Lennox, Charlotte (1720–1804)

English-American novelist and poet. Born Charlotte Ramsay in New York in 1720; died in England on January 4, 1804; daughter of Colonel James Ramsey (lieutenant-governor of New York); married Alexander Lennox, in 1748; children: a daughter and a son.

Charlotte Lennox was born in New York in 1720. Moving to London in 1735, and unprovided for at the time of her father's death, 15-year-old Charlotte began to earn a living with her writing, along with an unsuccessful attempt as an actress (1748–50). She remained the breadwinner after she married Alexander Lennox, said to be a ne'er-do-well, and had two children.

Over the years, Lennox became friends with Samuel Richardson and Samuel Johnson, whose admiration for her, thought some, "exceeded his judgment." While discussing the talents of Elizabeth Carter, Hannah More , and Fanny Burney , Johnson once remarked: "Three such women are not to be found; I know not where to find a fourth, except Mrs. Lennox, who is superior to them all." Lennox's major works include The Life of Harriot Stuart (novel, 1751); The Female Quixote; or the Adventures of Arabella (novel, 1752); and Shakespear illustrated; or the novels and histories on which the plays … are founded (1753–54), in which she maintained that Shakespeare had spoiled the stories he borrowed for his plots by adding unnecessary intrigues and incidents. The Sister, a comedy produced at Covent Garden on February 18, 1769, had a stormy first night and was withdrawn by the following day. The hostile reception, said Oliver Goldsmith, who wrote its epilogue, was caused by Lennox's criticism of Shakespeare. Despite its initial failure, The Sister was translated into German, and Sir John Burgoyne borrowed three of its characters for his successful 1786 play The Heiress. Charlotte Lennox also edited 11 editions of the monthly Lady's Museum and translated many books from the French, including the memoirs of the Duc de Sully, the countess of Berci, and Madame de Maintenon .