Henrietta Fordyce born Henrietta Cumming or Henrietta Cummyng (14 February 1734 – 10 January 1823) was a Scottish-born governess.

Life

Fordyce was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. Her father James Cuming soon died and it was her mother Katharine (born Cowan) who arranged her home education. When she was twelve her mother died and she was left with no prospect of an advantageous marriage as she had no dowry. One of her aunts took her in and that was where she came to the attention of Anne Dalrymple, countess of Balcarres. Anne and her husband

James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres (14 November 1691 – 20 February 1768) was a Scottish peer, the son of Colin Lindsay, 3rd Earl of Balcarres and Lady Margaret Campbell, daughter of the Earl of Loudoun. He became the 5th Earl of Balcarres o ...

had a large family and Anne was known for her harsh parenthood. She once ordered that one of her misbehaving sons should be thrown in a pond three times. She moved to Balcarres in Fife where she was the governess to Anne, Margaret, and Elizabeth Lindsay.

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

later noted that Fordyce was unusual. She refused to eat at all until she was allowed to eat with the family. Fordyce wanted to look after her charges and she was annoyed when she was offered payment. The second daughter, Margaret, married

Alexander Fordyce Alexander Fordyce (7 August 1729 – 8 September 1789) was a Scottish banker, centrally involved in the bank run on Neale, James, Fordyce and Down which led to the credit crisis of 1772. He fled abroad and was declared bankrupt, but in time h ...

who was a banker. She served for a decade. She met the Scottish minister

James Fordyce James Fordyce, Doctor of Divinity, DD (1720–1 October 1796), was a Scottish Presbyterian minister and poet. He is best known for his collection of sermons published in 1766 as ''Sermons for Young Women'', popularly known as ''Fordyce's Sermon ...

(Alexander's brother) who was known for his ''

Sermons to Young Women ''Sermons to Young Women'' (1766), often called ''Fordyce's Sermons'', is a two-volume compendium of sermons compiled by James Fordyce, a Scottish Presbyterian clergyman, which were originally delivered by himself and others. They were intended ...

'' which he had published in 1766. They married in 1771, the Reverend Fordyce was based in London and they lived there until the early 1780s. They lived briefly in Southampton before they settled in Bath.

Death and legacy

Fordyce died in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

in 1823. Based on her correspondence with Alicia Cockburn, the latter is credited with establishing Fordyce's notability. An anonymous "Memoir of the late Mrs. Henrietta Fordyce" was publish in 1823, but it is considered unreliable.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fordyce, Henrietta 1734 births 1823 deaths People from Edinburgh Scottish governesses People from Bath, Somerset 19th-century British educators 18th-century Scottish educators 18th-century Scottish women educators 19th-century Scottish women educators 19th-century Scottish educators