Lady Dorothy Pakington
Authoress and Moralist
1610 – 1679 A.D.

Lady Dorothy Pakington, daughter of Lord Coventry, and wife of Sir John Pakington, was eminent for her learning and piety, and ranked among her friends several celebrated divines. A volume entitled The Whole Duty of Man was ascribed to her at first, though the mistake in authorship has since been discovered.

Her acknowledged works are The Gentlemen’s Calling, The Ladies’ Calling, The Government of the Tongue, the Christian’s Birthright, and The Causes of Decay of Christian Piety. Her theological works are strictly orthodox, and evince ardent piety of feeling. She was at the time of her decease engaged in a work entitled The Government of the Thoughts, which was praised in high terms by Dr. Fell; this work, however, she did not finish.

Lady Pakington had received a learned education, which was not at the time uncommon to give to women of high rank; that she used her talents and learning wisely and well, we have this testimony in the writings of Dr. Fell. He says of her, “Lady Pakington was wise, humble, temperate, chaste, patient, charitable, and devout; she lived a whole age of great austerities and maintained in the midst of them an undisturbed serenity.”

She died May 10, 1679.

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Reference: Woman: Her Position, Influence, and Achievement Throughout the Civilized World published by the King-Richardson Co. in 1903.