Anna Maria Bennett ( Evans) (13 November 1746 – 12 February 1808) was a

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

who wrote in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

. Some sources give her name as Agnes Maria Bennett. Her best-known work is the

epistolary novel An epistolary novel () is a novel written as a series of letters between the fictional characters of a narrative. The term is often extended to cover novels that intersperse other kinds of fictional document with the letters, most commonly di ...

'' Agnes de-Courci'' (1789).Available from

Chawton House Chawton House is a listed building, Grade II* listed manor house in Hampshire on the South side of Chawton village, and the present building was started in 1580. In the late 18th century it was the home of Edward Austen Knight, a wealthy bro ...

as
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She worked as the housekeeper of

Thomas Pye Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Sir Thomas Pye ( – 26 December 1785) was a Royal Navy officer who served during the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War, and the American War of Independence. He was briefly Member of Parliament ...

, and was also her employer's

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...

. They had two illegitimate children, one of whom was the actress

Harriet Pye Esten Harriet Pye Esten or Harriet Pye Scott-Waring born Harriet Pye Bennett (1760s? – 1865) was an English actress, and briefly a theatre manager. Life Esten was born in Tooting in or around the 1760s. She was the daughter of housekeeper Anna Mar ...

Family

Anna was previously thought to come from

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

, Wales, the daughter of a David Evans, who was described variously as a

customs officer A customs officer is a law enforcement official who enforces customs laws. Canada Canadian customs officers are members of the Canada Border Services Agency. It was created in 2003 and preceded by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (1999-20 ...

and a grocer. Discovered in recent genealogical research, a will proved on 13 November 1785, names her as being the daughter of John Evans born 1717, of Bear Lane Christ Church Surrey. He writes of her unhappy marriage to Thomas Bennett. He also names Sir Thomas Pye as recipient of part of his estate in order to support his daughter. John Evans' will was administered on 2 May 1789. After leaving Thomas Bennett, eventually, Anna Maria found work in a chandler's shop. There she met Vice-Admiral

, who took her to his property in

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre-Anglo-Saxons, Saxon times. The name is of Anglo-Saxon ori ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, where she became his housekeeper and mistress. :She minc'd his meat, & made his bed :And warm'd it too, sometimes, 'tis said.' The couple had at least two illegitimate children together, Thomas Pye Bennett and Harriet Pye Bennett. The latter became a famous actress as

, with her mother tutoring her and helping to launch her career. The relationship ended with Pye's death in 1785, around the same time that Anna's first novel, ''Anna: Memoirs of a Welch Heiress'', was published and became successful. When Pye died, he left his Suffolk Street town house to Bennett. Her daughter, Harriet Pye Esten, initially appeared in Bath and Bristol before moving on to appear in Dublin. Whilst she was there in 1789 she and her mother negotiated a formal separation with James Esten. Bennett paid off her son-in-law's debts in exchange for his agreement. Her final work, ''Vicissitudes Abroad'', was highly controversial. She died in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

Works

*''Anna: or Memoirs of a Welch Heiress'', 1785 *''Juvenile Indiscretions'', 1786 *''Agnes de-Courci: a Domestic Tale'', 1789 *'' Ellen, Countess of Castle Howel'', 1794 *''The Beggar Girl and her Benefactors'', 1797 *''De Valcourt'', 1800 *''Vicissitudes Abroad'', 1806

References

Sources

* *

External links

*Ian Johnstone
Author Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Anna Maria 1750s births 1808 deaths 18th-century Welsh novelists 19th-century Welsh novelists 18th-century Welsh women writers 19th-century Welsh women writers Welsh women novelists People from Merthyr Tydfil Welsh domestic workers