 mary brunton (nÃ©e balfour) (1 november 1778 â 7 december 1818) was a scottish novelist. ==life== mary was the daughter of colonel thomas balfour of elwick, a british army officer and frances ligonier, daughter of colonel francis ligonier and sister of the second earl of ligonier. she was born on 1 november 1778 on burray in the orkney islands. mary's early education was limited, though her mother did teach her music, italian, and french.isabelle bour: brunton , mary... in: oxford dictionary of national biography (oxford: oup, 2004; online e. october 2005). retrieved 18 november 2010. subscription required. around 1798, mary met and fell in love with the reverend alexander brunton, a church of scotland minister, who later became a professor of oriental languages in the university of edinburgh. although mary's mother disapproved of the match, she eloped with brunton on 4 december 1798, when her loved one rescued her from the island of gairsay in a rowing boat.ruth facer, author biography on chawton library site. dated june 2012. he was minister at bolton, near haddington until 1797, then at two successive edinburgh parishes: at new greyfriars from 1803 and tron from 1809, becoming in the meantime professor of oriental languages at the university in 1813.isabelle bour: brunton , mary... their marriage was a happy, but childless one. guided by her husband, she developed some interest in philosophy, and remarked in a letter to her sister-in-law that she was in favour of women learning ancient languages and mathematics, which was still a rare female accomplishment in that period. the couple made a tour to harrogate and the english lake district in 1809, although the former did not meet with her approval: "a scene without a hill seems to me to be about as interesting as a face without a nose!"brunton, alexander..., p. xxii. quoted by ruth facer.... mary finally became pregnant, at the age of almost forty, and died on 7 december 1818 in edinburgh after giving birth to a stillborn son. ==writings== mary brunton started to write her first novel, self-control in 1809 and it was published in 1811. one admirer was charlotte barrett (1786â1870), niece of the novelists fanny burney and sarah burney and mother of the writer julia maitland. writing to sarah on 17 may 181
1778_births 1818_deaths 19th-century_British_novelists 19th-century_Scottish_writers 19th-century_women_writers People_associated_with_Orkney People_from_Orkney Scottish_women_novelists