Maria Abdy

Maria Abdy, née Smith (c. 1797-1867) was an English poet.

History

Early life

Maria Abdy was the daughter of Richard Smith, a solicitor, and Maria Smith, sister to James and Horace Smith. James and Horace were authors of the comedy book Rejected Addresses written in 1812. Maria Abdy was a first born child.

Marriage

Maria Abdy had a love for science, but she would become frustrated with mysteries she didn't understand. She married John Channing Abdy, a clergyman who succeeded his father as rector of St John's, Southwark. John Channing Abdy and Maria Abdy had at least one boy before she was widowed in the 1830s.

Poems

Some of her religious poems were intended to be sung as hymns. She also published poetry in periodicals, such as the New Monthly Magazine and the Metropolitan Magazine, and annuals such as The Keepsake and the Book of Beauty. She often signed her name "M.A". Many of Maria's subjects involved circumstances in modern life. Most of her work is instructional, but she could also be very clever because of the influence of her uncles. Her comic pieces are very successful and imaginative. Maria Abdy died on 19 July in 1867.

Works

• Poetry, 1834 (as Mrs Abdy)
• Poetry, 2nd series, 1838
• Poetry, 3rd series
• Poetry, 4th series
• Poetry, 5th series
• Poetry, 6th series
• Poetry, 7th series
• Poetry, 8th series, 1862

References

• Virginia H. Blain, ‘Abdy , Maria (c.1800–1867)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Oct 2007, accessed 5 Feb 2008
• Feldman, Paula R. British Women Poets of the Romantic Era: An Anthology. JHU Press, 1997,pp. 1–5.

External links

• Index of Maria Abdy's Contributions to British Literary Annuals
• Works by or about Maria Abdy in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Persondata
Name	Abdy, Maria
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1797
Place of birth
Date of death	1867
Place of death