Mary Dawes Blackett
Mary Ann Dawes Blackett (fl. 1786-1791) was an English author of two collections of poetry and one book of conduct literature. Her Suicide; a poem (1789) addressed what was considered by foreigners and English alike to be a pressing national problem. Life The little that is known of Blackett's life comes mainly from the genealogical research of the Blackett family or from her own writings. Details of her birth and antecedents are unknown. She was likely married to one Thomas Blackett of Bloomsbury, though the records are not definitive. Her husband was probably a Roman Catholic as by her own account her only daughter, Catherine (born c. 1773?), was educated in a convent in Nice despite Blackett herself being Protestant. Based on references in her writings, it would appear that Blackett was widowed, and also suffered the loss of a brother at sea. The details of her death are better known: she died in Vauxhall, now part of south London, and was buried at St. Mary’s, Lambeth on 8 August 1792. Work Blackett apparently had many acquaintances, including poet Thomas Chatterton. She published three known works: two poetic and one a series of letters to her daughter. All three works