Mary Chandler (1687–1745) was an English

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

. George Crabb writes that she left several

poem Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

s, "the most esteemed of which was her ''Bath''."Crabb, George (1833)
''Universal historical dictionary''
enlarged edition, 2 vols (London: Baldwin and Cradock, and J. Dowding), I, s.v.

Life

Born at

Malmesbury Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately west of Swindon, northeast of Bristol, and north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the upp ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, she was the eldest daughter of Henry Chandler, a

dissenting minister A dissenter (from the Latin , 'to disagree') is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc. Dissent may include political opposition to decrees, ideas or doctrines and it may include opposition to those things or the fiat of ...

, later at

Bath, Somerset Bath (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, Bristol, River A ...

. Her mother was a Miss Bridgman of

Marlborough Marlborough or the Marlborough may refer to: Places Australia * Marlborough, Queensland * Principality of Marlborough, a short-lived micronation in 1993 * Marlborough Highway, Tasmania; Malborough was an historic name for the place at the sou ...

, and

Samuel Chandler Samuel Chandler (1693 – 8 May 1766) was an English Nonconformist (Protestantism), Nonconformist minister and pamphleteer. He has been called the "uncrowned patriarch of English Dissenters, Dissent" in the latter part of the reign of George II ...

was one of her brothers. In her youth her

spine Spine or spinal may refer to: Science Biology * Spinal column, also known as the backbone * Dendritic spine, a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite * Thorns, spines, and prickles, needle-like structures in plants * Spine (zoology), ...

became crooked, and her health suffered, but she set up a

milliners Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter. Historically, milliners made and sold a range of accessories for clothing and hairstyles. ...

shop in Bath about 1705, when not yet out of her teens, and wrote rhyming riddles and poems to friends. Despite her deformity and class station, she was on familiar terms with a variety of Bath society, among them Mrs. Boteler, Mrs. Moor, Lady Russell, and the Duchess of Somerset.

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer, essayist, satirist, and Anglican cleric. In 1713, he became the Dean (Christianity), dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and was given the sobriquet "Dean Swi ...

's friend Mary Barber was her neighbour, and she was also a friend of Elizabeth Rowe and Frances Seymour, Countess of Hertford.

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...

knew of and praised her poetry. She died on 11 September 1745.

Works

The first edition of her most famous work, ''A Description of Bath'' (1733), was described as 'a letter to a friend' and dedicated to her physician, Dr Oliver. The second edition appeared the following year, newly inscribed to the Princess Amelia, with the original

panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of - ' ...

verses on Dr Oliver excised and replaced. The loss was made good in the third edition, issued in 1736, which included a poem 'To Doctor Oliver, who corrected my Bath poem'. A fourth edition followed in 1738, and a fifth in 1741. A wealthy gentleman, of sixty, struck with one of her poems, travelled eighty miles to see her, and, after buying a pair of gloves from her, offered to make her his wife. Miss Chandler turned the incident into verse, and a sixth edition of her book being called for in 1744, it appeared with a sub-title, ‘To which is added a True Tale, by the same Author.’ After her retirement from business, she began a poem ‘On the Attributes of God,’ but left it unfinished at her death. A seventh edition of her poems was issued in 1755, and an eighth in 1767. She dedicated her book to her brother John, and her 'Life', in

Theophilus Cibber Theophilus Cibber (25 or 26 November 1703 – October 1758) was an English actor, playwright, author, and son of the actor-manager Colley Cibber. He began acting at an early age, and followed his father into theatrical management. In 1727, Alex ...

's ''Lives of the Poets'', was written by her brother Samuel.

References

External links

Mary Chandler
at the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA) ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Chandler, Mary 1687 births 1745 deaths 18th-century English women writers 18th-century English poets English writers with disabilities English women poets British milliners Writers from Bath, Somerset Writers from Malmesbury 18th-century English businesspeople 18th-century English businesswomen