Lucy Aikin
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Lucy Aikin (6 November 1781 – 29 January 1864) was an English historical writer, biographer and correspondent. She also published under pseudonyms such as Mary Godolphin. Her literary-minded family included her aunt
Anna Laetitia Barbauld Anna Laetitia Barbauld (, by herself possibly , as in French, Aikin; 20 June 1743 – 9 March 1825) was a prominent English poet, essayist, literary critic, editor, and author of children's literature. A prominent member of the Blue Stockings ...
, a writer of poetry, essays and children's books.


Early life

Aikin was born at
Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...
, then
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
, in 1781. She was the fourth child of a physician, John Aikin (1747–1822), and his wife, Martha Jennings (died 1830).Barbara Brandon Schnorrenberg, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', 2004 Retrieved 6 November 2018.
/ref> Theirs was a literary family of prominent Unitarians. Lucy's father was also a historian, and her grandfather, likewise called
John Aikin John Aikin (15 January 1747 – 7 December 1822) was an English medical doctor and surgeon. Later in life he devoted himself wholly to biography and writing in periodicals. Life He was born at Kibworth Harcourt, Leicestershire, England, son of ...
(1713–1780), was a Unitarian scholar and theological tutor, closely associated with Warrington Academy. Lucy's aunt was
Anna Laetitia Barbauld Anna Laetitia Barbauld (, by herself possibly , as in French, Aikin; 20 June 1743 – 9 March 1825) was a prominent English poet, essayist, literary critic, editor, and author of children's literature. A prominent member of the Blue Stockings ...
, a prominent children's writer, while her brother Arthur Aikin (1773–1854) was a chemist, mineralogist and scientific writer, and their brother Charles Rochemont (1775–1847) was adopted by Barbauld and became a doctor and chemist. Another brother, the architect Edmund Aikin (1780–1820), wrote influential works about architecture. Lucy Aikin lived with her parents in
Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...
and
Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area in the northwest part of the London Borough of Hackney, England. The area is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington (parish), Stoke Newington, the ancient parish. S ...
until the death of her father in 1822, when she moved to Hampstead. There, apart from a short interval in
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...
, she spent the remainder of her life. She briefly attended a day school in Yarmouth, but was largely educated privately by her father and her aunt, an early critic of the education system. She "read widely in English, French, Italian, and Latin literature and history," began publishing for magazines at the age of 17, and was soon assisting her father as an editor of his writings.


Works

Aikin's works delve into the artistic, social, and literary sides of her period, rather than its religious, military or parliamentary history. In 1810 appeared her first considerable work, ''Epistles on Women, Exemplifying their Character and Condition in Various Ages and Nations, with Miscellaneous Poems'', and in 1814 her only work of fiction, entitled ''Lorimer, a Tale''. Those were just early efforts, but her reputation was gained wholly by historical works published between 1818 and 1843: ''Memoirs of the Court of Queen Elizabeth'' (1818); ''Memoirs of the Court of James I.'' (1822); ''Memoirs of the Court of Charles I.'' (1833); and the ''Life of Addison'' (1843). The last of these, containing many letters of Addison never before published, was the subject of an essay by Macaulay, who while praising Aikin's other works, and especially her ''Memoirs of the Court of James I'', observed that she was "far more at home among the ruffs and peaked beards of Theobalds than among the steenkirks and flowing periwigs which surrounded Queen Anne's tea table at Hampton." Of her other memoirs, she herself wrote on completing her Charles I, "I am resolved against proceeding farther with English sovereigns. Charles II is no theme for me: it would make me condemn my species." Aikin also wrote a life of her father, and of her aunt, Mrs Barbauld, and many minor pieces. Like Barbauld, Aikin was interested in early education, and as such published several works to assist young readers: ''Poetry for Children: Consisting of Short Pieces to be Committed to Memory'' (1801), ''Juvenile Correspondence or Letters, Designed as Examples of the Epistolary Style, for Children of Both Sexes'' (1811), ''An English Lesson Book, for the Junior Classes'' (1828), and ''The Acts of Life: of Providing Food, of Providing Clothing, of Providing Shelter'' (1858). Under the pseudonym Mary Godolphin, Aikin also contributed as an editor to versions of ''
Pilgrim's Progress ''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is commonly regarded as one of the most significant works of Protestant devotional literature and of wider early moder ...
'', ''
Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' ( ) is an English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. Written with a combination of Epistolary novel, epistolary, Confessional writing, confessional, and Didacticism, didactic forms, the ...
'', '' Swiss Family Robinson'', ''
Aesop's Fables Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a Slavery in ancient Greece, slave and storyteller who lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 Before the Common Era, BCE. Of varied and unclear origins, the stor ...
'', ''Evenings at Home'' (by her father and aunt), and ''
Sandford and Merton ''The History of Sandford and Merton'' (1783–89) was a best-selling children's book written by Thomas Day. He began it as a contribution to Richard Lovell and Honora Sneyd Edgeworth's ''Harry and Lucy'', a collection of short stories for chi ...
'' written "in Words of One Syllable".


