Eliza Rennie
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Eliza Rennie or Mrs. Eliza Walker was a minor
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-born romantic and
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short story author most notable for writing about her friendship with
Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...
and her contemporaries, including meetings with such celebrities as the
Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...
. Her biography remains somewhat of a mystery. She was possibly born on 17 May 1813, spent most of her adult life in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, and died sometime after 30 March 1869, when she was awarded £25 by the
Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its lon ...
. She published a two-volume
autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...
work of literary
gossip Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling. Etymology The word is from Old English ''godsibb'', from ''god (word), god'' and ''sibb'', the term for the ...
entitled ''Traits of Character: being Twenty-Five Years' Literary and Personal Recollections, by a Contemporary''.


Biography

It has proven difficult to trace the ancestry and parentage Eliza Rennie, as no contemporary accounts have been found. The following biography is therefore tentative and incomplete, deduced from a comparison of published local and family histories, clues left by Eliza in her own writings, and a search of parish records and census data. Although
Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...
's biographer,
Emily W. Sunstein Emily Weisberg Sunstein (April 28, 1924 – April 21, 2007) was an American campaigner, political activist and biographer. Biography Born Emily Weisberg in Dallas, Texas, and graduated from high school there. She married stockbroker Leon Sunstei ...
, claims that Eliza was born to the famous engineering family Rennie, of
John Rennie the Elder John Rennie (7 June 1761 – 4 October 1821) was a Scottish civil engineer who designed many bridges, canals, docks and warehouses, and a pioneer in the use of structural cast-iron. Early years John Rennie was born near Phantassie in Haddin ...
and his sons
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and
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
, no corroborating evidence has been found. One possible matching birth record between 1805 and 1820 has been found of an Elizabeth Rennie born on 17 May 1813 to Alexander Rennie and Jean Taylor in the village of Udny,
Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...
. Her father was therefore almost certainly Alexander Home Stirling Rennie, born on 13 June 1797 in
Kilsyth Kilsyth (; ) is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in North Lanarkshire, roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in Scotland. The estimated population is 10,380. The town is famous for the Battle of Kilsyth and the religi ...
, Scotland, a physician who studied medicine at
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,
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, and upon qualification moved to London between about 1818 and 1820. If her mother was the same Jean Taylor born on 8 June 1798 in
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, a few miles from Kilsyth, then Eliza's parents were teenagers when she was born. It is possible that the young couple either
eloped Elopement is a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, sometimes involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting married without parental approval. A ...
or were sent away to a remote area to avoid the stigma of
illegitimacy Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...
. If the above identifications are correct, then Eliza's grandfather was Robert Rennie of Kilsyth (1762–1820), a minister of the
Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
, author of treatises on the topic of
peat moss ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store water, since ...
, and a contributor to the ''
Statistical Accounts of Scotland The ''Statistical Accounts of Scotland'' are a series of documentary publications, related in subject matter though published at different times, covering life in Scotland in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The ''Old (or First) Statistica ...
''. The family was sufficiently distinguished to be the subject of a page or two in Reverend Anton's ''Kilsyth: a parish history''. It seems likely from Eliza's ''Poems'' that her mother died when she was very young, though no death record has been traced. She describes a rural childhood with mixed feelings and may have spent some time being cared for by family members in Kilsyth. She was very unhappy, felt betrayed, and apparently moved to London to join her father, possibly following the death of her grandfather in 1824. She spent the rest of her life in London and the home counties, never losing her
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. Her first definite published work was ''Poems'' (1828), released when she was a teenager, possibly as young as thirteen or fourteen. Although it received mixed reviews, it was sufficiently promising to gain her access to
literary salon A salon is a gathering of people held by a host. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to please or to educate" (Latin: ''aut delectare aut prodesse''). Salons in the tradition of the Fren ...
s and the companionship of leading figures of the day. She may have been the lover of Lord Henry Dillon, one of the early patrons about whom she wrote extensively in ''Traits of Character''.


