Margaret Ascham (16th C.), née Margaret How, married Roger Ascham in 1555. In 1570 she arranged the publication of two of his books, A Report and Discourse of the Affaires and State of Germany and The Schole-master, to which she attached an open letter dedicating the book to Sir William Cecil , her patron. In the letter she praised his generosity and asked for continued support for her and her children, appealing to Cecil to help sell her late husband’s books. In 1569 Margaret married again, to Thomas Rampston.
Sources:
George Ballard, Memoirs of Several Ladies of Great Britain who have been celebrated for their writings or skill in the learned languages, arts and sciences (London: T. Evans, 1775).
Frances Chiu, “Margaret Ascham,” Mary Hays, Female Biography; or, Memoirs of Illustrious and Celebrated Women, of All Ages and Countries (1803). Chawton House Library Series: Women’s Memoirs, ed. Gina Luria Walker, Memoirs of Women Writers Part II (Pickering & Chatto: London, 2013), vol. 5, pp. 225-26, editorial notes pp. 443-44.
Tags: End of Renaissance, Europe, Outstanding Women, Reformation