Letters and translations

Aikin's conversational powers were remarkable, and she was a graceful and graphic letter writer. Her letters to her relatives and intimate friends showed her relish for society, and were full of wit and lively anecdotes of distinguished literary persons. She maintained for almost 16 years (1826–1842) a graver correspondence with the Rev. Dr
William Ellery Channing William Ellery Channing (April 7, 1780 – October 2, 1842) was the foremost Unitarianism, Unitarian preacher in the United States in the early nineteenth century and, along with Andrews Norton (1786–1853), one of Unitarianism's leading theolo ...
, an American Unitarian theologian in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, on religion, philosophy, politics, and literature. Aikin's letters were known for criticizing leaders on both sides of the
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
, and for criticisms of various authors, male and female. Her letters also showed an appreciation for classic and contemporary literature. Aikin also translated French texts: Louis Francois Jauffret's ''The Travels of Rolando'' (publication around 1804), and Jean Gaspard Hess's ''The Life of
Ulrich Zwingli Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a Swiss Christian theologian, musician, and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swis ...
'' (1812), on a leader of the
Reformation in Switzerland The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrate, Mark Reust, and the population of Zürich in the 1520s. It led to significant changes in civil life and state matte ...
.


Personal life

Aikin never married or had children. She lived her whole life with family, notably her parents and her niece, although she did briefly live with her nephew in London. Politically Aikin was a staunch feminist, and religiously she was a Unitarian.


Death and legacy

Lucy Aikin died of
influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...
in 1864 in
Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...
, then just north of London, where she had lived for 40 years. At the time of her death, Aikin had less than €9,000. Her niece
Anna Letitia Le Breton Anna Letitia Le Breton ( Aikin; 30 June 1808 – 29 September 1885) was an English author. She was best known for publishing the memoirs of her great-aunt, the poet Anna Laetitia Barbauld as well as her aunt, the writer Lucy Aikin. Early year ...
took over her literary legacy. Aikin's ''Memoirs, Miscellanies, and Letters'' were published in 1864, as was an edited version of her correspondence with Channing ten years later, in 1874 (London and Edinburgh: Williams and Norgate).


Selected works

*1801: ''Poetry for Children: Consisting of Short Pieces to be Committed to Memory'' *1804: ''Louis Francois Jauffret’s The Travels of Rolando'' (translation from French) *1810: ''Epistles on Women, Exemplifying their Character and Condition in Various Ages and Nations, with Miscellaneous Poems'' *1811
''Juvenile Correspondence or Letters, Designed as Examples of the Epistolary Style, for Children of Both Sexes''
*1812: ''Jean Gaspard Hess’s The Life of Ulrich Zwingli (translation from French)'' *1814: ''Lorimer, a Tale'' *1818
''Memoirs of the Court of Queen Elizabeth''
published in several later editions *1822
''Memoirs of the Court of James I''. Vol. IVol. II
*1823: ''Memoir of John Aikin, MD'' *1825
''The Works of Anna Laetita Barbauld. With a memoir''. Vol. IVol. II
*1827: ''The Life of Anne Boleyn'' *1828
''An English Lesson Book, for the Junior Classes''
*1833
''Memoirs of the Court of Charles I''. Vol. IVol. II
*1843
''The Life of Joseph Addison''
*1858: ''The Acts of Life: of Providing Food, of Providing Clothing, of Providing Shelter'' *1858: ''Holiday Stories for Young Readers'' *1864
''Memoirs, Miscellanies and Letters of the Late Lucy Aikin''
*1874
''Correspondence of William Ellery Channing and Lucy Aikin, from 1826-1842''


Works attributed to her as Mary Godolphin

*1867: ''
Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' ( ) is an English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. Written with a combination of Epistolary novel, epistolary, Confessional writing, confessional, and Didacticism, didactic forms, the ...
: In Words of One Syllable'' *1868: ''
Sandford and Merton ''The History of Sandford and Merton'' (1783–89) was a best-selling children's book written by Thomas Day. He began it as a contribution to Richard Lovell and Honora Sneyd Edgeworth's ''Harry and Lucy'', a collection of short stories for chi ...
: In Words of One Syllable'' *1868: ''An Evening at Home: In Words of One Syllable'' *1869: ''
Aesop's Fables Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a Slavery in ancient Greece, slave and storyteller who lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 Before the Common Era, BCE. Of varied and unclear origins, the stor ...
: In Words of One Syllable'' *1869: ''
The Pilgrim's Progress ''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is commonly regarded as one of the most significant works of Protestant devotional literature and of wider early moder ...
: In Words of One Syllable'' *1869: ''
The Swiss Family Robinson ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (German: ''Der Schweizerische Robinson'', "The Swiss Robinson") is a novel by the Swiss author Johann David Wyss, first published in 1812, about a Swiss family of immigrants whose ship en route to Port Jackson, Aus ...
: In Words of One Syllable'' *1870: ''The One Syllable Sunday Book''


References


Further reading

*''Memoir of John Aikin, with selections of his miscellaneous pieces'' (1823); and the ''Memoirs, Miscellanies and Letters of Lucy Aikin'' (1864), including her correspondence (1826–1842) with
William Ellery Channing William Ellery Channing (April 7, 1780 – October 2, 1842) was the foremost Unitarianism, Unitarian preacher in the United States in the early nineteenth century and, along with Andrews Norton (1786–1853), one of Unitarianism's leading theolo ...
, edited by P. H. Le Breton *Linda J. Turzynski, "Lucy Aikin." ''Dictionary of Literary Biography: British Children's Writers, 1800–1880''. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc, 1996 * * *


Attribution

* * *


External links

* * * *
"Mary Godolphin"
at Many Books {{DEFAULTSORT:Aikin, Lucy 1781 births 1864 deaths Writers from Warrington English children's writers English women novelists 19th-century English novelists 19th-century English women writers 19th-century English writers 19th-century English historians English Unitarians Anna Laetitia Barbauld English women historians Pseudonymous women writers 19th-century pseudonymous writers 19th-century English biographers 19th-century English poets English women poets 19th-century English translators French–English translators