Elizabeth Isham

Elizabeth Isham (1609 – 1654) was a never-married, elite, intellectual English diarist. She was best known for her knowledge of medicine and for two autobiographical diaries that detail her life. She remained a very pious individual throughout her life. She was a humble and family-oriented individual, especially showing great respect for her father. She showed no greed or interest in wealth or materialistic goods. Anne Cotterill has said that for, Isham her “mind was more to her than wealth.”

Elizabeth Isham, the eldest of three children was born at Lamport Hall in Northamptonshire, England in 1609. John Isham, Elizabeth’s great grandfather, started as a small mercer and merchant-adventurer and later became a wealthy woolens merchant and master warden of the Company of Mercers. He purchased Lamport Hall in 1560 from Sir William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and it became the family estate. Her father was Sir John Isham (1582-1651), the first baronet of Lamport. He was knighted by James I before Elizabeth was born and made the first baronet of Lamport Hall by Charles I when Elizabeth was eighteen. Her mother was Judith Lewyn Isham (d. 1625), daughter of William Lewin (died 1598), who was an educated Anglican judge of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury and a master in chancery. The marriage between her father and mother played a crucial economic role in the family as well as assisting their social status and placed the Isham’s among the elite. Elizabeth’s sister, Judith, named after her mother, was born the following year after Elizabeth. Her brother, Sir Justinian Isham, 2nd Baronet, was born in 1611. He was the second baronet of Lamport and was an early member of the Royal Society. He was educated at King’s College in Cambridge. Justinian left for Oxford during the Civil Wars, which left Elizabeth to care for their father, his four daughters, and to manage the estate. The estate was later sequestered by Parliament.

Elizabeth’s mother, Judith Isham, had a close relationship with each of her three children. She taught and provided them with their earliest religious education. Judith was a pious and devout woman who played a significant role in Elizabeth’s religious upbringing. At the age of 8 or 9, Elizabeth learned the verses of the ‘Psalm Book’ by memorization. Judith also gave both her daughters Elizabeth and Judith a prayer book to pray with two or three times a day. Therefore, Elizabeth grew up to become an extremely pious young woman and was also able to self-examine her sins. Beginning early in her childhood, Elizabeth started to develop a relationship with God and a sense of her religious duties and calling.

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