Elizabeth Freke 1642-1714

Elizabeth FREKE 1642-1714

Biographical Note

Daughter of Raphe Freke of Hannington, Wiltshire; married her cousin Percy Freke. Her marriage featured heavily in her autobiography, described as 'an almost entirely secular account of a propertied gentlewoman’s complex and unhappy marriage' (ODNB). Their relationship soured largely as a result of financial issues, which Elizabeth blames on Percy’s ‘mismanagement and greed’ (ODNB). The couple eventually lived separately, with Elizabeth operating as landlord at her estate in West Bilney, Norfolk. Though Freke is best known for her memoir, she is also known for her collection of medical and culinary recipes.

Books

Her diaries show that she owned ca.100 books. In 1711, she listed 78 books which she put into the deal box by the fireside in her closet - the contents were extensively devotional, with a mixture of books on history, gardening, literature and medicine. As usual with women's libraries of this period, her books were all in English.

Sources

• Pearson, J. Women reading, reading women, in H. Wilcox (ed), Women and literature in Britain, 1996, 80-99, 83.
• Todd, Barbara J. "Freke, Elizabeth (1642–1714), autobiographer." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.