Mary Palmer (née Reynolds; 9 February 1716 – 27 May 1794) was a British author from Devon who wrote ''Devonshire Dialogue'', once considered the "best piece of literature in the vernacular of Devon." She was the mother of painter

Theophila Gwatkin Theophila "Offy" Gwatkin (née Palmer; 15 May 1757 – 4 July 1848) was a British painter. She is described as an amateur artist and is best known for pictures painted of her by her uncle Sir Joshua Reynolds. She also compiled, added a pref ...

and sister of the artists Sir

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

and

Frances Reynolds Frances Reynolds (6 June 1729 – 1 November 1807 London) was a British artist, and the youngest sister of Sir Joshua Reynolds. Life She was born in 1729 and later kept Sir Joshua's house for many years after he came to London, and employe ...

and of the pamphleteer Elizabeth Johnson.

Origins

Mary was the eldest daughter and third child of Samuel Reynolds (1681–1745), master of the Plympton Earl

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

, Devonshire, by his wife, Theophila Potter (1688–1756). She was seven years older than her brother

and her fondness for drawing is said to have influenced him when a boy. In 1740 she provided £60, half of the premium paid to Thomas Hudson the portrait-painter, for Joshua's pupilage, and 9 years later advanced money for his expenses in Italy.Lee, Elizabeth. Mary Palmer. Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900, Vol.43. Joshua Reynolds painted two portraits of his sister Mary, one made about 1747, the other when she was aged about 60 years of age. Both portraits descended to her great-grandson, George Stawell of Great Torrington. Their other siblings included the artist

and Elizabeth Johnson.

''Devonshire Dialogue''

Mary Palmer was the author of ''Devonshire Dialogue'', considered by the ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' in 1895 to be the "best piece of literature in the vernacular of Devon". It gives an account of the customs, characters and dialect unique to western England. Written in the middle of the 18th century, it was shown to friends and extracts were published in periodicals during her lifetime, without being attributed to her. A portion appeared in 1837 with a glossary by her grandson

James Frederick Palmer Sir James Frederick Palmer (7 June 1803 – 23 April 1871) was a medical practitioner, Victorian pioneer, first President of the Victorian Legislative Council and Mayor of Melbourne. Early life Palmer was born in Great Torrington, Devonshir ...

(1803–1871), son of John Palmer. A complete version was edited by her daughter

in 1839, and another edition was published in 1869.

Marriage

On 18 July 1740 Mary Reynolds married John Palmer (1708–1779) of

Great Torrington Great Torrington (often abbreviated to Torrington, though the villages of Little Torrington and Black Torrington are situated in the same region) is a market town in Devon, England. Parts of it are sited on high ground with steep drops down to ...

, Devonshire, a lawyer who served thrice as Mayor of Great Torrington. In 1752 he built a house in Great Torrington now known as

Palmer House Palmer House may refer to: In the United Kingdom * Palmer House, Great Torrington, an 18th-century house in Devon In the United States Items in this section are alphabetized by state, then city. * Palmer House (Blackton, Arkansas), listed on th ...

, and it was there that Dr.

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

stayed with the Palmers when visiting Devon with Sir Joshua Reynolds.

Children

John and Mary Palmer had five children, two sons and three daughters: * Joseph Palmer (1749–1829), Dean of Cashel, and author of ''A Four Months' Tour in France''. He resided at Beam House, Great Torrington. *John Palmer (1752–1827), Honorary Canon of

Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...

* Mary II Palmer (1750–1820), who together with her sister Offy spent much time in London with their uncle, Sir Joshua Reynolds. He had great affection for them, painted their portraits, and bequeathed Mary nearly £100,000 in his will. In 1792 she married Murrough O'Brien, 5th Earl of Inchiquin (1726–1808), later 1st

Marquess of Thomond A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) ...

. Mary died without issue in 1820 and left as her heir her brother John Palmer. * Theophila ('Offy') Palmer (1757–1848) married in 1781

Robert Lovell Gwatkin Robert Lovell Gwatkin (1757–1843) was an English landowner, High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1789. Early life He was the son of Edward Gwatkin (died 1764), a merchant in Bristol, and his wife Ann(e) Lovell. Ann Lovell Gwatkin came to know Hannah M ...

of Killiow, Cornwall. *Elizabeth Palmer (1758–1784) married William Salkeld at Great Torrington, Devon, on 26 April 1781. File:CountessOfInchiquin ByThomasPhillips AfterJoshuaReynolds.jpg, Mary O'Brien, Countess of Inchiquin, by Thomas Phillips after original by Sir Joshua Reynolds,

Petworth House Petworth House is a late 17th-century Grade I listed English country house, country house in the parish of Petworth, West Sussex, England. It was built in 1688 by Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, and altered in the 1870s to the desi ...

, Sussex File:MaryPalmerByJoshuaReynolds.png, Mary O'Brien, Countess of Inchiquin, painted before 1785 by her uncle Sir Joshua Reynolds. Collection of

Fairfax House Fairfax House is a Georgian townhouse located at No. 27, Castlegate, York, England, near Clifford's Tower and York Castle Museum. It was probably built in the early 1740s for a local merchant and in 1759 it was purchased by Charles Gregory F ...

, City of York. File:TheophilapalmerAfterReynolds.JPG, Theophila Palmer, mezzotint by John Raphael Smith of original by Sir Joshua Reynolds, published 1778, British Museum, 2006, U.214 File:TheophilaPalmerJohnRaphaelSmith1777AfterReynolds.jpg, Theophila Palmer, mezzotint by John Raphael Smith of original by Sir Joshua Reynolds. 1767, published 1777, National Portrait Gallery, London, NPG D2540.

Origins

''Devonshire Dialogue''

Marriage

Children

Notes

References

Further reading