Sarah Scudgell Wilkinson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sarah Carr Wilkinson[1] (1779-12-14)14 December 1779[1] |
| Died | 19 March 1831(1831-03-19) (aged 51)[1] |
| Nationality | British[1] |
| Known for | Writing[1] |
| Spouse | Scadgell[1] |
| Children | Amelia[1] |
| Parent(s) | Hannah and William[1] |
Sarah Scudgell Wilkinson (14 December 1779 – 19 March 1831) was an English writer of children's books and novels. Some of her manychapbooks adapted existing novels.[1][2][3]
Wilkinson was born 14 December 1779 and baptised as Sarah Carr Wilkinson. Her parents were Hannah and William. She was born into and remained in the middle class throughout her life, often on the edge of poverty. In 1788, John Marshall publishedMidsummer Holydays; or, A LongStory, which is credited to Wilkinson, a claim substantiated in the publicationVisits to the Parsonage; or, the JuvenileAssembly.[1] She had wanted to work with literature since girlhood.[4] Wilkinson made early connections through reading toLady Charlotte Finch, who was blind.[1]
Wilkinson lived in London for much of her life. In 1806 she was living inSoho, in 1807 inWestminster, and in 1818 nearMaidenhead in Berkshire. She is said to have had a husband named Scadgell, described as "nebulous", who died in 1818, and a daughter Amelia, born about 1807.[1]
For some years she earned an income from acirculating library, acquired with financial and networking assistance fromLady Charlotte Finch, but this failed after 1811. She took in boarders, taught at Whitechapel Free School in Gower's Walk in eastern London, later served as a schoolmistress at Bray in Berkshire and started a day-school herself. In 1818, she gained financial support from theRoyal Literary Fund, in amounts varying between two and five pounds. In 1820, while struggling to support herself with a parlour shop as well as selling tape and picture books for children, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 1821, she resumed writing and editing. She nearly ended up in debtors' prison due to breaking a window. She again petitioned the Royal Literary Fund for aid, citing the difficulty of earning income as a female; furthermore, her publishers backed her petitions by attesting to her hard work and the sufferings of the publishing industry. Sarah Wilkinson's daughter Amelia obtained work in a lady's household. In 1824, the Royal Literary Fund provided five pounds towards her medical care; as a result, she underwent two surgical operations inSt. George's Hospital.
Sarah Wilkinson died in St Margaret's Workhouse, Westminster, on 19 March 1831.[1]
Wilkinson wrote about 50 chapbooks, a third of them were adaptations of existing romances, a few original novels, includingThe Thatched Cottage; and a school textbook and various other works for children.[3] She also wrote for periodicals and created songs and remarks for Valentine's Day.[4] Between 1800 and 1820, Wilkinson created about 103 works, but some, such as "Historical Reveries by a Suffolk Villager" were published after she died.[5]The Tragical History of Miss Jane Arnold, Commonly called Crazy Jane (1818) was reprinted many times and is described as "an ostensibly moral tale of seduction, madness, and suicide... very popular on the northern provincial circuit".[3] Her various publishers included Tabart, Richard Phillips and W. Darton. Often Sarah Wilkinson signed her books "S.W."[6] She also published inLadies Monthly Museum.[3] Many of her works were abridgments of novels by authors such as Henry Fielding, Matthew Lewis, Walter Scott, Ann Radcliffe, Amelia Opie and James Porter. Her dedications includedThe Fugitive Countess toMary Champion de Crespigny.[4]
Ingothic fiction, she was described as "one of the most productive and gifted of female fiend-mongers".[3] Her literary style combined a more gothic style with mainstream writing. HerValentine's verses gave women more social liberty in reaching out to men whom they loved.[1] Her work often satirized that ofAnn Radcliffe, and included ghostly figures. Her female characters often found themselves socially isolated.[4]
The list of works is sourced fromWorldCat Identities.[5]
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