Mary Ann Radcliffe
| Mary Ann Radcliffe | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mary Ann Clayton c. 1746 Nottingham |
| Died | 1810 or after Edinburgh |
| Resting place | Old Calton Cemetery, Edinburgh |
| Occupation | writer |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | British |
| Ethnicity | English |
| Education | Bar Convent, York |
| Period | Regency |
| Genre | Feminism, Autobiography, Possibly Gothic Novelist |
| Notable works | The Female Advocate; or, An Attempt to Recover the Rights of Women from Male Usurpation, 1799 |
| Spouse | Joseph Radcliffe |
| Children | Anna, Mary, Sarah, Joseph, James, Charles, Winifred, Frances |
Mary Ann Radcliffe (c. 1746 – 1818 or after) was an important British figure in the early feminist movement.
She was born Mary Ann Clayton in Nottingham, the elder daughter of a successful Anglican merchant James Clayton and his Catholic wife Sarah Blatherwick and christened at St Nicholas Nottingham on 18 June 1746. James Clayton was already 70 at the time of Mary Ann's birth and died when she was four. Mary Ann's sister Sarah predeceased him leaving Mary Ann as his heiress. Radcliffe was raised as a Catholic by her mother and educated at the Bar Convent in York. Mary Ann eloped to marry Joseph Radcliffe of Coxwold, Yorkshire at age 15. Initially they were married in private by a Catholic priest, but Radcliffe's guardians insisted that she be married in the Anglican Church and the marriage was conducted at St Nicholas' in Nottingham on 2 May 1762. Joseph Radcliffe seems to have been descended from the Radcliffe family of Ugthorpe Old Hall, however Mary Ann Radcliffe insists in her memoirs that he is related to the Earl of Derwentwater, a statement confirmed by a reference from Lord Traquair who states that they were "distantly related to the Derwentwater family." Joseph Radcliffe's parents are described in Letter III of the memoirsof the Memoir (Edinburgh, 1810) as living in Yorkshire, and a 'good old couple' who were 'quite overjoyed' 'at seeing their only surviving son so comfortably provided for.' Mary Ann's first mention of her husband's Derwentwater ancestry occurs when she lists her sons: “and next Joseph, so named after his father, James, in memory of my father, and the unfortunate Earl of Derwentwater, who forfeited his life in the rebellion of 1715, and Charles after the brother of the Earl of D--, who fell martyr to the same cause, in 1745, from which family I was always told, my husband was a descendent”
The couple had eight children in quick succession, Ann, Mary Sarah, Joseph, James, Charles, Winifred and Frances. The two latter died as infants. Financial difficulties due to their growing family forced Joseph Radcliffe to invest in the sugar industry, and after unsuccessful speculations Mary Ann's inheritance was depleted. The family estates in three counties inherited from James Clayton were sold to pay Joseph's debts. From this point in 1783 Mary Ann's husband could not provide for the family. She sought positions as a housekeeper at Traquair House, governess, and in a milliner shop. With hard work she was able to put her sons, Joseph, James and Charles through school. Joseph Radcliffe Senior found work as house steward to Sir John Stanley, 6th Baronet Stanley at Alderley Park in 1783 and was not to see Mary Ann Radcliffe again. Joseph Radcliffe senior died in 1804 and Edward Stanley, son of Sir John and Bishop of Norwich was executor of his will. Mary Ann's eldest son Joseph became a merchant, her second son James a pastrycook in Holborn and her youngest son Charles after absconding from the army became a successful though minor painter who died in Salem Massachusetts in 1806.
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