Jane Lumley, Baroness Lumley ( Jane Fitzalan; 1537 – 27 July 1578), sometimes called Joanna, was an English noblewoman. She was the first person to translate

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...

into English.

Life and family

Jane is the eldest child of three siblings, named Henry and Mary FitzAlan, and daughter of

Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel Henry Fitzalan, 12th Earl of Arundel (23 April 151224 February 1580) was an English nobleman, who over his long life assumed a prominent place at the court of all the later Tudor sovereigns. Court career under Henry VIII He was the only s ...

and his first wife, Katherine Grey (died 1542). Arundel had Jane and her sister

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

educated very well, and his library, later known as the Lumley Library, was central to this project. She married John Lumley, first Baron Lumley (c. 1533–1609), between 1550 and 1553, when she was 12 or 15. They had three children, all of whom died in childhood. Lumley himself was a scholar, translator and book collector, who supported the literary activities of his wife. The couple first lived at

Lumley Castle Lumley Castle is a 14th-century quadrangular castle at Chester-le-Street in the North of England, near the city of Durham, and a property of the Earl of Scarbrough. It is a Grade I listed building. It is currently a hotel. History It is name ...

in Durham, and then joined Arundel in

Nonsuch Palace Nonsuch Palace was a Tudor architecture, Tudor royal family, royal palace, commissioned by Henry VIII of England, Henry VIII in Surrey, England, and on which work began in 1538. Its site lies in what is now Nonsuch Park on the boundary of the ...

where Jane nursed her father through illness before predeceasing him. She is interred in the

Lumley Chapel The Lumley Chapel is a redundant Anglican church in the suburban village of Cheam, in the London Borough of Sutton, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under t ...

Cheam Cheam () is a suburb of London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is divided into North Cheam, Cheam Village and South Cheam. Cheam Village contains the listed buildings Lumley Chapel and the 16th-century Whitehall. It is adjacent to t ...

in south London. Lady Lumley was first cousin to

Lady Jane Grey Lady Jane Grey (1536/1537 – 12 February 1554), also known as Lady Jane Dudley after her marriage, and nicknamed as the "Nine Days Queen", was an English noblewoman who was proclaimed Queen of England and Ireland on 10 July 1553 and reigned ...

Learning

Lady Lumley's scholarship and learning gained her a considerable contemporary reputation. She translated selected orations of

Isocrates Isocrates (; ; 436–338 BC) was an ancient Greek rhetorician, one of the ten Attic orators. Among the most influential Greek rhetoricians of his time, Isocrates made many contributions to rhetoric and education through his teaching and writte ...

from Greek into Latin, and Euripides's ''

Iphigeneia at Aulis ''Iphigenia in Aulis'' or ''Iphigenia at Aulis'' (; variously translated, including the Latin ''Iphigenia in Aulide'') is the last of the extant works by the playwright Euripides. Written between 408, after ''Orestes'', and 406 BC, the year of Eu ...

'' from

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and Catholic theology, theologian, educationalist ...

's Latin translation, possibly also consulting the original Greek text, into English. Her manuscripts were preserved in her father's library, which was joined, after his death, to John Lumley's own considerable library and then passed into crown control in 1609. Lady Lumley's translation of ''Iphigenia'' is the first known dramatic work to be written by a woman in English, and the first known translation of a classical play into English by any hand.

Death and burial

Lady Lumley died on 27 July 1578. In 1596, Lumley's husband

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 ...

erected a tomb for her in

Lumley chapel The Lumley Chapel is a redundant Anglican church in the suburban village of Cheam, in the London Borough of Sutton, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under t ...

in St. Dunstan's parish church in

, in which Jane Lumley and her three children were interred. With the death of Jane, her nephew, Philip Howard was left the sole heir to the titles and all of the vast estates of the FitzAlan family, including the

Arundel Castle Arundel Castle is a restored and remodelled medieval castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England. It was established by Roger de Montgomery in the 11th century. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and earl ...

estates which Philip received after the death of

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

in February 1580.

References

Sources

*Claire Buck, ed. "Lumley, Joanna Fitzalan (c. 1537-1576/77)", ''The Bloomsbury Guide to Women's Literature''. New York: Prentice Hall, 1992, p. 764 *Caroline Coleman, "Lumley, Joanna, Lady", ''British Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide''. London: Routledge, 1989, p. 427

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lumley, Baroness Lumley, Jane English translators Lumley 1537 births 1578 deaths People of the Elizabethan era English women dramatists and playwrights Greek–English translators Daughters of English earls Wives of knights Jane 16th-century English women writers 16th-century English writers 16th-century English dramatists and playwrights