Life with Mary Shelley and her friends

As a teenaged published author in London with a father who had already achieved some professional and social success, Rennie appears to have had many admirers and friends, including
Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...
and her literary set. Rennie wrote of Shelley that she was "almost morbidly averse to the least allusion to herself as an authoress." In ''Traits of Character'', she describes a meeting with the
Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...
, with whom she discussed her father and his support of
William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 – 29 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the Atlantic slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780 ...
and the
antislavery movement Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. T ...
. Her idealism and campaigning activities extended to
animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...
activism and other causes. She was a regular churchgoer and interested in
Spiritualism Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at leas ...
.


Later life

Her father married in 1829, and the household moved to the country in 1834. Her father died in 1838 in a fall from a horse, leaving a widow and at least two young children. Eliza herself most likely married around 1830, as from the early 1830s Eliza published under the name Mrs Eliza Walker. The first known record of her using this name is in 1831, in ''The Gem, A Literary Annual''. pages 173–189, a short story entitled "The Confessional; or, The Two Brothers. A Tale founded on Fact" As Mr Walker is never mentioned in her own narratives, the marriage may have ended prematurely or been a sham. She herself claimed in applications for financial assistance that the marriage was
bigamous In a culture where only monogamous relationships are legally recognized, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their mari ...
, and that her fortune was
embezzled Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trus ...
by "her brother". The
Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its lon ...
archive record stored in the
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refers to her making four applications for relief, dated 28 Jun 1854 (£30), 25 Jan 1861 (rejected), 30 Mar 1863 (£25), and 30 Mar 1869 (£25). Nothing else is known about her later private or professional life apart from her own rare autobiographical insights in '' Traits of Character''. She describes a life in London and Scottish society with excursions to
spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath, Somerset, Ba ...
s and meetings with celebrities and her publishers. She produced a steady string of short stories for the periodicals of the day, and also writes about receiving a small legacy, possibly from her father's estate or from one of her wealthy admirers. She also writes about her inordinate fondness for her pet
terrier Terrier () is a Dog type, type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many Dog breed, breeds or landraces of the terrier Dog type, type, which are typically small, wiry, Gameness, game, and fearless. There are fi ...
, which was dognapped on two occasions for ransom (apparently a popular crime in London in the mid-19th century). Her place and date of death are unknown, and further research is needed.
Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...
refers to her just once in her own correspondence.Newly Uncovered Letters and Poems by Mary Wollstonecroft Shelley: Betty T Bennett, Keats-Shelley Journal Vol 46, (1997) pp. 51–74.


Writings

* The Destroyer, ''The Museum of Foreign Literature and Science'', Volume 13. * Poems by Eliza Rennie, London: Lloyd, 1828 1 vol: viii, 182p.

* Traits of Character – Being Twenty-Five Years' Literary and Personal Recollections, by a Contemporar

Eliza Rennie, 2 volumes London: Hurst and Blackett, 1860


References


Sources

* Rennie, A. 1828. ''A Treatise on Gout, Apoplexy, Paralysis, and Disorders of the Nervous System'', London: Burgess and Hil

*''Lives of the Great Romantics III Godwin, Wollstonecraft & Mary Shelley by their Contemporaries'' 3 Volume Set * ''Pseudonymity, Passing, and Queer Biography: The Case of Mary Diana Dods'', Geraldine Friedmanbr>
*
Emily W Sunstein Emily Weisberg Sunstein (April 28, 1924 – April 21, 2007) was an American campaigner, political activist and biographer. Biography Born Emily Weisberg in Dallas, Texas, and graduated from high school there. She married stockbroker Leon Sunstei ...
. ''A Different Face: the Life of Mary Wollstonecraft''. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1975. .


External links

*http://www.rlf.org.uk/ *http://www.paperclip.org.uk/kilsythweb/history/archivesources/eliza_rennie.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Rennie, Eliza 1813 births Scottish women poets Scottish women writers Writers of the Romantic era Year of death unknown Date of death unknown