Hester Lynch Piozzi (1741–1821)

Timeline

• 14 January 1741

  Birth of Hester Salusbury

  Hester Lynch Salusbury is born on 14 January, the daughter of Sir John Salusbury and Hester Maria Cotton. (After the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, she would celebrate her birthday on 27 January.)

• 18 December 1762

  Death of John Salusbury

  Hester Salusbury’s father, Sir John Salusbury, dies.

• 11 October 1763

  Marriage of Hester Salusbury

  Hester Lynch Salusbury marries Henry Thrale.

• 17 September 1764

  Birth of daughter, Hester Maria Thrale

  Hester Thrale gives birth to her first child, Hester Maria. Over the next fifteen years, Hester would give birth to twelve children, only four of whom would survive to adulthood.

• 9 January 1765

  Meeting of Hester Thrale and Samuel Johnson

  Samuel Johnson dines with the Thrales.

• 18 June 1773

  Death of Hester Thrale’s mother, Hester Maria Cotton Salusbury

• 1776

  "Thraliana"

  On his wife’s thirty-fifth birthday, Henry Thrale presents her with six notebooks stamped “Thraliana” on their covers. Hester Thrale’s first entry is dated 15 September.

• 4 April 1781

  Death of husband Henry Thrale

• 25 July 1784

  Marriage of Hester Thrale and Gabriel Piozzi

  Hester Thrale marries Gabriel Piozzi, and the couple departs for Italy. Samuel Johnson dies on 13 December.

• 1786

  Anecdotes of the Late Samuel Johnson

  Publication of Hester Piozzi's two-volume Anecdotes of the Late Samuel Johnson, LL.D., during the last Twenty Years of his Life.

• 1787

  The Piozzis return from Italy to England.

• 1788

  Letters to and from the Late Samuel Johnson

  Publication of the two-volume Letters to and from the Late Samuel Johnson, LL.D.

• 1789

  Observations and Reflections

  Publication of Observations and Reflections Made in the Course of a Journey Through France, Italy, and Germany.

• 1794

  British Synonymy

  Publication of British Synonymy; or, an Attempt at regulating the Choice of Words in familiar Conversation. 

• 1795

  The Piozzis leave England for Wales

• 1798

  Adoption of John Salusbury Piozzi

  Hester Piozzi and her second husband adopt five-year-old John Salusbury Piozzi, Gabriel Piozzi’s nephew. 

• 1801

  Retrospection

  Publication of Retrospection: or a Review of the most striking and important Events, Characters, Situations, and their Consequences, which the last eighteen hundred Years have presented to the View of Mankind.

• 30 March 1809

  Death of Gabriel Piozzi

  Gabriel Piozzi dies and Hester Piozzi makes her final entry into “Thraliana.”

• 2 May 1821

  Death of Hester Piozzi

  Hester Lynch Salusbury Thrale Piozzi dies in Bath, aged seventy-nine.