Brilliana Harley was one of the heroines of the British and Irish civil wars.
A deeply religious woman, in her husband’s absence, Brilliana successfully held off a royalist siege of her family home at Brampton Bryan in Herefordshire for three months during 1643.
During these weeks she vividly described these events and even rejected a personal appeal for her surrender by the King.
Tragically, after withstanding the siege, Brilliana died of pneumonia in October 1643. But she left behind a legacy of more than 400 letters to her husband and her elder son which offer unique insights into the role of women during this time.
Here one of the academic historians researching this correspondence, Jackie Eales, Professor Emerita at Canterbury Christ Church University, explores Brilliana’s life and writings.
