Author: Martin, Sarah Catherine
Biography:
MARTIN, Sarah Catherine (1768-1826: WBIS)
Born in Essex, the daughter of Sir Henry Martin, a naval officer later MP and baronet, and his wife Eliza Anne (Parker) Gillman Martin, she drew on a traditional nursery rhyme for her wildly popular version of "Old Mother Hubbard"--written originally to entertain the household of her sister at Kitley, Devonshire. Her Comic Adventures was published anonymously but the dedication of the first edition is signed "S. M. C." (corrected to S. C. M. in later editions). Though there was once some doubt about the attribution, it has been confirmed by the discovery of an original manuscript. She never married, though the future William IV was an early suitor; she is buried in the churchyard of St. Nicholas's church in Loughton, Essex, alongside her parents. (ancestry.com 17 Mar. 2020; Opie; OCCL)
Other Names:
- C. S. M.
- S. C. Martin
- S. M. C.