The daughter of Thomas Dudley (born Northampton) of Yardley Hastings Northamptonshire and Dorothy Yorke (daughter of Edmonde Yorke, a yeoman of Cotton End Northampton) she was born in Northampton, England in 1612. Her father was employed by the Earl of Lincoln as a steward and Anne grew up in exceptional circumstances for a woman of those times, receiving both a good education and cultural standing. She was married at the age of sixteen to Simon Bradstreet of Horbling, Lincolnshire, a prominent businessman, magistrate and diplomat. Already an accomplished poet and writer, she emigrated with her husband and parents to America aboard the ‘Arbella’ which was part of the Winthrop Fleet of Puritan emigrants, departing from Yarmouth, Isle of Wight in 1630. The fleet of 11 ships carried nearly 800 passengers, livestock and provisions who would be the pioneering settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They set foot on what is now known as Pioneer Village, Salem, Massachusetts on 14th June 1630. Anne became the first poet and female writer to have her works published in New England. Her works focused much on her own knowledge, powers of observation and experiences. Her husband and father would later become governors of the colony and founders of Harvard University. Anne died on September 16th 1672 in North Andover, Massachusetts. The exact location of her last resting place is uncertain but the Bradstreet Gate at Harvard and a commemorative marker in North Andover cemetery honour her memory.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 07:04:01 +0000
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