Esther Milnes Day
Esther Milnes Day | |
|---|---|
| Born | Esther Milnes 1752 |
| Died | 1792 |
| Occupation | author, philanthropist |
| Nationality | English |
| Notable work | Select miscellaneous productions (1805) |
| Spouse | Thomas Day |
 Literature portal | |
Esther Milnes Day (née Milnes; 1752–1792) was a British author, abolitionist, and philanthropist.
Life
Esther Milnes, an heiress, was the daughter of Elizabeth Milnes (d. 1757) and Richard Milnes (1705–1757), of Chesterfield.[1]
Milnes married Thomas Day (1748–1789) at Bath on 7 August 1778.[1]
Thomas Day was a singular character: an abolitionist, socialist, supporter of the American revolution, campaigner for clean air and land reclamation, and hugely popular writer of children's fiction. His unsuccessful — until meeting Esther Milnes — search for a wife and subsequent scheme to illegally adopt and educate a young girl, Sabrina Sidney, in an ultimately unsuccessful plan adapted from Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Emile, have provided much material for historians and other commentators. He continued a proponent of Rousseauism and insisted that he and his wife live a simple and secluded life. Esther was required to give up many of her social connections and previous leisure-time occupations, such as music. Unusually, however, her husband insisted that she retain control over her own finances in case she ever tired of their ascetic lives.
In 1779 the couple moved to a small estate at Stapleford Abbotts, near Abridge in Essex. In 1780, Thomas Day bought an estate at Anningsley in Surrey and the couple moved there in 1783. It was a philanthropic project for both husband and wife and they sought to improve the conditions of their workers.
Esther Day had no children, and Thomas Lowndes, her nephew, was treated by the couple as their heir.[1] Thomas Day died in a riding accident on 28 September 1789 and Esther Day, debilitated by her loss, died less than three years later.
Works
- Day, Esther Milnes, Thomas Day, and Thomas Lowndes. Select miscellaneous productions, of Mrs. Day, and Thomas Day, esq., in verse and prose: also, some detached pieces of poetry. London: Cadell and Davies, 1805 (Internet Archive)
Notes
- ^ a b c Rowland, Peter. "Day, Thomas (1748–1789), author and political campaigner." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 03. Oxford University Press. Accessed 16 Aug. 2022.
References
- Blain, p. 273
- "Day, Esther." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 3818. Accessed 2022-08-16.
- "Day, Thomas, Day, Esther. Select Miscellaneous Productions, of Mrs. Day, and Thomas Day, Esq. in Verse and Prose: Also, Some Detached Pieces of Poetry, by Thomas Lowndes, Esq. Consisting of the first 52 Pages." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, title ID 12563. Accessed 2022-08-16.
- Rowland, Peter. "Day, Thomas (1748–1789), author and political campaigner." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 03. Oxford University Press. Accessed 16 Aug. 2022.
- Seward, Anna. Life of Erasmus Darwin. Studley, Warwickshire: Brewin Books, 2010 (Internet Archive)
Etexts
- Day, Esther Milnes, 1753-1792; Day, Thomas, 1748-1789; Lowndes, Thomas, b. 1766?. Select miscellaneous productions, of Mrs. Day, and Thomas Day, esq., in verse and prose: also, some detached pieces of poetry. London: Cadell and Davies, 1805 (Digitization, Internet Archive)
See also
External sites
- Online books <https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Day%2c%20Esther%20Milnes%2c%201753%2d1792>
http://viaf.org/viaf/4716319
For talk page:
- Day, Esther Milnes. Poems and fugitive pieces. London: Printed by W. Bulmer and Co., and sold by Cadell and Davies ... ; and Bell and Bradfute, Edinburgh, 1796.[1]
- Day, Esther Milnes. Poems and fugitive pieces. London: Printed by W. Bulmer and Co., and sold by Cadell and Davies ... ; and Bell and Bradfute, Edinburgh, 1796. (Transcription, British Women Romantic Poets)
- ^ Kohler Collection of British Poetry, UCDavis Library, OCLC: (OCoLC)26071036 990000581270403126 (Catalogue link)