Dorothy Osborne
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Osborne, Lady Temple (1627–1695) was a British
writer of letters and wife of Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet.
, England
, the youngest of ten children born to a staunchly Royalist family. Her father was the nobleman Sir Peter Osborne, who was the Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Guernsey under Charles I. Her mother was Dorothy Danvers, whose brother was Sir John Danvers
the regicide.
After refusing a long string of suitors put forth by her family, including her cousin Thomas Osborne
, Henry Cromwell (son of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell) and Sir Justinian Isham
, in 1654 Dorothy Osborne married Sir William Temple, a man with whom she had carried on a lengthy clandestine courtship that was largely epistolary in nature. It is for her letters to Temple, which were witty, progressive and socially illuminating, that Osborne is remembered. Only Osborne's side of the correspondence survived and comprises a collection of 77 letters held in the British Library (ADD. MSS. 33975).
Osborne is notable not only for her engaging letters, but also for defying her family's wishes to marry a suitor of their choosing, despite undergoing intense and sustained pressure. She fell in love with Temple in 1649, when the pair were both about nineteen years old, but both families opposed the match on economic grounds. Seventeenth-century marriages, particularly amongst the upper classes, were frequently business arrangements, designed to bring land, titles and/or cash to the families involved. Much to the chagrin of her family, in particular Osborne's brother Henry, Dorothy Osborne stubbornly and steadfastly remained single until, after the deaths of both fathers, the families finally sanctioned the match. After nearly seven years of intermittent courtship—the latter two marked by the exchange of the famous letters—their marriage took place on December 25, 1654 and lasted until Lady Temple's death in 1695.
Although there is little extant trace of Osborne after she married, a few of her married notes and letters survive, but lack the wit and verve of her courtship letters. Scattered references indicate that Osborne was keenly involved in her husband's diplomatic career and matters of State. Sir William's career posted the couple abroad for periods of their married life, including time in both Brussels
(in the Spanish Netherlands) and the Dutch Republic
. Temple was Ambassador in The Hague
twice, latterly during the marriage negotiations of William and Mary. In 1671 Charles II of England
used Dorothy to provoke the Third Anglo-Dutch War
by letting her on 24 August sail through the Dutch fleet on the royal yacht Merlin
, demanding to be saluted with white smoke. Osborne was an important and acknowledged figure in the later marriage negotiations because of her friendship with both William III of Orange
and Princess Mary. Osborne's close friendship with Mary lasted until the Queen's death in 1694.
Osborne (Lady Temple) had nine children, all but two of whom died in infancy. A daughter, Diana, succumbed to smallpox at age fourteen, and a son, John, took his own life in his twenties, but not before he had married and fathered two children, providing Sir William and Lady Temple with two granddaughters: Elizabeth and Dorothy Temple.
Lady Temple died at Moor Park
, Surrey
, and is buried in the west aisle of Westminster Abbey, along with her husband Sir William Temple, daughter Diana Temple and Temple's sister, Martha, Lady Giffard, whose adult life was spent as a member of the Osborne/Temple household.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writer of letters and wife of Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet.
Life
Osborne was born at Chicksands Priory, BedfordshireBedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the youngest of ten children born to a staunchly Royalist family. Her father was the nobleman Sir Peter Osborne, who was the Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Guernsey under Charles I. Her mother was Dorothy Danvers, whose brother was Sir John Danvers
John Danvers
Sir John Danvers was an English courtier and politician. He was one of the signatories of the death warrant of Charles I.-Life:Danvers was third and youngest son of Sir John Danvers of Dauntsey, Wiltshire, by Elizabeth Danvers...
the regicide.
After refusing a long string of suitors put forth by her family, including her cousin Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds
Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, KG , English statesman , served in a variety of offices under Kings Charles II and William III of England.-Early life, 1632–1674:The son of Sir Edward Osborne, Bart., of Kiveton, Yorkshire, Thomas Osborne...
, Henry Cromwell (son of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell) and Sir Justinian Isham
Sir Justinian Isham, 2nd Baronet
Sir Justinian Isham, second baronet was an English scholar and royalist politician. In the 1660s he was a Member of Parliament and also an early member of the Royal Society.-Life:...
, in 1654 Dorothy Osborne married Sir William Temple, a man with whom she had carried on a lengthy clandestine courtship that was largely epistolary in nature. It is for her letters to Temple, which were witty, progressive and socially illuminating, that Osborne is remembered. Only Osborne's side of the correspondence survived and comprises a collection of 77 letters held in the British Library (ADD. MSS. 33975).
