Margaret Harvey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Poet
Playwright
Margaret Harvey | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1768 |
| Died | 18 June 1858 (aged 89–90) Bishopwearmouth, England |
| Occupation | Writer Poet Playwright |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | British |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
Margaret Harvey (1768–1858) was an English poet and scholar from Newcastle, England.[1] Her father was a surgeon from nearby Sunderland; however, she did not live with him. Harvey was known to have a "remarkable energy of character" through both her writing and overall being.[1] She is most known for her poetry, although she did write plays as well. Harvey died on 18 June 1858 at 27 Villiers Street in Bishop Wearmouth.[2]
Harvey was born in Newcastle-on-Tyne and lived with their aunt, Miss Ilderton and two sisters, Ann and Jane. After her aunt's death in 1812, Harvey and her sisters all moved to a house at the White Cross in the same city.[1] During this time, it is "likely" that Harvey attended Dame Allan’s School where she "developed her interest in local history, intensified, undoubtedly, by the presence of the nearby bona fide Gothic castle."[3] Around the age of 36 Harvey wrote her first poem. Soon after, Harvey decided to move away from her sisters because she realized she needed to be on her own. Once she moved to New Castle, Harvey became the headmistress of a local girl's boarding school.[3] It was here that Harvey adopted conservative values that would later be seen in her writing.[3]