Concept

Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Summary
Margaret Lucas Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1623 – 15 December 1673) was a prolific English philosopher, poet, scientist, fiction writer and playwright. In her lifetime she was able to keep that tone of productivity by creating more than twelve works that were completely original to her own. Margaret Cavendish even would have her portrait engraved on the covers of her different works so that people would know that she was solely responsible for the creation of whatever she wrote and then published in some way or another. This made Margaret Cavendish a pioneer for other women who wanted to engage in social sciences. In a time where it was difficult for all women to become any type of professional scientist or doctor, Margaret Cavendish was supported by an active husband with high social status. This high social status allowed Margret to meet and converse with some of the most important and influential minds of her time. Being the first woman to be formally invited to visit the Royal Society, her trail-blazing personality shows how she was bold enough to take a stand for women at her own risk. Her husband, William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was Royalist commander in Northern England during the First English Civil War and in 1644 went into self-imposed exile in France. Margaret accompanied him and remained abroad until the Stuart Restoration in 1660. She wrote in her own name in a period when most women writers remained anonymous. Born Margaret Lucas to Sir Thomas Lucas (1573–1625) and Elizabeth Leighton (died 1647), she was the youngest child of the family. She had four sisters and three brothers, the royalists Sir John Lucas, Sir Thomas Lucas and Sir Charles Lucas, who owned the manor of St John's Abbey, Colchester. She became an attendant on Queen Henrietta Maria and travelled with her into exile in France, living for a time at the court of the young King Louis XIV. She became the second wife of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1645, when he was a marquess.
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