Osborne is notable not only for her engaging letters, but also for defying her family's wishes to marry a suitor of their choosing, despite undergoing intense and sustained pressure. She fell in love with Temple in 1649, when the pair were both about nineteen years old, but both families opposed the match on economic grounds. Seventeenth-century marriages, particularly amongst the upper classes, were frequently business arrangements, designed to bring land, titles and/or cash to the families involved. Much to the chagrin of her family, in particular Osborne's brother Henry, Dorothy Osborne stubbornly and steadfastly remained single until, after the deaths of both fathers, the families finally sanctioned the match. After nearly seven years of intermittent courtship—the latter two marked by the exchange of the famous letters—their marriage took place on December 25, 1654 and lasted until Lady Temple's death in 1695.
Although there is little extant trace of Osborne after she married, a few of her married notes and letters survive, but lack the wit and verve of her courtship letters. Scattered references indicate that Osborne was keenly involved in her husband's diplomatic career and matters of State. Sir William's career posted the couple abroad for periods of their married life, including time in both Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
(in the Spanish Netherlands) and the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
. Temple was Ambassador in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
twice, latterly during the marriage negotiations of William and Mary. In 1671 Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
used Dorothy to provoke the Third Anglo-Dutch War
Third Anglo-Dutch War
The Third Anglo–Dutch War or Third Dutch War was a military conflict between England and the Dutch Republic lasting from 1672 to 1674. It was part of the larger Franco-Dutch War...
by letting her on 24 August sail through the Dutch fleet on the royal yacht Merlin
HMS Merlin (1666)
In 1671 the Royal Yacht Merlin played an important role in provoking the Third Anglo-Dutch War. While carrying the wife of the British ambassador Sir William Temple, Dorothy Osborne through the Dutch fleet anchored near Den Briel, the Dutch warships fired 'white smoke' as a salute, as was mandatory...
, demanding to be saluted with white smoke. Osborne was an important and acknowledged figure in the later marriage negotiations because of her friendship with both William III of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
and Princess Mary. Osborne's close friendship with Mary lasted until the Queen's death in 1694.
Osborne (Lady Temple) had nine children, all but two of whom died in infancy. A daughter, Diana, succumbed to smallpox at age fourteen, and a son, John, took his own life in his twenties, but not before he had married and fathered two children, providing Sir William and Lady Temple with two granddaughters: Elizabeth and Dorothy Temple.
Lady Temple died at Moor Park
Moor Park, Farnham
Moor Park, Farnham, Surrey, England is a Grade II listed house set in some of grounds. It was formerly known as Compton Hall. The present house dates from 1630 but has been substantially altered, particularly in 1750 and 1800...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, and is buried in the west aisle of Westminster Abbey, along with her husband Sir William Temple, daughter Diana Temple and Temple's sister, Martha, Lady Giffard, whose adult life was spent as a member of the Osborne/Temple household.
Publication history
Dorothy Osborne's letters have been published numerous times since their initial appearance in print in 1888. The most recent edition is edited by Kenneth Parker: Dorothy Osborne: Letters to Sir William Temple, 1652-54: Observations on Love, Literature, Politics and Religion (Ashgate, 2002), although that edition is not without problems for specialized users, namely with regards to the correct order of some of the letters, many of which were undated and are difficult to place sequentially. The text of editor Sir Edward Parry's 1888 edition is available online at http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/osborne/letters/letters.html. Parry's edition is particularly valuable for its useful commentary, although unfortunately he did not retain the original orthography for his transcription, and the "modern English" in some cases lessens the considerable charm of Osborne's prose. G. C. Moore Smith's (1928) and Parker's critical editions retain Osborne's spelling and punctuation.Critical Appreciations
- F. L. LucasF. L. LucasFrank Laurence Lucas was an English classical scholar, literary critic, poet, novelist, playwright, political polemicist, and Fellow of King's College, Cambridge....
, “The Perfect Letter-Writer”, essay in his Studies French and English (London, 1934, pp.151-174 http://ia600401.us.archive.org//load_djvu_applet.php?file=1/items/StudiesFrenchAndEnglish/StudiesFrenchAndEnglish.djvu ; repr. 1951, 1969). Originally “A Seventeenth-Century Courtship : The Love Letters of Dorothy Osborne,” Listener, 22 Jan. 1930 - text of a wireless talk, reprinted in Life and LettersLife and LettersLife and Letters was an English literary journal published between June 1928 and April 1935.The magazine was edited from first publication by Desmond MacCarthy after he lost interest in the New Statesman. It had financial backing from Lord Esher...
, Vol. 5 No. 26, July 1930, and in Modern Short Biographies, ed. M. Balch (Harcourt Brace, N. Y., 1935). - Lord David CecilLord David CecilEdward Christian David Gascoyne-Cecil, CH , was a British biographer, historian and academic. He held the style of 'Lord' by courtesy, as a younger son of a marquess.-Early life and studies:...
, Two Quiet Lives: Dorothy Osborne and Thomas Gray (London, 1948)
External links
- Letters from Dorothy Osborne to Sir William Temple, 1652-54 (1888), from Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
.