Author: Tiernan, Mary Ann
Biography:
TIERNAN, Mary Ann (fl 1818)
Two editions of M. A. Tiernan’s monody on the death of Princess Charlotte, with an accompanying dream-vision entitled “Desolation,” appeared in London in 1818, dedicated to the bereaved husband, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Cobourg. The book does not appear to have been reviewed and it is not clear how the author’s first name came to be known, but if it was Mary Ann (or Anne) she has proven impossible to identify with confidence. The only child of that name baptised anywhere in the world between 1760 and 1800 was a Roman Catholic, the daughter of Luke and Jane (Courtney) Tiernan baptised in Dublin on 4 Aug. 1790—and that seems a very long shot. A married woman would be unlikely to use her initials alone; a widow would be likely to allude to her status somehow. The epigraph on the title-page is in Latin, from Virgil, a detail more likely to be associated with a male than with a female author. The author must have had means to publish on his or her own account (not by subscription) and must have been well connected if he or she dedicated by permission to Prince Leopold. An “Advertisement” addressed to readers describes the work as “experimental”: if it is well received, a longer poem might be made public. But no further work appeared. (ancestry.com 1 Sept. 2024; findmypast.com 1 Sept. 2024) HJ
Other Names:
- M. A. Tiernan