Mary Letitia Martin (1815–1850) was an Irish writer who was known as the "Princess of Connemara". Educated at home in the upper-class style, she was fluent in numerous languages. She published two books in her lifetime, and a third was published posthumously. After losing her fortune during the Great Famine, Martin and her husband went to Belgium for a time, where she contributed to periodicals. They sailed to America in 1850, but Martin died 10 days after arrival due to complications of premature childbirth.

Biography

Martin was born into the chief landowning family of

Connemara Connemara ( ; ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...

, the Martins of Ballynahinch Castle, a branch of the Martyn Tribe of Galway. Her parents were Thomas Barnwall Martin and Julia Kirwin; her paternal grandfather was Richard Martin MP (1754–1834). Educated at home and by herself, Martin became fluent in Irish, English, French and a number of other languages. According to

Maria Edgeworth Maria Edgeworth (1 January 1768 – 22 May 1849) was a prolific Anglo-Irish novelist of adults' and children's literature. She was one of the first realist writers in children's literature and a significant figure in the evolution of the novel i ...

, who had met her during her tour of Connemara in 1833, she was courted in 1834 by Count Adolphe de Werdinsky, whom she had met in London earlier that year. She refused to marry and de Werdinsky feigned a suicide attempt at Ballynahinch. Martin published her first novel, ''St. Etienne, a Tale of the Vendean War'', in 1845. In 1847, she married a cousin, Colonel Arthur Gonne Bell. He took the name of Martin on marriage, by Royal Licence. In the same year, her father died of famine fever contracted while visiting his tenants in the

Clifden Clifden () is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capital of Connemara". Frequen ...

workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...

Famine

On the death of her father, Martin inherited a heavily encumbered estate of . In the following two years, her remaining fortune was destroyed in the famine as she attempted to alleviate its effects on her tenants. Penniless, she emigrated with her husband to Belgium. There she contributed to a number of periodicals, notably ''Encyclopaedie Des Gens Du Monde''.

USA and death

In 1850, her autobiographical novel, ''Julia Howard'', was published. That same year, the Martins sailed for America. She died ten days after arriving in New York City, following giving birth prematurely on board ship. The baby died, too. Her husband returned to England. He arranged for the posthumous publication of her novel, ''Deed, not Words'' (1857). In 1883, he was killed in a railway accident.

Select bibliography

* ''St. Etienne'', a romance, 1845. * ''Julia Howard. A Romance'', London, Richard Bentley, 1850. * ''Deeds, not Words; or, the Flemings of Dunaik. A Domestic Tale'', London, G. Routledge, 1857.

Notes

References

* * ''Humanity Dick'', Shevawn Lynam, 1975. * ''Galway Authors'', Helen Maher,

Roscommon Roscommon (; ; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60 road (Ireland), N60, N61 road (Ireland), N61 and N63 road (Irelan ...

, 1975. * ''Connemara after the Famine: Journal of a Survey of the Martin Estate by Thomas Colville Scott'', 1853. Edited by Tim Robinson, Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1995. * ''The Tribes of Galway'', by Adrian James Martyn,

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

, 2001. * ''The Eccentric Member for Galway'', Peter Phillips, 2003. * Maria Edgeworth, ''Tour in Connemara and the Martins of Ballinahinch'', edited by

Harold Edgeworth Butler Harold Edgeworth Butler (8 May 1878 – 5 June 1951) was a British classicist. He was Professor of Latin at University College, London in succession to A. E. Housman from 1911 until his retirement. Butler was the son of the Rev. Arthur Gray ...

. London 1950. Chapter II: A Sequel (pp. 80–101). * ''The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Review'', vol. 35 (1851) p. 100 * Peter Phillips, ''Humanity Dick: the eccentric member for Galway'', Parapress Limited, 2003 , 978-1-898594-76-5

External links

* http://www.libraryireland.com/biography/MaryLaetitiaBellMartin.php {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Mary Letitia 1815 births 1850 deaths Writers from County Galway 19th-century Irish novelists 19th-century Irish women writers 19th-century Irish writers Irish expatriates in Belgium Irish women novelists Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens) Deaths in childbirth