Mary Robinson (1) (1758–1800)

Mary Robinson, née Darby, was born in Bristol, England, to John Darby, a naval captain, and his wife Hester. As a child, she attended a school run by Hannah More and her sisters. When she about 7 years old, her father deserted the family. Hester Darby took her children to London, where she supported them by starting a girls' school in Little Chelsea; Mary taught English there by the time she was 14. She was then sent to a finishing school, where she came to the attention of David Garrick. He suggested that she go on the stage. However, she was being courted by Thomas Robinson, a clerk who claimed to have expectations of a rich inheritance, and her mother urged her to accept. They were married in 1774, when she was about 15. Her husband was unfaithful, gambled, and spent money extravagantly, and Mary discovered that he had lied about the inheritance. When he went into debt, they had to flee his creditors to Wales, where their daughter Maria Elizabeth was born. They were arrested and thrown into King's Bench prison in London for over a year. During this time, Mary found a patron in Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who sponsored the publication of her first volume of poems, Captivity (1775). It was followed by a novel, Celadon and Lydia, A Tale (1777). After 15 months in prison, her husband finally negotiated his release, and Mary was engaged as an actress at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. She made her stage debut in 1776 as Juliet and was an instant hit. In 1778, she appeared in a musical farce of her own writing, The Lucky Escape. She became extremely popular in 1779 as Perdita in an adaptation of Shakespeare's play The Winter's Tale, and was identified with this role for the rest of her life. It was as Perdita that she attracted the attentions of 17-year-old George, Prince of Wales, later the Prince Regent (and King George IV). He offered her £20,000 to become his mistress, to be paid when he came of age. With her new social prominence, she became a fashion trendsetter. Her portrait was painted by Reynolds and Gainsborough, among others. In 1781, the affair ended, and the prince refused to pay the money he had promised. She was left to survive on a small annuity, paid only intermittently despite her constant requests, and by reinventing herself as a writer. She wrote successful poetry, as well as eight novels, three plays, and feminist treatises. Like Mary Wollstonecraft, her contemporary, she championed the rights of women and supported the French Revolution. She had a 15-year affair with Col. Banastre Tarleton, a British officer who had fought in the American Revolutionary War, and lived with him in France and Germany. They returned to England in 1788. Her most famous late work was A Letter to the Women of England, on the Injustice of Mental Subordination (1799). She began work on her autobiography, but it remained unfinished at her death in 1800 at age 42. Maria Elizabeth edited and published her memoirs, Memoirs of the Late Mrs. Robinson, Written by Herself, with Some Posthumous Pieces (1801) and a collected edition of her Poetical Works (1806). In recent years, her work has attracted the notice of literary scholars and feminists.