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Father, Sir Roger Manley, goes into exile in Holland after Civil War
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Born?
Confusion. Possibly born at sea between Guernsey and Jersey, but the British library has a manuscript that has her being born 7th april 1663. -
Period: to
Tutored by governess in their father's garrison
along with sister after their mother dies (date not known). Brother educated for a naval career. (but she would only be 7 at the utmost if she was really born in 1672, before they moved. Clear as mud.) -
Family moves to Landguard Fort, Suffolk
Father takes post of Governor of the garrison -
New company of soldiers comes to the fort on the accession of James II
Falls madly in love with a young subaltern officer, Captain James Carlisle, despite his being in love with someone else. Carlisle moved along with the rest of the garrison a few weeks later. (Oh, brief, then,) -
Sent to a hugenot minister's house on the other side of the sea
where she learns to speak French 'with a perfection truly wonderful', until ill health forces her return. -
Death of father
also the flight of James II put an end to hopes of finishing her education with a stint as a maid of honour to Mary of Modena. 'Headlong into real life'. -
1688 Sister Elizabeth marries and is never heard of again
Delarivier thinks he's not worth her. Don't know the time. -
Lives with 'a old out-of-fashion aunt, who reads romances'
who Delarivier says 'infected' her and she was always on the look-out for a disguised prince or lover. -
John Manley's wife dies and he proclaims love for Delarivier
Then she falls into a fever, is nursed, and promises to marry him. 9I thought he was her uncle?). He then duffs her up, puts her in a secluded house with no access to anyone, and later admits that his first wife is still alive. We don't know what happened to the child (son). -
Living at the house of Barbara Villiers, the Duchess of Cleveland
Mistress of late Charles II, who 25 years earlier had worn the Crown Jewels to play Camilla in Katherine Philip's Horace. Believed that Delarivier brought her good luck at cards and kept her as a mascot. -
discharged on accusations of seducing the Duchess's son
left London for Devon where she could live more cheaply and escape the gossip of the town. Started to write. (What happened to the bigamous husband then? Or was that just annulled?) -
Returned to London with Letters Written on a Stage Coach Journey to Exeter
Had it published and immidiately had it withdrawn, claiming she had not meant to publish it. -
Affair with Sir Thomas Skipwith, manager of Drury Lane Theatre
who also openly kept another mistress. Became the 'dangerous swain' which he revelled in . -
The Lost Lover, or, The Jealous husband
Performed in Drury Lane early spring. Did not succeed, she says that 'writing for the stage is in no way proper for a woman, so whom all advantages but mere nature are refused... I think my treatment much severer than I deserved, I am satisfied the bare name of being a woman's play damn'd it beyond its own want of merit.' -
The Royal Mischief
Took it from Drury lane when it was already in rehearsal to Betterton at Lincoln's Inn fields, produced in late spring of 1696 with Mrs Barry, Mrs Bracegirdle, Mynaston, and Betterton, and 'acted with great applause' The only detraction was 'the warmth of it' and again she complains of sexual discrimination. Six day run. -
Saves and has affair with John Tilly
Catherine Trotter has asked her to save him (he was her friend) from the consequences of investigation into his activities as Deputy warden of Fleet Street Prison (what had he been doing now?) by intercession with her husband John Many (Oh, so he's still around?) Delarivier did this, and took him for a lover. 'His face was beautiful, so was his shape, 'till he became a little burly.' -
Accusations against Catherine Trotter
John Tilly claims that Catherine Trotter was 'the first lady that had ever made him unfaithful to his wife'. Manley was amused, because Catherine had 'given herself airs of not visiting [Delarivier] now she was the town talk by her scandalous intrigue with [Tilly],' and she describes Mrs Trotter as 'the most of a pride in her outward professions, and the least of it in her inward practice,' her charms 'the leavings of the multitude.' -
Tilly's wife dies and he marries a rich widow to mend his fortunes
When she heard of it Delarivier says she burst 'forth into tears, she cried: I a undone from this moment@ I have lost the only person who secured me to the possession of your heart.' Mrs Margaret Smith was the widow. -
Leaves London to mend her spirits after John Tilly's marriage
(date not exact) -
Returns to London
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Political satire 'The Secret History of Queen Zarah and the Zarazians'
