The Natural Daughter with Portraits of the Leadenhead Family is a novel by the English poet, dramatist and novelist Mary Robinson, published in 1799 by T. N. Longman and O. Rees in Paternoster Row in London. Robinson, Mary. A Letter to the Women of England: and the Natural Daughter. Edited by Sharon M. Setzer, Broadview Press, 2003. The novel was originally published as two volumes; a thousand copies were printed for the first edition of the novel. All the copies sold out quickly, leading to the book's second publication in the same year. This romantic prose narrative is often thought to be Robinson's commentary on the French Revolution and the ideals of the English woman, due to the various characters influenced by France and the members of the revolution who appear in the novel. Setzer, Sharon M. "Romancing the Reign of Terror: Sexual Politics in Mary Robinson’s “Natural Daughter.” Vol. 39, No. 4. Wayne State University Press, 1997, pp. 531–555.
Plot Robinson's narrative begins with the Bradford family travelling to Bath for the sake of its healing waters. The Bradfords are a mixed bunch in terms of personality and beliefs. Peregrine Bradford, his wife and two daughters, Martha and Julia, are members of the middle-class who have recently built their fortune, however, they do not have official titles to secure their place among high society. Mr Bradford believes that his wealth will buy everything he desires when he says, “gold will buy everything; and who knows but I may soon die and leave a title?” The idea that money can buy happiness is a consistent theme throughout the novel. The main character, Martha (Bradford) Morley, continually seeks to dispute this idea by showing compassion towards others and straying from the path that will lead her to upper-class society. Martha is portrayed as a more masculine woman who takes action, while her sister Julia is passive and full of sensibility, i.e. an emotional delicacy and extreme feeling.
Martha's marriage to Mr Morley goes against the less submissive identity that she is described as possessing. Early in the novel, Martha is described as, “giddy, wild, buxom, good-natured, and bluntly sincere tenor of her conversation” and “a mere masculine hoyden.” Martha is willing to submit to marriage for the sake of her father, but the marriage is not happy. Mr Morley is described as, “one of those prejudiced mortals who consider women as beings created for the conveniences of domestic life”.Robinson 1799, p. 117. Not long into the marriage, Mr Morley leaves on business, which meant his estate was left to be run by Martha. On her own, Martha gets to know the locals in the village outside the estate. On one of her excursions, she discovers a highborn lady and her newborn illegitimate child. Martha offers to assist the young mother but is suddenly struck ill and cannot go to the village herself, so in her place, she sends a servant named Mrs Grimwood. Mrs Grimwood's discovery of the child and its connection to Martha lead her to create false rumours which are spread as the chapter ends. The narrator foreshadows the worst for Martha by saying, “little foreseeing that her steps would lead to a labyrinth of adventures” Robinson 1799, p. 123.
Martha's decision to care for the illegitimate child, whom she calls Frances or Fanny, instigates a scandalous rumour that Martha is the real mother of the child. Her husband, Mr Morley, goes as far as placing her out of doors where she has to fend for herself. Without the means to support herself, Fanny is placed in the care of Lord Francis Sherville, whom Martha assumes is Fanny's father. At the same time, Martha's sister Julia is beginning to step beyond the bounds of the ideal English woman's sensibility. As a woman who has been introduced to higher society, Julia is influenced by her peers and the raging French Revolution. Under this influence, Julia takes a number of lovers including Mr Morley, Sir Lionel Beacon, and the notorious Robespierre. She eventually marries Gregory Leadenhead despite her reputation as a loose woman. The two or soon divorced after her affair with Mr Morley.
The Leadenhead family is a rambunctious cast of characters who have risen to high society through new money. However, their middle-class background prevents them from fully entering the world of the upper-class. Many members of the upper-class, such as Sir Lionel Beacon and Lady Penelope Pryer, come from old, inherited money that has never had to be earned. Their old-money background also provides them with titles of honour such as "Sir" and "Lady." The Leadenheads lack a title so they decide to send their son into the army in order to earn a title of military prestige. Gregory Leadenhead eventually marries and divorces Julia Bradford due to her unwomanly behaviour.
Being cast out of doors, Martha seeks to support herself as an independent woman. This is more difficult than it seems and it is near impossible for Martha to pay her rent. Luckily, she comes across Fanny's mother, "a provincial actress of the most promising talents," Robinson 1799, p. 139. at an inn. Mrs Sedgley is overjoyed to see Martha and to hear that her daughter is in the care of Lord Francis Sherville. Martha asks Mrs Sedgley if she may join the acting troupe and is eagerly accepted into the group. As an actress, Martha could have both fame and independence. During her career as an actress, she learns that Mrs Sedgley was in France during the first years of the revolution where she spent months in a French prison waiting to be executed by the infamous Marat. Before Mrs Sedgley's name is called for the guillotine, Marat harasses Mrs Sedgley. Luckily, Mrs Sedgley was able to escape the prison and return to London. Not long after, she gave birth to little Fanny.
