Isabella Fenwick | |
|---|---|
 Margaret Gillies' portrait of Fenwick | |
| Born | 1783 |
| Died | 1856 (aged 72–73) |
| Burial place | Lansdown Cemetery, Somerset |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Amanuensis |
| Parents |
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Isabella Fenwick (1783 – 1856) was a 19th-century British amanuensis (secretary), and a confidante, advisor, and friend of William Wordsworth and his family in his later years.[1] She is the scribe behind the Fenwick Notes,[1] an autobiographical and poetic commentary Wordsworth dictated to her over a six-month period between January and June 1843.[2] Her friendship inspired Wordsworth to write "On a Portrait of I.F., painted by Margaret Gillies" and "To I.F."—a sonnet in which he calls her "The star which comes at close of day to shine," a reference to their bond formed late in life.[3]
- ^ a b Bennett 2015, p. 16.
- ^ Curtis, Jared (2007). "Introduction". The Fenwick Notes of William Wordsworth. Tirril: Humanities Ebooks, LLP. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-84760-004-2.
- ^ Wordsworth, Christopher (1851). Memoirs of William Wordsworth, Poet-laureate, Volume I. London: E. Moxon. pp. 21-22.