Mary Alcock
Encyclopedia
Mary Alcock [née Cumberland] (ca. 1742–1798), was a poet, essayist, and philanthropist.
Mary was the youngest child of Joanna Bentley (1704/5–1775) and Bishop Denison Cumberland (1705/6–1774). Richard Bentley
, classicist and master of Trinity College, Cambridge
, was her maternal grandfather, and Richard Cumberland
(1732–1811), playwright, was her brother.
She spent her childhood in Stanwick, Northamptonshire
, and Fulham
. In 1762 the family relocated to the Kingdom of Ireland
when Denison Cumberland's father was appointed chaplain to George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax
, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
. It was there that she married, in or around 1770, though the identity of Alcock, her husband, has not been satisfactorily established.
Her husband's mental health would seem to have been fragile and the marriage was likely unhappy. She nursed her parents through long illnesses until their deaths and cared for her seven nieces after the death of her sister Elizabeth Hughes in 1770. A widow by the early 1780s, she moved to Bath, Somerset, where she was part of the literary circle of Lady Anne Miller (1741–1781). She engaged in various charitable activities.
Never robust, she died at the age of fifty-seven in Northamptonshire. Her niece Joanna Hughes edited her collected works after her death: some 183 pages of poems and essays. The collection received little critical interest though subscribers included Charles Burney
, Elizabeth Carter
, William Cowper
, Hannah More
, and various members of royalty.
Mary was the youngest child of Joanna Bentley (1704/5–1775) and Bishop Denison Cumberland (1705/6–1774). Richard Bentley
Richard Bentley
Richard Bentley was an English classical scholar, critic, and theologian. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge....
, classicist and master of Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, was her maternal grandfather, and Richard Cumberland
Richard Cumberland
Richard Cumberland may refer to:* Richard Cumberland , bishop, philosopher* Richard Cumberland , civil servant, dramatist...
(1732–1811), playwright, was her brother.
She spent her childhood in Stanwick, Northamptonshire
Stanwick, Northamptonshire
Stanwick is a village and civil parish in East Northamptonshire, England. It is approximately 15 miles north-east of Northampton and is the largest village in the East Northamptonshire district. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish population was 1,924 people.-History:There has been a...
, and Fulham
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
. In 1762 the family relocated to the Kingdom of Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
when Denison Cumberland's father was appointed chaplain to George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax
George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax
George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, KG, PC was a British statesman of the Georgian era.-Early life:...
, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
. It was there that she married, in or around 1770, though the identity of Alcock, her husband, has not been satisfactorily established.
Her husband's mental health would seem to have been fragile and the marriage was likely unhappy. She nursed her parents through long illnesses until their deaths and cared for her seven nieces after the death of her sister Elizabeth Hughes in 1770. A widow by the early 1780s, she moved to Bath, Somerset, where she was part of the literary circle of Lady Anne Miller (1741–1781). She engaged in various charitable activities.
Never robust, she died at the age of fifty-seven in Northamptonshire. Her niece Joanna Hughes edited her collected works after her death: some 183 pages of poems and essays. The collection received little critical interest though subscribers included Charles Burney
Charles Burney
Charles Burney FRS was an English music historian and father of authors Frances Burney and Sarah Burney.-Life and career:...
, Elizabeth Carter
Elizabeth Carter
Elizabeth Carter was an English poet, classicist, writer and translator, and a member of the Bluestocking Circle.-Biography:...
, William Cowper
William Cowper
William Cowper was an English poet and hymnodist. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scenes of the English countryside. In many ways, he was one of the forerunners of Romantic poetry...
, Hannah More
Hannah More
Hannah More was an English religious writer, and philanthropist. She can be said to have made three reputations in the course of her long life: as a poet and playwright in the circle of Johnson, Reynolds and Garrick, as a writer on moral and religious subjects, and as a practical...
, and various members of royalty.
Works
- The Confined Debtor: a Fragment from a Prison (1775)
- "The Air Balloon, or, Flying Mortal" (poem, 7 pp., pub. anon. 1784)
- Poems … by the Late Mrs Mary Alcock (1799)
Resources
- Blain, Virginia, et al., eds. "Alcock, Mary." The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. New Haven and London: Yale UP, 1990. 13.
- Ellis, Markman. “Alcock , Mary (1741?–1798).” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Ed. H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. Oxford: OUP, 2004. 19 Jan. 2007.