Anne Conway

Sarah Hutton (Aberystwyth University)
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Anne Conway (née Finch) was one of a few seventeenth-century women to achieve recognition as a philosopher. Her only published work appeared posthumously in translation, first in Latin as

Principia philosophiae antiquissimae et recentissimae

in 1690, and then in English in 1692 as

The Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy

. Her only other known writings are letters, written mainly to her teacher and friend, the Cambridge Platonist, Henry More.

Anne Conway (1631-1679) was the posthumous daughter of Heneage Finch, Solicitor General, Recorder of London and Speaker of the House of Commons. Her mother, Elizabeth Cradock, raised Anne and her sister, Frances, together with four step-children from Sir Heneage’s first marriage, at the Finch home in the house that is now called

1079 words

Citation: Hutton, Sarah. "Anne Conway". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 January 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=994, accessed 19 March 2024.]

994 Anne Conway 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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