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The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of
Religious Knowledge, Philip Schaff Vol. VIII
(abridged and edited for
clarity) |
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HANNAH
MORE (1745 - 1833)
English
authoress and philanthropist Hannah More was born at Stapleton,
England about 3 miles north of Bristol on Feb. 2, 1745 and died at Clifton,
England (a suburb of Bristol) Sept. 7, 1833. Her education was provided by her
father who was the village schoolmaster in Bristol. At the age of sixteen she
produced a pastoral drama, entitled The Search after Happiness (not
published until 1773), and in 1774 the tragedy The Inflexible Captive,
and several poems; in 1777 a tragedy, Percy (brought out by Garrick,
and played for fourteen nights); and in 1779 her last tragedy, The Fatal
Falsehood. But, her views having changed, after Garrick's death in 1779,
she declared that she did not "consider the stage, in its present state, as
becoming the appearance or countenance of a Christian; on which account she
thought proper to renounce her dramatic productions in any other light than as
mere poems." Afterwards, she turned her attention to religious themes and
non-dramatic poetry, and wrote very many pieces, long and short. Of these the
most famous are the popular tales in the monthly publication entitled The
Cheap Repository, begun in Bristol, 1795. Such stories as Parley the
Porter, Black Giles the Poacher, and above all, The Shepherd
of Salisbury Plains, have not only been very widely circulated, but have
endeared their author to many households. Not read much today, but once very
popular, are: Thoughts on the Manners of the Great (1788);
Religion of the Fashionable World (1791); Strictures on the Modern
System of Female Education (London, 1799); Hints toward Forming the
Character of a Young Princess (1805; she had been recommended by Bishop
Porteus for governess to the little Princess Charlotte, daughter of George
III., but court-etiquette required a lady of rank for this position);
Cœlebs in Search of a Wife (1809); her most popular work, ten
editions having been sold in the first year); Practical Piety (1811);
Christian Morals (1813); Essay on the Character and Writings of
St. Paul (1815); Modern Sketches (1819); Spirit of
Prayer (1825). Her collected works were published 8 vols., London, 1801;
19 vols., 1818, in 11 vols., 1830. Her poems were collected in 1816 and 1829.
When she gave up writing for the stage, she also turned her back
upon the fashionable and brilliant society in London, in which she had lived as
a favorite for five years, and retired to Bristol, and then, in 1786, to her
"little thatched hermitage" at Cowslip Green, at Wrington, ten miles from
Bristol. There, in 1790, she was joined by her sisters, who had long kept
school at Bristol; and together, upon the suggestion of Wilberforce, they began
to establish Sunday-schools and other religious and philanthropic meetings at
Cheddar and a number of other places. In these, Hannah taught the Bible and
catechism. In 1802 they all moved to Barley Wood. In 1828 Hannah, who survived
her sisters, removed to Clifton, where she died. Hannah More was in every way a
remarkable woman. She was considered one of the great reformers of contemporary
manners and morals. Her philanthropic labors were abundant and successful. She
received, it is said, upward of thirty thousand pounds sterling for her
writings, and bequeathed ten thousand pounds sterling for pious and charitable
purposes. |
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