Lady Frances Norton, née Freke (1644-1731), was an English writer in the tradition of the

Ars Moriendi

. Her published works,

The Applause of Virtue

,

Memento Mori

(both 1705) and

A Miscellany of Poems, Compos’d, and Work’d with a Needle, on the Backs and Seats & c. of Several Chairs and Stools

(1714), address death and grieving from an orthodox Anglican perspective (Andrews, 2015, 49).

Frances Freke was born on 22 May 1644. She was one of five daughters of Ralph Freke and Cecily Culpepper; their motherdying when the children were young, Frances and her sisters were raised by their father and an aunt, Elizabeth Freke (Ross, 2004). Frances seems to have had a substantial education that included learning Latin and Greek. Extensive knowledge of classical literature and patristic

2029 words

Citation: Garret, Nicole. "Lady Frances Norton". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 October 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5662, accessed 28 March 2024.]

5662 Lady Frances Norton 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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