For an author whose career has been as storied as Eliza Haywood’s (1693?-1756), surprisingly little is known about her biography. She may have been born around 1693 to Francis and Elizabeth Fowler, hosiers, in London; however, it is more likely that she was born in the less-urban setting of Shropshire to the Fowlers of Harnage Grange. She had an unhappy marriage early in her life, though scholars are unsure of the identity of her husband. Long-standing belief about her marriage, drawn from an advertisement announcing the elopement of one Elizabeth Haywood from her husband, clergyman Valentine Haywood, has since been completely discredited. As Kathryn King puts it, “now that the biography is deprived of the story of the runaway clergyman’s wife, scholars are left with almost no story…
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Citation: Howe, Tonya-Marie. "Eliza Haywood". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 November 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2047, accessed 21 November 2024.]
