrs. Brereton then retired to Wrexham
for the benefit of her children's education, where she died August 7, 1740, aged fifty-five, leaving two daughters, Lucy and Charlotte.
Mrs. Brereton possessed talents for versification, if not for poetry, which she displayed for some years as a correspondent to Ihe Gentleman's Magazine, under the signature of Melissa, where she had a competitor who signed himself FIDO, and who is supposed to have been Thomas Beach. After her death a volume was published of Poems on several occasions; with letters to her friends; and an account of her life, London, 1744. A number of her poems have been reprinted in subsequent collections.
Katherine Turner, writing in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
notes that "Brereton's body of poetry displays a flair for tactful occasional writing, and represents a transitional moment in women's writing in the eighteenth century, a moment at which being a published writer while retaining respectability was becoming a real possibility."
The Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine was founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term "magazine" for a periodical...
.
Biography
Jane was the daughter of Mr. Thomas Hughes, of Bryn Gruffydd near Mold, FlintshireMold, Flintshire
Mold is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, and was also the county town of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996...
by Anne Jones, his wife, and was born in 1685. Unusually for the time, Jane was educated, at least up to the age of 16, when her father died. She showed an early interest in poetry.
In January 1711, she married Mr. Thomas Brereton, at that time a commoner of Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
. Her husband soon spent his fortune, and went over to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Some time after this, a separation having taken place, she retired, 1721, to her native country in Wales, where she led a solitary life, seeing little company, except some intimate friends. About this time Mr. Brereton obtained from Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland
Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland
Sir Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland KG PC , known as Lord Spencer from 1688 to 1702, was an English statesman...
a post belonging to the customs at Parkgate, Cheshire
Parkgate, Cheshire
Parkgate is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in the part that lies in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in the North West of England...
, but in February 1722, he was unfortunately drowned in the River Dee
River Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
at Saltney
Saltney
Saltney is a small town in Flintshire, Wales. It is immediately to the west of the border with Cheshire in England and is contiguous with the Chester urban area.The name is derived from the former salt marshes on which it is built, lying on the River Dee...
, when the tide was coming in. Mrs. Brereton then retired to Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
for the benefit of her children's education, where she died August 7, 1740, aged fifty-five, leaving two daughters, Lucy and Charlotte.
Mrs. Brereton possessed talents for versification, if not for poetry, which she displayed for some years as a correspondent to Ihe Gentleman's Magazine, under the signature of Melissa, where she had a competitor who signed himself FIDO, and who is supposed to have been Thomas Beach. After her death a volume was published of Poems on several occasions; with letters to her friends; and an account of her life, London, 1744. A number of her poems have been reprinted in subsequent collections.
Katherine Turner, writing in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
notes that "Brereton's body of poetry displays a flair for tactful occasional writing, and represents a transitional moment in women's writing in the eighteenth century, a moment at which being a published writer while retaining respectability was becoming a real possibility."