Lucy Lyttelton Cameron
Lucy Lyttelton Cameron (1781-1858) was a British writer and educator known for her Evangelical-themed literature, particularly aimed at children. Born in Worcester, England, she was the daughter of a rector and was educated at the Abbey School, where she developed a strong interest in literature and writing. After facing financial hardships following her father's death, Cameron began writing simple religious tales that she used to teach in her Sunday school. She married Reverend C. R. Cameron in 1806 and became involved in social reform efforts within their mining community, focusing on combating immoral practices.
Throughout her life, Cameron produced a significant body of work, including chapbook stories and tracts, and served as editor for The Nursery and Infants' Schools Magazine from 1831 to 1852. Her writings, characterized by their moral and educational themes, resonated with readers and were published in multiple editions. Cameron's legacy is marked by her commitment to instilling values of learning and morality in her audience, reflecting the influence of her Evangelical upbringing. She passed away in 1858, leaving behind a notable contribution to children's literature and religious education.
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Subject Terms
Lucy Lyttelton Cameron
Writer
- Born: April 29, 1781
- Birthplace: England
- Died: September 6, 1858
- Place of death: Swaby, Lincolnshire, England
Biography
Lucy Lyttelton Cameron was born on April 29, 1781, the daughter of George and Martha Butt. Her father was a rector in the village of Stanford, near Worcester, England, and at one time was chaplain to King George III. Cameron had an older sister, Mary Martha, who also became a writer of some renown under the name of Mary Sherwood.
Cameron attended the Abbey School from 1792 to 1797; although her health was delicate, she was not excused from the family’s emphasis on education and discipline. She learned Latin when she was seven years old and became quite fluent in French while she was still quite young. She developed an interest in literature and writing, possibly because her father associated with some of the prominent literary figures of the time. It was also likely that her interest in morality and religion sprang from her father’s religious vocation and the piety practiced by her family. In 1796 her father died, and the resources of the family became severely limited, forcing them to relocate to more frugal surroundings in Bridgenorth.
Cameron began writing more seriously at this time, producing simple religious tales written in an Evangelical style which she used to instruct pupils in her Sunday school classes. The History of Margaret Whyte: Or, The Life and Death of a Good Child, written in 1798 and 1799, was one of these works. She married the Reverend C. R. Cameron in 1806, and the couple moved to a mining community in Shropshire, where her husband served as rector. She joined her husband in his attempts to stop the immoral customs in which the men of the community indulged, including bull-baiting and cockfighting.
By 1836, Cameron’s family had grown to include twelve children and had relocated to a new parish. Of the twelve children, four of the sons went on to become ministers and three daughters became missionaries. Cameron continued her writing throughout the years, producing chapbook stories, tracts, and some longer pieces from the 1820’s until her death. Many of her works were published with a firm in Wellington, Shropshire, whose collection of stock woodcuts were often used to illustrate her pieces.
Cameron claimed to need little time to write her various works; she said she wrote The Raven and the Dove in just four hours. Methodical in her writing, she concluded that if she wrote for half an hour each day, she could produce forty tracts, or 1,800 pages of text, in one year. From 1831 until around 1852, she edited The Nursery and Infants’ Schools Magazine. Her Evangelical upbringing is reflected in her work, in which she encouraged learning and morality among her readers. Her personal piety led her to write simple religious tales and tracts with which she intended to counter some of the “irreligious” attitudes that prevailed in the society of her time. Her children’s works were quite popular, and all were published in several editions. She died on September 6, 1858.