Eliza Fletcher’s 

Autobiography

 is a great illuminator of herself, her contemporaries and her period. She was born Eliza Dawson at Oxton, near Tadcaster in Yorkshire, on 15 January 1770. Her mother died shortly after Eliza’s birth, yet in spite of this her childhood and youth, during which she was cared for by her father and his mother, were very happy. In 1787 the Dawsons were visited by a school friend of Eliza’s with her husband, Mr Meliss. Meliss was on his way from Perth to London to give evidence before the Commons’ Committee on Burgh Reform and was accompanied by Archibald Fletcher, an Edinburgh lawyer, known for his liberal opinions. The Dawsons were Whigs and Eliza’s background was, therefore, such as to make her open to Fletcher’s ardent expression of his beliefs.…

878 words

Citation: McMillan, Dorothy. "Eliza Fletcher". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 October 2003; last revised 02 March 2019. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1562, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1562 Eliza Fletcher 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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