Lady Hester Pulter

Lady Hester Pulter (née Ley) (1605-1678) was a seventeenth-century poet and writer, whose manuscript was rediscovered in 1996 in the Brotherton Library, University of Leeds.

Life

Background

Lady Hester Pulter was born in Dublin in 1605.[1] She was the daughter of James Ley, who became the first Earl of Marlborough in 1626[2] and her mother Mary, née Patty, James Ley's first wife. Hester was one of eleven children, however, it is unknown whether or not the children had the same mother. It is speculated that the family had a strong connection to John Milton with evidence provided through his Sonnet 10[3] which addresses Hester's sister, Margaret Ley as well as James Ley, pronouncing him as "that good Earl." In 1623 Hester married Arthur Pulter of Broadfield (or Bradfield) in Hertfordshire[4] where she became part of the noble class. The Pulters' had fifteen children (seven sons and eight daughters), only two of whom outlived their mother. During the English Civil Wars, the Pulters withdrew from public life. During this time of isolation Lady Hester Pulter began writing based on the opposition of political factions in the 1640s and 1650s.[5] Hester Pulter died in 1678 but Arthur went on to live another eleven years. Only one grandchild, James Forester (1660–1696), survived him and he went on to become the sole heir to the family estate.

Career

Until the discovery of the Leeds Manuscript found in 1996, Lady Hester Pulter was an unknown contributor to British literature. Pulter’s writings are largely based on her political beliefs during the English Civil Wars, where she identifies as a “royalist”, supporters of Charles I.[1] The goal of Charles I was to defend the established church and state of England. Under the pen name Hadassas, Lady Hester Pulter begins writing her work, which includes 130 folios of poetry and 30 folios of an unfinished prose manuscript. The name Hadassas comes from the biblical reference to Esther.[1]

Literary works

The Leeds manuscript includes approximately 130 folios of poems and 30 folios of an unfinished manuscript of a prose romance titled "The Unfortunate Florinda."[6] Under the pen-name Hadassas, Lady Hester Pulter also wrote "Poems Breathed forth By the Noble Hadassas"[5] The dates in the manuscript suggest that Pulter wrote the main body of her surviving works between 1645 and 1665. The poetry is written in a variety of genres, covering personal, familial themes as well as public events, the latter being marked by her strong royalism during the English Civil Wars.

Poems Breathed Forth by the Noble Hadassas

The discovery of Lady Hester Pulter’s works in 1996 was like discovering a piece of lost history. The poems allowed modern day people to look into the mind of a woman who was living during the English Civil Wars in the 17th century and see both her political views and level of education for a woman of the time. While in isolation, Lady Pulter composed a series of poems that include “On the Same”, “The Circle”, “The Perfection of Patience and Knowledg”, and “The Larke”.[1] While not all the poems reflect the same theme, they reveal Lady Pulter’s knowledge of the world in which she was living in. Some poems are based on religious lyrics, similar to other seventeenth century, however, the most interesting poems are those that pertain to the latest developments in alchemy and astronomy. Her intellectual range of interests suggest that she is a Plutarch enthusiast as well as educated on contemporary poetry. Despite her impressive intellect towards contemporary science, the poems were not written to prove any scientific theories, but only to do spiritual reflection.[5]

The Sighes of a Sad Soule Emblematically Breath'd Forth by the Noble Hadassa

The second section of manuscripts found within the folio contains a collection of “emblemes” which contains poems about events in the life of Lady Pulter. The poems range from pregnancy, illnesses, and the deaths of her children. While children are one of the main topics of her emblemes, the other strong theme is royalism. Several of the emblemes are addressed to Charles I and another is dedicated to royalists who were shot in 1648 at Colchester during the civil wars.[4] Some of her emblemes are cultural, such as one of her emblemes that mention Pied Piper, from the German folk legend of Hamelin. Another piece of evidence that contributes to her well rounded education.[5]

The Unfortunate Florinda

With only two parts of this unfinished prose romance manuscript, The Unfortunate Florinda can be identified with a proto-feminist tone throughout. An avid supporter of the royalists, however, the evidence in the manuscript suggests that Lady Pulter believed that men were primarily responsible for the downfall of the nation’s politics. She paints women as almost helpless at the hands of the men in charge of the country.[1] The sexes are far from equal and men tend to abuse their power in relationships with women, who are seen as lower than men. The plot of the story begins with an adaptation of the the historical legends of how King Roderigo’s raping the daughter of Count Julian led to the Islamic conquest of Spain. Stemming from the legend, she continues to express her dismay at the sexual corruption of King Charles II’s court. She challenges the morals of Christianity by endorsing the Augustinian view of rape as blaming the rapist, not his victim; and conventional views of race by depicting the African women as fair while contrasting their virtue with the sexually corrupt West, Spain in particular. The romantic characteristics of the manuscript include shipwrecks and pirates, usurped kingdoms and disguised princesses,’’ to which one can add miraculous reunions, cross-dressing, and the ultimate triumph of true love.

Summary

The first part takes place in Spain, where King Roderigo has usurped the Spanish throne. A group of African aristocratic women on what was supposed to be a pleasure cruise find themselves shipwrecked after a storm on the Spanish coast, and Roderigo falls in love with the daughter of the Moorish king, Zabra, who quickly converts to Christianity and marries Roderigo. The Spanish king, however, then falls in lust with Florinda, the daughter of Count Julian, a Spanish courtier-diplomat, and Roderigo uses the good offices of his friend, the misogynist Alphonso, to prosecute his suit. Florinda rejects the king’s advances, turning Roderigo’s infatuation into implacable hatred. At this point, Fidelia, the queen’s companion from Africa, unexpectedly arrives at the court and launches into her own narrative of danger, pirates, escapes, and improbable reunions. This African king (Pulter does not name him) is also licentious, and demands that Fidelia’s father deliver up his daughter to be his mistress, on pain of death. Fidelia and her lover, Amandus, the Prince of Naples, then kill the king through a bed trick. They escape, but are captured by pirates and separated. Returning to the main narrative, Roderigo rapes Florinda, threatening her afterward with terrible consequences if she reveals what happened. Florinda vows revenge, informs her father, Count Julian, of what happened, and he vows revenge as well. The entire family and their friends, outraged by what the ‘‘lascivious prince’’ has done, also vow revenge, and they go to Almanzar in Africa to request that he invade Spain to avenge this despicable deed.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Alice Eardley, 'Lady Hester Pulter's Book of "Emblemes"' (Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of Warwick, 2008), p. 32
  2. ↑ ODNB
  3. ↑ "Milton: Sonnet 10 - Notes". www.dartmouth.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  4. 1 2 Eardley (2008), 40
  5. 1 2 3 4 Millman, Jill Seal; Wrigth, Gillian (2005-05-20). Early Modern Women's Manuscript Poetry. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9780719069161.
  6. ↑ Millman, Jill Seal; Wrigth, Gillian (2005-06-04). Early Modern Women's Manuscript Poetry. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9780719069178.

Further reading

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