Martha's first performance as an actress is when she is cast as Lady Teazle.Robinson 1799, p. 178. Despite her success as this character, "Mrs Morley was neither elated nor changed by the fame which rapidly followed her footsteps".Robinson 1799, p. 179. As an actress, Martha or Mrs Morley was able to find freedom where she had previously been limited by her marriage to Mr Morley. Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end. Mr Morley eventually runs into Mrs Morley while she is travelling with her fellow actors and he is appalled by her choice of employment and proceeds to lecture Martha about the roles that a proper wife should have taken on despite being abandoned. Martha, however, proceeds to defend herself by explaining the necessity of her situation. This confrontation causes Martha to leave the acting troupe and move on to another profession that is arguably less public.
Once again on her own, Martha has to find a new way to earn a living wage. Upon returning to London, she takes up what she calls a "modern experiment" Robinson 1799, p. 207. or the writing of a novel. Previously, throughout the book, Martha's character has written poetry about what she has observed. Now, she is attempting to write a novel which is difficult to gain a profit from even though the literary marketplace is booming. In just six weeks, Martha writes her novel and takes her manuscript to be printed in Bond Street. There Martha meets a bookseller named Mr Index. He promptly informs her that her novel is too common and will not sell successfully. In order to be successful, Mr Index says that a novel should be a satire or a portrait of real life to be successful. Despite being disheartened by Mr Index's criticism of her novel, Martha sells him the copyright to her novel for 10 pounds. After the sale, Martha continues to write, but instead of a novel, she seeks to publish a book of poetry. To gain a sponsor for this collection, Martha writes a dedication to Lady Eldercourt. Unfortunately, this Lady does not see the sophistication in Martha's poetry and offers her only five guineas for her troubles. Martha faints and is forced to re-evaluate how she is to publish her poetry. During this pursuit, Martha discovers that her novel has been printed in six editions when the purchaser only gave her ten pounds for her manuscript. Her anger at this betrayal by the publisher is mistaken for madness, and Martha is taken to a mad-house where she discovers her mother, Mrs Bradford. Together they escape the asylum during a fire.
The end of Robinson's novel is a whirlwind of plot twists that dramatically change the reader's perceptions of many of the main characters. When Martha travels to France, she finds her sister dead in the Hotel de la Liberté after Julia announces her love affair with the notorious Robespierre. Right before Julia's death, Robespierre is led to the guillotine. This shocking revelation stuns Martha and Mr Morley. In the end, Mr Morley is revealed to be the father of little Fanny and to "preserve" his own reputation as a pious man, attempts to kill the child. He is stopped by Martha, Mrs Sedgley and Lord Francis Sherville. Upon seeing Mrs Sedgley, Lord Francis recognizes her as his sister, which would make Fanny his niece. Mr. Morley falls to his death while fighting over Fanny. After the fight, Lord Francis proposes to Martha and she accepts his offer of marriage.
The final paragraph of the novel ends with the narrator informing the reader of the whereabouts of Lady Penelope Pryer and her engagement to Gregory Leadenhead.
Characters
Martha Bradford or Mrs. Morley: The more masculine daughter of Mr. Peregrine Bradford and Mrs. Bradford, Martha has a kind heart and is reasonable. She marries Mr. Morley who expects her to be an idyllic wife who is faithful and obedient. Martha adopts the illegitimate child, Fanny, which results in her being placed out of doors by her husband. Independently, Martha goes on to pursue a career as an actress and as a writer. At the end of the novel, Martha accepts a proposal of marriage from Lord Francis Sherville.
Julia Bradford: Julia is the Sister of Martha and the youngest daughter of Mr. Peregrine Bradford and Mrs. Bradford. Easily overcome by sensibility, Julia is not totally in control of her emotions at the beginning of the novel. Once Julia is introduced to high society, she begins to lose her sensible nature and becomes more like a non-ideal woman. She is caught sleeping with men like Sir Lionel Beacon by Martha. Briefly married to Gregory Leadenhead, Julia has a scandalous affair with Mr. Morley and terminates her own pregnancy. She travels to France where she takes her own life with poison after the death of her lover, Robespierre.
Peregrine Bradford: Father of Martha and Julia, Peregrine Bradford is a gluttonous, middle-class man who made his fortune from the ground-up. His insatiable desire for luxury leads him to spend his money on material items such as carriages, rich foods, and exclusive lodgings at Bath. However, his indulgences lead to his untimely end when he dies from overeating.
Mrs. (Bradford) Popkins: Mrs. Bradford is a passive character who always agrees with her husband. She prefers her youngest daughter Julia over Martha. She even refuses to take Martha in once her daughter is turned out of doors by her husband. After Peregrine's death, Mrs. Bradford places herself on the marriage market and marries a wealthy man named Mr. Popkins. Later in the novel, Mrs. Popkins is placed in an asylum by her daughter Julia. Martha helps her to escape the asylum during a fire.
Mrs. Sedgley: Mrs. Sedgley is a high-born woman and also the mother of little Fanny. She leaves her illegitimate daughter with Martha and continues to pursue a travelling acting career. When Martha is turned out of doors, Mrs. Sedgley helps her find a job as an actress. Mrs. Sedgley is later revealed to be Susan Sherville, the sister of Lord Francis Sherville.
Little Fanny (Frances): The illegitimate daughter of Mr. Morley and Susan Sherville.