Mary Lady ChudleighMary, Lady Chudleigh (1656-1710) was a confidante of John Dryden and a leading figure amongst the women writers of her day. In many ways a proto-feminist, Lady Chudleigh was still a provincial aristocrat and devout Anglican, and her work shows many o the apparent contradictions of the early modern era. Born Mary Lee at Winslade, a manor-house in the parish of Clyst St. George, some five miles from Exeter, she married Lord Chudleigh, an older man and a wealthy landowner whose seat was Place Barton in Ashton, a village in the Teign Valley on the south-eastern edge of Dartmoor. Biographical details are sparse, barring the usual litany of births and deaths, but we do know that Lady Chudleigh's work began to be published ten years before her death, to considerable acclaim. Her works continued to be reprinted in the years after her death, and many of her poems have continued to resonate with readers ever since. Read More Read Less