Elizabeth Bonhôte, née Mapes (baptised 11 April 1744 – 11 June 1818) was an English novelist, essayist and poet. Her most successful work was ''
Bungay Castle
Bungay Castle is a Grade I listed building in the town of Bungay, Suffolk.Bungay Castle
Bungay Castle is a Grade I listed building in the town of Bungay, Suffolk.Bungay
Bungay () is a market town, civil parish and electoral ward in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . It lies in the Waveney Valley, west of Beccles on the edge of The Broads, and at th ...
,
Suffolk
Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
, in April 1744, Elizabeth was the elder surviving child of James Mapes (baptised 1714–1794), a baker and grocer, and his wife, Elizabeth, née Galliard (died 1789).
She married on 13 October 1772 Daniel Bonhôte, a Bungay solicitor and landowner, by whom she bore three children between 1773 and 1777. One of her daughters, also called Elizabeth, married Rev. Richard Dreyer, rector of Thwaite and a former curate of St Mary's in Bungay. Daniel Bonhôte later became under-sheriff of Suffolk and captain of a militia company. He died in 1804, after they had moved to
Bury St Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as ''Bury,'' is a cathedral as well as market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk District, West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St. Edmunds an ...
.Christopher Reeve, "Bonhôte, Elizabeth (1744–1818)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford, UK: OUP, 2004 Retrieved 24 September 2015 /ref>
Little else is known of Elizabeth Bonhôte's appearance or personality. After her death at Bungay on 11 June 1818, her will disposed of several dwelling houses and a bakery and shop in the town, as well as £3500 in cash and annuities. She also founded still extant almshouses for elderly women and the widows of poor traders. A cul-de-sac near the centre of Bungay has been named Elizabeth Bonhote Close.
Work
Elizabeth Mapes wrote several elegies and poems in praise of the monarchy, and a first anonymous novel, ''Hortensia, or, The Distressed Wife'' in 1769. She is said to have been a royalist "perfectly satisfied with our laws and constitution".''The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. Women Writers from the Middle Ages to the Present Day'', eds Virginia Blain, Patricia Clements and Isobel Grundy (London: Batsford, 1990), p. 113. In the year of her marriage she had her second novel published, ''The Rambles of Mr Frankly, Published by his Sister'' in 1772. This is a moralistic work thought to have been influenced in its form by
Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne (24 November 1713 – 18 March 1768) was an Anglo-Irish novelist and Anglican cleric. He is best known for his comic novels ''The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'' (1759–1767) and ''A Sentimental Journey Thro ...
's ''A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy'' (1768). Frankly learns from observing people during his walks in Hyde Park. The book became highly popular and was translated into German.
Illness after the birth of her children contributed to a break in her writing career, which was resumed with the novel ''Olivia, or, The Deserted Bride'' in 1787. Next came a
conduct book
Conduct books or conduct literature is a genre of books that attempt to educate the reader on social norms and ideals. As a genre, they began in either the High Middle Ages or the Late Middle Ages, although antecedents such as ''The Maxims of P ...
containing moral essays "for her children's guidance", called the ''Parental Monitor''. These appeared in two volumes in 1788 by subscription, one applying to girls and one to boys. The verdict of a modern critic: "Intended as a guide to her children in the event of her death, it advocated acceptance of one's lot and dependence on adults." Two further novels, ''Darnley Vale, or, Emelia Fitzroy'' (1789) and ''Ellen Woodley'' (1790) were both reviewed in the ''
Monthly Review
The ''Monthly Review'' is an independent socialist magazine published monthly in New York City. Established in 1949, the publication is the longest continuously published socialist magazine in the United States.
History Establishment
Following ...
''. In 1796 there were two reprints of her ''Parental Monitor'', one in London and one in Dublin.
Bonhôte's most successful novel was inspired by her husband's purchase of the site and ruins of
Bungay Castle
Bungay Castle is a Grade I listed building in the town of Bungay, Suffolk.Bungay Castle
Bungay Castle is a Grade I listed building in the town of Bungay, Suffolk.Gothic romance which appeared in 1796 with the popular publisher Minerva Press and was dedicated to the
Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The premier non-royal peer, the Duke of Norfolk is additionally the premier duke and earl in the English peerage. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the t ...
. It was reissued as recently as 2006.''Bungay Castle: A Novel'', (Lake Arrowhead, CA: Zittaw Press, 2006).
Bonhôte wrote occasional verse throughout her life. Her final publication was one such piece: ''Feeling, or, Sketches from Life: a Desultory Poem'' (1810).
Bibliography
References
;Attribution
Further reading
*Christopher Reeve ‘Bonhôte , Elizabeth (1744–1818)’ ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 13 November 2006
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