Lady Grace Mildmay's papers comprise medical treatments, spiritual meditations, and memoirs, the last one of the earliest extant autobiographies written by a woman in her own hand. They document the type of medical care that an elite woman in sixteenth-century England could provide, offer insight into religion at a time when a Protestant state church had been newly set up, and supply historical information on elite family life.
Lady Grace Mildmay, the second of four children born to Sir Henry and Lady Anne Sharington, grew up at Lacock Abbey in Chippenham, Wiltshire. She was strictly brought up: her governess, a family relative, Mistress Hamblyn, took great pains with forming the moral character of her pupil, her father insisted on modest daughters, and her mother trained her not to yield
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Citation: Pollock, Linda. "Lady Grace Mildmay". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 April 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12069, accessed 21 November 2024.]
