Laetitia Pilkington

Laetitia Pilkington (born Laetitia van Lewen; c. 1709 – 29 July 1750) was an Anglo-Irish poet. She is known for her Memoirs which document much of what is known about Jonathan Swift.

Life

Early years

Laetitia was born of two distinguished families: Her father was a physician, obstetrician, and eventually the president of the College of Physicians for Ireland, while her mother was the niece of Sir John Meade. She was born either in Cork, where her parents lived at their marriage, or Dublin, where they moved by 1711.

Marriage

In her teenage years she married Matthew Pilkington in 1725, a priest in the Church of Ireland, who brought to the marriage all of his worldly possessions, a harpsichord, a cat, and an owl. He immediately banished her from the house and prevented her from seeing her children or taking any money or possessions.

Laetitia died on 29 July 1750, most likely of a bleeding ulcer, and was buried in Dublin.

Some years after her death her son John published Sir Robert King's letters in an appendix to his autobiography, The Real Story of John Carteret Pilkington.