Mary, Lady Cheke (née Hill; c. 1532 - 30 November 1616) was an English courtier, poet,[1] and epigrammatist.[2] She served as lady of the privy chamber to Elizabeth I.
Mary Cheke, Lady Cheke | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mary Hill c. 1532 Hampshire, England |
| Died | 30 November 1616 |
| Occupation | |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 with Cheeke; 8 with Mackwilliam |
| Relatives | Sir John Mason (step-father) |
Biography
Born Mary Hill in Hampshire around 1532. Her father was Richard Hill (d. 1539), of Hartley Wintney; he had served as Sergeant of the Wine Cellar to Henry VIII. After her father's death, her mother remarried Sir John Mason.
On 11 May 1547,[3] she married Sir John Cheke of Mottistone Manor, an English classical scholar and statesman. They had at least three children, the sons, Henry, John, and Edward.[3] After Mary Tudor became Queen in 1554, Mary Cheke's husband left England. From Calais,[3] he requested of Sir John Harrington to look after his wife.[4] John Cheke died in 1557. Late in 1558,[1] Mary Cheke married Henry Macwilliam of Stambourne Hall, a gentleman pensioner,[5] but retained the title of Lady Cheke.[2]
She is remembered as an important attendant to Elizabeth I, and for a "witty poetic exchange" at her court. [2] In the late 1590s,[5] Harrington wrote an epigram with negative connotations regarding women in the Bible, and Cheke wrote back a lyrically-clever counter-epigram, "Erat quaedam mulier (a reply to John Harrington's poem, Erat quidem homo)".[4][5]
Cheke died 30 November 1616.[3]
Selected works
- "Erat quaedam mulier (a reply to John Harrington's poem, Erat quidem homo)", late 1590s
References
Bibliography
- Sage, Lorna; Greer, Germaine; Showalter, Elaine (30 September 1999). The Cambridge Guide to Women's Writing in English. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-66813-2.
- Stevenson, Jane; Davidson, Peter; Davidson, Regius Chalmers (2001). Early Modern Women Poets (1520-1700): An Anthology. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-924257-3.