Olivia Owenson, Lady Clarke

Clarke, Lady Olivia (née Owenson; 1785 – 24 April 1845), was a poet and Irish dramatist, best known as the author of The Irishwoman, a comedy in five acts

Olivia Owenson, Lady Clarke
Born	Olivia Owenson 1785 Dublin, Ireland
Died	24 April 1845 Dublin
Resting place	Irishtown, Dublin
Occupation	dramatist, governess, poet
Language	English
Nationality	Irish, British
Notable works	The Irishwoman, a comedy in five acts (1819)
Spouse	Dr Sir Arthur Clarke (m. 1808)
Children	3

Early life and education

Olivia Owenson was born in Dublin in 1785 to Robert Owenson and Jane Hill. Her father was an Irish Catholic and a professional actor while her mother was the Protestant daughter of a merchant from Shrewsbury. In 1776 her parents moved from Great Britain to Ireland and settled in Dublin where Owenson earned a living by performing in theatres around Dublin, Drumcondrath, and Sligo. Their eldest daughter was born in 1778, named Sydney. She went on to become a well known novelist. Clarke initially grew up in Dublin on Dame Street with her sister. However her mother died in 1789 and she and her sister were sent away to school. Clarke attended Madame Terson's school in Clontarf and later attended Mrs Anderson's finishing school in Dublin. Once school was complete the sisters joined their father in Kilkenny for several years. Clarke got a position as a governess for the Brownrigg family where she met the doctor who became her husband.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Career

Clarke wrote poetry for various periodicals in Dublin including Metropolitan Magazine, The Comic Offering and Athenaeum. She was known for her satirical verse. Clarke and held salons in her home in North Great George's Street. She also remained in touch with the theater and produced the play The Irishwoman in 1819 at the Theatre Royal, Dublin. She had three daughters who survived her, Sydney, Olivia, and Josephine. They inherited her sister's estate and maintained her correspondence. Her daughter Olivia married Marmion Savage. Clarke died on 24 April 1845. She was buried with her father in Irishtown, Dublin. Her husband died in 1857.^{[1][2][4][6][7][8]}

Bibliography

• The Irishwoman, (1819)
• Parodied on popular songs, (1836)

References and sources

1. Deane, S.; Bourke, A.; Carpenter, A.; Williams, J. (2002). The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing. The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing. New York University Press. p. 893. ISBN 978-0-8147-9907-9. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
2. "Lady Olivia Clarke". Ricorso. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
3. Donovan, J. (2009). Sydney Owenson, Lady Morgan and the Politics of Style. Irish research series. Maunsel & Company. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-933146-55-3. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
4. O'Shaughnessy, D. (2019). Ireland, Enlightenment and the English Stage, 1740-1820. Cambridge University Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-1-108-49814-2. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
5. "Collective Biographies of Women". Collective Biographies of Women. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
6. Hager, A.; Book Builders LLC. (2014). Encyclopedia of British Writers, 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Facts on File Library of World Literature. Facts On File, Incorporated. p. 1-PA61. ISBN 978-1-4381-0869-8. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
7. Connolly, C. (2011). A Cultural History of the Irish Novel, 1790â€"1829. Cambridge Studies in Romanticism. Cambridge University Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-139-50322-8. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
8. "ID:5c16e71aad138". Literary Salons Across Britain. Retrieved 14 October 2019.