Mrs Markham
Encyclopedia
Mrs Markham, the pseudonym
of Elizabeth Penrose (3 August 1780 – 24 January 1837) was an English writer.
She was the daughter of Edmund Cartwright
, the inventor of the power loom
. She was born at her father's rectory at Goadby Marwood
, Leicestershire
. In 1814 she married in Leigh, Kent Reverend John Penrose
, a country clergyman in Lincolnshire
and a voluminous theological
writer. During her girlhood Mrs Penrose had frequently stayed with close relatives and guardians, the Misses Cartwright, at Mirfield Hall, Markham
, a village in Nottinghamshire
, and from this place she took the nom de plume of "Mrs Markham", under which she gained celebrity as a writer of history and other books for the young.
The best known of her books was A History of England from the First Invasion by the Romans to the End of the Reign of George III (1823), which went through numerous editions. In 1828 she published a History of France. Both these works enjoyed a wide popularity in America as well as in England. The distinctive characteristic of Mrs Markham's histories was the elimination of all the "horrors" of history, and of the complications of party politics
, as being unsuitable for the youthful mind; and the addition to each chapter of "Conversations" between a fictitious group consisting of teacher and pupils bearing upon the subject matter. Her less well-known works were Amusements of Westernheath, or Moral Stories for Children (2 volumes, 1824); A Visit to the Zoological Gardens (1829); two volumes of stories entitled The New Children's Friend (1832); Historical Conversations for Young People (1836); Sermons for Children (1837).
Mrs Markham had three sons and died at Lincoln
on 24 January 1837 and was buried in Lincoln Minster. There is a stained glass window to her memory in East Markham Church.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Elizabeth Penrose (3 August 1780 – 24 January 1837) was an English writer.
She was the daughter of Edmund Cartwright
Edmund Cartwright
Edward Cartwright was an English clergyman and inventor of the power loom.- Life and work :...
, the inventor of the power loom
Power loom
A power loom is a mechanized loom powered by a line shaft. The first power loom was designed in 1784 by Edmund Cartwright and first built in 1785. It was refined over the next 47 years until a design by Kenworthy and Bullough, made the operation completely automatic. This was known as the...
. She was born at her father's rectory at Goadby Marwood
Goadby Marwood
Goadby Marwood is a village in the north of the English county of Leicestershire. It is about six miles north of Melton Mowbray and a few miles from the Vale of Belvoir....
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. In 1814 she married in Leigh, Kent Reverend John Penrose
John Penrose (clergyman)
John Penrose was a Church of England clergyman and theological writer.-Early life:John Penrose was born in Cardinham in Cornwall, where his father, also named John, was vicar of the parish. Penrose was educated at Blundell's School in Tiverton and at Corpus Christi College in Oxford...
, a country clergyman in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
and a voluminous theological
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
writer. During her girlhood Mrs Penrose had frequently stayed with close relatives and guardians, the Misses Cartwright, at Mirfield Hall, Markham
East Markham
East Markham, historically also known as Great Markham, is a small village near Tuxford, Nottinghamshire. It lies about 8 km south of Retford...
, a village in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, and from this place she took the nom de plume of "Mrs Markham", under which she gained celebrity as a writer of history and other books for the young.
The best known of her books was A History of England from the First Invasion by the Romans to the End of the Reign of George III (1823), which went through numerous editions. In 1828 she published a History of France. Both these works enjoyed a wide popularity in America as well as in England. The distinctive characteristic of Mrs Markham's histories was the elimination of all the "horrors" of history, and of the complications of party politics
Party Politics
Party Politics is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes papers in the field of Political Science. The journal's editors are David M Farrell and Paul Webb...
, as being unsuitable for the youthful mind; and the addition to each chapter of "Conversations" between a fictitious group consisting of teacher and pupils bearing upon the subject matter. Her less well-known works were Amusements of Westernheath, or Moral Stories for Children (2 volumes, 1824); A Visit to the Zoological Gardens (1829); two volumes of stories entitled The New Children's Friend (1832); Historical Conversations for Young People (1836); Sermons for Children (1837).
Mrs Markham had three sons and died at Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
on 24 January 1837 and was buried in Lincoln Minster. There is a stained glass window to her memory in East Markham Church.