Hannah Woolley

Hannah Woolley, as depicted on the frontispiece of The Gentlewoman's Companion; or, a Guide to the Female Sex, published 1673. Since this was an unauthorised publication of her work the likeness is questionable.

Hannah Woolley, sometimes spelled Wolley (c.1622 – in or after 1675),

She variously worked as a servant, and as a grammar school teacher. Her husband was a schoolmaster. The couple first opened their own school in Newport, then a second school in Hackney. Following her husband's death, she became a professional writer. She also earned a reputation as a successful physician, despite her amateur status.

Life Her mother and elder sisters were all skilled in "Physick and Chirurgery" and she learned from them. Nothing is known of her father.

From 1639 to 1646 Woolley worked as a servant for an unnamed woman, almost certainly Anne, Lady Maynard (d. 1647), during which time she learned about medical remedies and recipes. This is very near the Maynard family's house at Little Easton. She had at least four sons and two daughters, and the marriage was remembered by Hannah as a happy one.

Woolley earned a reputation as a successful physician, despite her amateur status and the unwelcoming environment for female medical practitioners at that time in history. Similar unauthorised works followed: in 1675 The Accomplished Ladies Delight, and in 1685 The Compleat Servant-Maid. Like her authentic works, these were reprinted frequently. There has been little critical discussion about Woolley until recently, and scholarly writing on her works remains quite limited. Most academic conversations concerning Woolley focus primarily on her position as a female in a traditionally male market and her opinion on women's education. However, recent publications suggest that future discussion of Woolley may expand to include conversations about the fluidity of authorship during the 17th century and the shifting definition of authorial ownership.