Emily Hickey
Emily Hickey was an Irish poet and educator born on her mother’s ancestral estate, with claimed royal connections to the Stuart lineage. Despite her heritage, Hickey did not identify as Irish and relocated to London after her poetry gained recognition in the esteemed Cornhill Magazine in 1866. In London, she supported herself through various roles, including governess, lady's companion, and lecturer in English literature at the North London Collegiate School for Girls starting in 1878. Hickey was notable for her involvement in the Browning Society, where she became acquainted with the poet Robert Browning.
Her literary interests later shifted toward Irish literature, leading her to connect with figures like William Butler Yeats and inspire her own poetry with Irish legends. Throughout her work, themes of romantic and sexual frustration are prevalent, possibly reflecting her personal experiences. Following a health crisis in 1884, Hickey sought treatment in Europe and later converted to Anglo-Catholicism, dedicating her later years to the Church and producing devout poetry. She was recognized by the Vatican in 1912 with the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice. Despite her literary contributions, her life concluded with health challenges, leading to her death from heart failure after unsuccessful surgery for cataracts.
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Emily Hickey
Poet
- Born: April 12, 1845
- Birthplace: Macmine Castle, near Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland
- Died: September 9, 1924
- Place of death: England
Biography
Emily Hickey was born on the Irish ancestral estate of her mother, who claimed descent from the royal house of Stuart. Her father was a rector of the Church of Ireland. Hickey did not identify herself as Irish, however, and after the esteemed Cornhill Magazine accepted one of her poems for publication in 1866, she moved permanently to London. There she made her living as a governess, a lady’s companion, a secretary, a magazine contributor, and, starting in 1878, as a lecturer in English literature at the North London Collegiate School for Girls.
An admirer of Robert Browning, Hickey became an acquaintance of the poet after she cofounded the Browning Society, which she served as secretary for many years. Later in life, she became interested in Ireland and its literature, making the acquaintance of William Butler Yeats and incorporating Irish legends in her own poetry. She never married, but her early poetry returns repeatedly to the theme of sexual and romantic frustration, which her biographer, Enid Dennis, speculates reflect an unhappy love affair.
In 1884, Hickey suffered a health crisis, and she resigned her post at the Browning Society in order to travel on the Continent in search of a cure. When she returned to England, she found herself drawn to Anglo-Catholicism, and after her conversion in 1901, she devoted her life and work to the Church, producing a number of uninspired but clearly devout poems. In 1912, the Vatican awarded her the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice. She continued to write until her eyesight failed, then underwent surgery for cataracts that proved of no avail, as she died shortly thereafter of heart failure.