The Courtship and Singlehood of Elizabeth Isham, 1630–1634
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8958155 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Isaac Stephens (0000-0001-7409-241X, University of California, Riverside, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-25 |
| Publication date | 2008-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Historical Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0018-246X • E-ISSN: 1469-5103 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0018246x07006565 |
| OpenAlex | W2153058743 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 2 |
Scholars have long known of the proposed marriage in 1630 of John Dryden, grandson of Sir Erasmus Dryden, and Elizabeth Isham, eldest child of Sir John Isham. All knowledge of this proposed marriage came from correspondence revealing that, having reached a financial impasse, the two families aborted the proposed match. At first glance, such a case seems rather unremarkable, since similar stories abound of other contemporary families and in more detail. The Dryden–Isham match, however, takes on increased importance with the recent discovery of Elizabeth Isham's 60,000-word spiritual autobiography. Unlike the correspondence that mainly deals with the economic aspects of the match, Elizabeth's autobiography provides a more personal and emotional account, revealing the importance that familial love and honour played in the arrangement. In addition, the autobiography shows that the failed match caused Elizabeth to have a religious aversion to marriage, leading her to choose singlehood for the remainder of her life. Her experience forces scholars to recognize the significance that familial love, honour, and personal piety could have on marriage formation in the seventeenth century, and it illustrates the lasting impact that a failed match could have on a woman in early modern England
Archaeology · Art history · Biography · Courtship · Erasmus · Genealogy · Honour · Sociology · Classics · Historical Economic and Social Studies · Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes · History
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,19 |
| Citation span | 2010 - 2011 (2) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |