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1711 to 1720

1712

England ..... this was the last year in which anyone was condemned for witchcraft in England, though not in Hertfordshire, when 40 years later a mob near Tring lynched an old woman by putting her to the water torture. The ringleader was executed but it took two troops of Horse Guards to overawe the people and get him to the gallows. In 1712, 70 year old Jane Wenham appeared charged with witchcraft in the village of Walkern. She had been accused of flying. The Judge asked her " Is this true, do you say you can fly?". "Yes, I can " Jane replied. Out of her own mouth she had condemned herself to the gallows but then the Judge, Sir John Powell, said " So you may, if you will. There is no law against flying".  Many witnesses were called to testify against her and eventually she was found guilty of conversing with the Devil in the shape of a cat.  The Judge could do no more than reach for his black cap and proclaim sentence of death on her. His comments are not recorded but behind the scenes he immediately petitioned Queen Anne for a full pardon, which was granted, and Jane was released

1713

born October 7th ..... Marie Francoise Dumesnil ..... the most celebrated French tragedienne of the 18th century. She left her home in the forest of Ecouves near Alencon early in her life, possibly due to her father's severe temper. Between 1733 and 1736 she was engaged with different companies of comedians, first at Strasbourg and then at Compeigne. In 1737 she made her first appearance on the French stage and was an immediate success. She was an actress of rare originality and power and it is said that in some of her most tragic representations the audience actually recoiled with fear. David Garrick was extremely impressed by her. She retired to private life in 1776 and died on 20th February 1803

1714

born ..... Susannah Maria Cibber neé Arne ..... English actress and singer who was the daughter of a Covent Garden upholsterer and sister of the composer Thomas Arne.  She made her stage debut in 1733 at the Haymarket Theatre in Rosamund by her brother and became a noted oratorio singer.  In 1734 she married Theophilus Cibber, theatrical manager at Drury Lane and he coached her in her first great success in Volatire's Zaire in 1736. Her married life was far from happy - two children died,  her husband had a lot of debts and he forced her to take a wealthy lover who would pay them but when news of this got out he was forced to leave for France.  She retired temporarily but returned in 1753 and until her death in 1766 was David Garrick's most famous partner and the leading tragedienne at Drury Lane. she was greatly mourned by the theatrical world and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

1715

born ..... Mary East ..... a woman of high resolve who was born c 1715. Nothing is known of her early years. After she was parted for ever from the young man with whom she had fell deeply in love, Mary resolved to forswear all male company.  Although many impressionable women at this time, disappointed in love, had made the same vow, few maintained it for long.  But Mary was resolved in her decision and joined forces with a friend who had apparently also decided that men no longer meant anything to her. They pooled their resources and travelled together as man and wife with Mary assuming the name of James Howe. At Epping they came upon a small public house to let and this was the first of several which they ran and in time amassed a fortune of several thousand pounds.  In c1764 Mary's companion fell ill and she revealed to her relatives the deception that she and Mary had long practised. When she died the relatives called upon Mary demanding her fortune and she had to pay up. Eventually Mary's secret came out and she returned to dressing as a woman after thirty three years. She sold her public house The White Horse and bought a modest house in another part of the area where she lived quietly with a couple of servants until her death in 1781  remaining faithful to her long lost lover

1717

born ..... Elizabeth Carter ..... in Deal, daughter of a clergyman. She was educated by her father to be a classical and Hebrew scholar and later learnt Portuguese, Arabic, astronomy and history and was also a member of the Blue Stocking Circle. Her friend, Dr Johnson, had a high opinion of her abilities and she contributed two numbers to his "Rambler . In 1758 she published a translation of Epictetus and her letters to Miss Talbot, Mrs Vesey and Mrs Montagu were published after her death from 1809 to 1817. She remained single, looking after her father's large family by his second wife. After his death she remained in Deal, Kent where she died in 1806, a highly venerated old lady ..... and .....

1718

born ..... Anna Leopoldovna neé Elisabeth Katharine Christinem ..... daughter of Charles Leopold, Duke of Mecklenberg Schwerin and wife of Prince Anton Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick, she became regent for Russia for her infant son Ivan V1 when he was declared Emperor in 1740 at the age of eight weeks on the death of Anna Ivanovna. The regent that the Empress had appointed was arrested and Anna was appointed instead . She assumed important positions in her government but the following year Ivan was deposed by the empress Elizabeth Petrovna and his parents were imprisoned soon after. Anna died in exile in 1746 ..... and .....

born ..... Maria Agnesi .....  known in English as the witch of Agnesi'. She was born in Italy and spoke fluent French by the time she was five and Greek by the age of eleven. At the age of nine she had spoken publicly for an hour in Latin on the rights of women to study science. She was so clever in mathematics that by the age of twenty she had begun her major work Instituzioni Analitiche which took her ten years to complete. It caused a huge sensation when published and demonstrated just what could be attained by women in science. Maria was sent a letter of congratulations by the French Academy of Science and at the same time they apologised that they could not offer her membership as it would be against their rules to admit women. However The Bologna Academy of Sciences did admit her and she also received many other honours. When her father died she turned her house into a small hospital, retired from her work and spent the rest of her life serving the sick and the poor. On her views on life as a woman she wrote " nature has endowed the female mind with a capacity for all knowledge and in depriving women of the opportunity for acquiring knowledge, men work against the best interests of the public welfare ".  She died in 1799

1720

born ..... Elizabeth Chudleigh ..... the notorious duchess, who was brought up by her mother when her father Colonel Chudleigh died.  Although they did not have much money Mrs Chudleigh was determined to carry on in the style to which she had become accustomed and decided to capitalize on her beautiful daughter. She took on a fashionable London residence and set about introducing Elizabeth into smart society. Eventually Elizabeth was selected to become a maid of honour to the Princess of Wales and attracted a whole throng of admirers from whom she could select the most likely prospect. However her plans did not work out exactly as she would have wished and due to certain events her marriage was kept a secret. eventually she became one of the leading London hostesses of the day but her behaviour was so lively that it verged on the scandalous, especially when she attended a masked ball as Iphigenia, a figure from Greek tragedy, almost completely naked.  In an age which regarded women as the chattels of their husbands, Elizabeth Chudleigh used the institution of marriage to gain what she wanted from life and lived most of it in luxury ..... and .....

born October 2nd ..... Elizabeth Montagu ..... daughter of Matthew Robinson. She was born in York but lived at Cambridge during her early years. In 1742 she married Edward Montagu, grandson of the 1st Earl of Sandwich and on his death in 1775 she was left in a position of great opulence. They had no children. She had several writings published and subsequently published an essay on the genius and writings of Shakespeare. After her death on 25th August 1800 her nephew published four volumes of her correspondence. She will be more familiarly remembered as having originated the literary circle that was known as the Blue Stocking Club and as having given an annual dinner on the first of May for the chimney sweeps of London ..... and .....

born July 28th ..... Ocean Born Mary ..... who was born at sea when her parents were emigrating from Ireland to the New World. At the time of her birth the ship had been seized by pirates and the leader of them, Captain Pedro, said that if the new child was named Mary, after his wife, he would spare the crew and passengers. Hence her name. She grew to be a lovely woman, tall, red-haired and green-eyed and she married and had four sons. When her husband died the man who had once spared her life, Captain Pedro, came back into it. He had retired from the sea and had been pardoned for his crimes. Legend has it that he and Mary settled down together and both lived until well into their nineties. It is said that Mary's ghost has returned often to her home town of Henniker in New Hampshire, looking for the hoard of treasure buried somewhere in the area by Captain Pedro. (Taken from Prominent American Ghosts (1967) Suzey Smith)