Egerton, Sarah Fyge (c. 1670–1723)

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Egerton, Sarah Fyge (c. 1670–1723)

British poet. Name variations: Sarah Fyge; Mrs. Egerton; Mrs. Field or Mrs. Sarah Field; S.F.E.; Clarinda. Born Sarah Fyge, c. 1670, in London, England; died Feb 13, 1723 (some sources cite 1722), in Buckinghamshire, England; dau. of Thomas Fyge and Mary (Beecham or Beacham) Fyge; m. Edward Field, 1687; m. Thomas Egerton, 1690s.

Considered proto-feminist for The Female Advocate and for polemic against failure to educate women; entered 2 marriages against her will and became embroiled in public but unsuccessful divorce suit with Egerton; wrote The Female Advocate: Or, An Answer to A Late Satyr Against the Pride, Lust and Inconstancy of Woman. Written by a Lady in Vindication of her Sex (1686) in reply to Robert Gould's attack on women (1683); contributed poems to Luctus Britannici (1700) and to The Nine Muses: Or, Poems Written by Nine Several Ladies Upon the Death of the Late Famous John Dryden (1700).