Anne Dowriche

Who is Anne Dowriche?

Anne Dowriche was an English poet and historian of the 16th century.

Anne Dowriche was the daughter of Sir Richard Edgecombe and Elizabeth Tregian Edgecombe, who were from a prominent family in Cornwall. In 1580, she married a Puritan minister from Devon, with whom she had several children.

Dowriche wrote The French Historie about the French Wars of Religion, in which she speaks out against tyranny and justifies the Protestant Reformation. She described several tyrants who were slain by subjects and gave an account of the gruesome death of Charles IX of France, during whose reign the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre had taken place. After this, she addressed Elizabeth I of England, calling upon her to protect and lead her Protestant subjects.

Dowriche also wrote Verses Written by a Gentlewoman, upon the Jailor's Conversion. She is also credited for writing other poetry that has not survived.