Mrs Mary Sherwood.

Angela Lanyon

Mary Martha Butt, later Mrs Henry Sherwood was one of the most prolific writers of her day. She was born on 6th May 1775, in Stanford, Worcestershire, the daughter of a social climbing clergyman. She was a very lively, pretty girl and was sent away to school in Reading where she learnt a little French and generally had a good time.

In 1797 she met her cousin Henry Sherwood who, though younger than she was had led a life `crowded with incident.' He had been in France during the revolution, had been imprisoned, escaped and been ship wrecked. Small wonder she fell in love with him. It was only after he had become Captain Paymaster in the 53rd Foot Regiment that they were able to be married. She had already written two novels by then and during the several years in India which followed they flowed from her pen. She returned from India in 1816 with five children of her own and three adopted orphans.

Her greatest success was THE FAIRCHILD FAMILY, a moral tale and required reading for all proper middle class families. It was still in print 40 years after her death.

Returning to Worcester she moved into Malvern Road, Lower Wick, and opened a school for young ladies charging a hundred guineas a year. As her fame as a novelist increased she gave up the school and moved into Britannia Square, then a smart new suburb, and once accompanied Elizabeth Fry, the prison reformer, in her inspection of Worcester gaol.

During the 8 years she was living in Lower Wick she wrote 80 books for young children (some of which were translated into Hindu) as well as dashing off tracts between breakfast and tea. Her mother, Mrs Butt, was living in Oddingley at the time of the discovery of Richard Hemmings body. Mrs Sherwood promptly dashed into print with a pamphlet entitled `Images of Death.

She became increasingly religious in her later years and managed to quarrel with most of the clergy in Worcester. She died at the age of 74 declaring herself a happy woman.

Copyright © Angela Lanyon 2000

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