Author: Cowley, Hannah
Biography:
COWLEY, Hannah, formerly Parkhouse (1743-1809: ODNB)
pseudonym Anna Matilda
Born in Tiverton, Devon, she was the daughter of Philip Parkhouse, a bookseller, and his wife Hannah (Richards) Parkhouse. In 1772 she married Thomas Cowley and moved to London where he had a position in the Stamp Office and later an appointment as a captain with the East India Company. He died in India in 1797, on a visit to one of their three children. She had her greatest successes as a comic playwright in London from 1776 to 1794, and was best known for Who's the Dupe? (1779) and The Belle's Stratagem (1780); but she also wrote tragedies, historical dramas, and poetry. In 1801 she retired to Devon. Her Della Cruscan poetry was satirised by Gifford in The Maeviad (1809). (RPW; ODNB 14 May 2018)
Other Names:
- Mrs. Cowley
- Mrs. Hannah Cowley
- Mrs. [Hannah] Cowley