Lady Mary Chudleigh (1656–1710) was an English poet and essayist known for her contributions to early feminist literature. Born Mary Lee, she married Sir George Chudleigh in 1674. Chudleigh's literary career flourished in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, during which she wrote poetry and essays that challenged traditional gender roles and advocated for women's education and intellectual equality. Her works often explored themes of love, marriage, religion, and the constraints of societal expectations placed upon women. Chudleigh's most famous work, "To the Ladies" (1701), is a proto-feminist essay that argues for women's rationality and intellectual capabilities, countering prevailing misogynistic views of her time. Despite facing criticism and controversy, Chudleigh's writings earned her recognition among literary circles, and her contributions to early feminist thought have been celebrated in later centuries.

As a woman of the nobility and a member of literary circles, Chudleigh circulated her poetry among friends, family, and acquaintances for feedback and admiration.

Platonic Soul Bonding/Romantic Friendships

Cease, Dear Lerinda, cease admiring

Why Crouds and Noise I disapprove;

What e'er I see abroad is tiring;

O let us to some Cell remove;

Where all alone our selves enjoying,

Enrich'd with Innocence and Peace,

On noblest Themes our Thoughts employing,

Let us our inward Joys increase:

And still the happy Taste pursuing,

Raise our Love and Friendship higher,

And thus the sacred Flames renewing,

In Extasies of Bliss expire.

It does appear suspicious that Mary Chuldeigh writes in this manner about a woman, spending time alone and opening their minds to one another. This piece is reminiscent of The Ladies of Llangollen, and the use of the word “Extasie,” in conjunction with “Bliss,” proves this poem was meant in the range of someone who is held dear, who is a partner. Lady Chudleigh was a feminist, and frequently published to challenge the patriarchal norms of gender roles forced upon women. It is no mistake she published “To the Ladies” and “To Lerinda” within the same collection Poems On Several Occasions, condemning marriage as a “fatal knot,” while simultaneously longing for those precious moments with Lerinda.

Lady Mary Chudleigh | Poetry Foundation

Mary Chudleigh - Wikipedia

To the Ladies by Lady Mary Chudleigh - Famous poems, famous poets. - All Poetry

“The Achievement of Scholarly Authority for Women: Trends in the Interpretation of Eighteenth-Century Fiction”

“On the Woman Question.” On The Man Question: Gender and Civic Virtue in America

“Incorporating Feminist Social Satire into the Early British Survey”

“English ‘Femmes Savantes’ at the End of the Seventeenth Century”