first attempt at political satire, directed agains sarah Churchill and the Whigs, during the election campaign of 1705 -
The Lady's Plaquet Broke Open
First epistolary novel, spice and scandal -
Almyna
Second tragedy, Haymarket Theatre. Mrs Barry in title role, with Betterton, Bracegirdle and Colley Cibber. Strong feminist undertones, and revolves around her grievance that it is possible for a man 'after accumulated crimes to regain opinion, when [women] though oftentimes guilty but in appearance are irretrievably lost.' -
Secret Memoirs and Manners of Several Persons of Quality, of both sexes from the New Atlantis, an island in the Mediterranean, written originally in Italian
Blend of fact and fiction, romance, politics, scandal and autobiography. -
the Femal Tattler
Under the name of 'Mrs Crackenthorpe, a lady that knows everything.' -
Second volume of New Atlantis results in multiple arrests
Publisher, printer, 'and also Mrs Manley, the supposed author'. Publisher and printer questions concerning Mrs Manley, and released on 1st November, but Delarivier was only released eleven days later. -
Third and fourth parts of New Atlantis
Memoirs of Europe Towards the Close of the Eighth Century, written by Eginardus, secretary and favourite to Charlemagne, and done into English by the translator of the 'New Atlantis' -
Case against Delarivier hears at Queen's Bench Court, Delarivier discharged.
No-one would believe that a woman could have written this book, and 'they used several arguments to make her discover who were the persons concerned with her in writing her books; or at least from whom she had received information of some special facts, which they thought were above her own intelligence...
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu is distraught that the publication being delayed. 'Miserable is the fate of writers! If they are agreeable they are offensive, and if dull they starve.' -
Court Intrigues, in a collection of original letters from the island of New Atlantis
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A True Narrative of What Pass'd at the examination of the Marquis de Guiscard
After Jonathan Swift sent her his notions about the stabbing of the Tory Chancellor, Harley, by a Frenchman, Antoine de Guiscard. Guiscard was a friend of, and had been granted a pension by, John Churchill,, the Duke of Marlborough. The political implications, smearing the Whigs, were very much in Manley's taste so she cooked the story into a 'sixpenny pamphlet of her own style'. -
Takes over editorship of The Examiner when Swift retires
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Ill of the dropsy and sore leg, but recovers
Swift writes: 'Poor Mrs Manley, the author, is very ill of a dropsy and sore leg, the printer tells me he is afraid she cannot live long. I am heartily sorry for her; she has very generous principles for one of her sort, and a great deal of good sense and invention: she is about forty, very homely, and very fat.' -
the Adventures of Rivella
To forestall Charles Gildon's upcoming biography of her. Written under the pseudonym of 'Sir Charles Lovemore' -
Offers services to Harley and the Tory party
Receives 50 from him, the only known direct payment for her political services. Writes A Modest Enquiry into the reasons of the joy expressed by a certain set of people upon the spreading of a report of Her Majesty's death, and virtually retired from the political arena. -
Death of Queen Anne
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Lucius, the First Christian King of Britain
At Drury Lane with Booth and Mrs Oldfield. Success, paid 600 guineas on delivery, and it ran 15 nights with good profit. -
The Power of Love, in seven novels
plots from a popular 16th book, Painter's Palace of Pleasure -
Lucius revived and Almynus goes into second edition.
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John Barber starts affair with a 'country wench' - date?
Has been living with John Barber (not sure how long), in Lambeth hill and will do so until her death. Barber started out as a barber, became a printer in 1705 and went on to become Lord Mayor of London. His affair was with 'an ignorant and insolent country wench... This creature he hired in the country and brought her up to town to attend Mrs Manley in the lowest degree of servitude... His behavious to this Dulcinea soon broke Mrs Manley's heart.' (Impartial history of john Barber' ) -
Barber leaves for Rome with 50K pounds in bills of exchange
for the Old Pretender, James Francis Edward Stuart. he did not confide in Mrs Manely, but instructed his country wench to meet him in Calais and help him in his plot. Mrs Manley was mortified. -
Dies
after a violent fit of the cholic which lasts five days. Buried in 'the middle isle of St Benet's Paul's Wharf (52 years?) -
Marker to make the chart smaller
