Hamilton: Notable Irishwomen

Lady Morgan

Portrait of Lady Morgan, 19th century novellist, taken from Hamilton's Notable Irishwomen.

Lady Morgan

Lady Morgan

Portrait of Lady Morgan, 19th century novellist, taken from Hamilton's Notable Irishwomen.

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Catherine Jane Hamilton was born in England. Both her parents were Irish, and after her father’s death in 1859, she moved to Ireland where she lived for over thirty years before returning to England. While in Ireland, she was a regular contributor to “The Weekly Irish Times” and “ Ireland’s Own”.

Each chapter of Notable Irishwomen gives a biography of fifteen prominent women actresses, authors and beauties. Photographs are included of Maria Gunning (Duchess of Coventry), Elizabeth Gunning (Duchess of Hamilton, afterwards Duchess of Argyll), Miss Farren, Lady Morgan, and Eliza O’Neill.

The biographies had originally been printed as a series before being collected for publication in this volume. Some other well known women included in this volume are Maria Edgeworth, Lady Dufferin, and Lady Wilde. The book is dedicated to the Countess of Dudley, wife of Lord Dudley who served as Governor to Australia.

Hamilton’s also wrote a book which focused solely on women writers, Women Writers, their Works and Ways (1892).