Anne Venn (baptized 1627 – 1654) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

religious radical and diarist. Her diaries document her worry that she was damned. She found some relief in 1652 and she gave substantial legacies to the church in Fulham.

Life

Venn was born to John Venn and his wife; she was baptised in 1627. She had

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. ...

parents and she was a God-fearing woman. She worried that she may not be "saved" and she poured her concerns into a secret diary. She started the diary when she was nine years old. When her father died in June 1650 she saw this as proof that she was damned and her diary continues to document her continued damnation. In 1652

Isaac Knight Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was th ...

formed an independent church in Fulham and amongst the congregation was Venn and her mother.

Death and legacies

Venn died in Kensington leaving £867 to

, other divines, religious charities and her mother. Her diary continued until very near her death despite her having written a will in November.Lindley, K. (2004-09-23). Venn, Anne (bap. 1627, d. 1654), religious radical and diarist. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 17 Jan. 2018, Se
link
/ref> In 1658 her mother's husband, Thomas Weld, arranged for Venn's diary to be published. The book had an introduction by Isaac Knight. The book was titled ''A Wise Virgin's Lamp Burning''. The diary now serves as an interesting insight into religious beliefs and of illegal religious gatherings in the 1630s.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Venn, Anne 1620s births 1654 deaths English diarists Women diarists