Louisa Capper

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Louisa Capper (15 November 1776 – 25 May 1840) was an English writer, philosopher and poet of the 19th century. She was the mother of two notable sons.

Early life and writings

Louisa Capper was born on 15 November 1776 at

India. She was the youngest daughter of Mary (née Johnson[1]) and Colonel James Capper,[1][2] an officer in the army of the East India Company, known as a writer and meteorologist. Her grandfather, Francis Capper, was a London barrister; her uncle of the same name was a Church of England clergyman.[3]

She is chiefly remembered for writing An Abridgment of Locke's Essay concerning the Human Understanding, published in 1811.[1][2] Her Children's Stories however were a more profound contribution to the history of literature, marking a departure into a new populous genre in early Victorian readers. She was a pioneer of writing directly for children in a modern idiom.[citation needed]

A Poetical History of England (1810) is also attributed to Capper, being a versed history of England from Roman times to the start of the House of Hanover in 1714.[2] It ran to a second edition in 1815.[4] Her history was republished in 2012 as A Poetical History of England; written for the use of the young ladies educated at Rothbury-House School, etc, by the British Library.[5]

Marriage and motherhood

Louisa Capper married, on 16 October 1811, the Reverend Robert Coningham.[2] His respect for her was such that on re-writing his will, he made her sole executrix and guardian. Much of his money came from slave sugar in St Vincent, where his uncle Walter Coningham had made a fortune at Colonarie Vale. Robert received a share of the money paid by the British government under the Slave Compensation Act 1837.[6]

She gave birth to at least two children, but only one lived to adulthood:

Franklin Expedition
. Through a 2010 biography of Fitzjames, much of her life has become clearer.

Rose Hill and later life

Capper and her husband lived in Cornwall, then Watford, before settling in the 1820s at Rose Hill, Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire. They lived in quiet comfort, near enough to London to be in touch with cultural developments but in a pleasant country atmosphere. Rose Hill was a substantial household to run, of about 30 acres, with several indoor and outdoor servants.

The house itself, built in the 1820s, sat immediately above the

George Turnbull; it was demolished in 1952.[9]

The Rose Hill social circle consisted of extended family and travelling friends, as well as neighbours such as the

county history of Hertford;[11]
the two married sisters lived near one another for many years.

Louisa was responsible for a happy and well-run home. One of her visitors was

Jane Carlyle, who describes Rose Hill as a sort of Eden: "a perfect Paradise of a place, peopled as every Paradise ought to be with Angels", filled with "cheerful countenances" only too happy to cater for her every happiness.[12]

Fitzjames's letters home refer to Louisa's and William's illnesses; she took her son to

Boulogne in search of cures. She died on 25 May 1840 at Chorleywood and is buried at Rickmansworth, both in Hertfordshire.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Robinson 1887.
  2. ^ a b c d e Perkins 2004.
  3. ^ Robinson, Charles John (1885–1900). "Capper, Francis" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  4. ^ James Fitzjames: The Mystery Man of the Franklin Expedition.. Page 30
  5. ^ Capper 2011.
  6. ^ "Rev. Robert Coningham, Profile & Legacies Summary". Legacies of British slave-ownership. UCL. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  7. ^ Rosehill: 51°41′55″N 0°25′58″W / 51.698586°N 0.432844°W / 51.698586; -0.432844
  8. ISBN 9781871372007
    .
  9. ISBN 0-9520929-0-5
    . Rosehill was built in the 1820s and demolished circa 1952. The house stood on Gallows Hill where the Gade View flats are today.<...>Between 1875 and 1887, the house was home to George Turnbull whose wife survived him and lived on there until 1899.
  10. ISBN 9781107040052
    . Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  11. ^ Cooper 1887.
  12. ^ Quoted in chapter 1 "Tracking down James Fitzjames". James Fitzjames: The Mystery Man of the Franklin Expedition by William Battersby. 2010.
Works cited
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