This is an alphabetical list of women playwrights who were active in England and Wales, and the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland before approximately 1800, with a brief indication of productivity. Nota Bene: Authors of dramatic works are the focus of this list, though many of these writers worked in more than one genre.

Playwrights

A

• Frances Abington (1737–1815): actor who wrote two plays, only one produced ^[1]
• Elizabeth Frances Amherst ( c. 1716 – 1779): poet and naturalist who had her Dramatick pastoral produced in 1762
• Ariadne ( fl. 1694-95): pseudonym of unknown author of She Ventures and He Wins
• Penelope Aubin (c. 1679 – c. 1731): primarily a novelist; one play produced

B

• Joanna Baillie (1762–1851): prolific playwright
• Mary E. Balfour ( fl. 1789–1810): one play produced, Belfast
• Maria Barrell née Weylar (died 1803): born in West Indies; poet, playwright, and writer for periodicals
• Mrs. W[ illiam?] Barrymore ( fl. 1823): one play produced ^[1]
• Aphra Behn (1640–1689): usually credited with being the first female professional playwright in English
• Mary Berry (1763–1852): one play produced, one in manuscript
• Caroline Boaden ( fl. 1821–1839): author of at least six plays; ^[2] daughter of James Boaden
• Ursula Agnes Booth (1740–1803): actor who wrote at least one farce ^{[1] [3]}
• Frances Boothby ( fl. 1669–1670): author of the first original play by a woman to be produced in London
• Rachel Bourchier (Countess of Bath, née Fane; 1613–1680): wrote masques
• Mary Bowes (1749–1800): published one play
• Elizabeth Boyd (c. 1710 – 1745): one play; wrote primarily in other genres
• Barbarina Brand (1768–1854): author of four published plays, one produced
• Hannah Brand (1754–1821): published playwright
• Charlotte Brooke (1740–1793): one play published but not produced
• Frances Brooke (1723–1789): primarily a novelist; wrote comic opera
• Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861): primarily a poet; one closet drama and one translation
• Mrs. Burgess ( fl. 1779–1780): one comedy, produced in Canterbury ^[4]
• Miss Burke ( fl. 1793): one comic opera/burletta ^[5]
• Frances Burney (1752–1840): primarily a novelist; author of several plays, only one produced in her lifetime
• Frances Burney (1776–1828): published two tragedies, not produced
• Sophia Burrell (1753–1802): author of two tragedies

C

• Christian Carstairs ( fl. 1763—1786): poet who wrote a short theatrical
• Elizabeth Cary (née Tanfield) (1585–1639): first woman known to have written and published an original play in English
• Jane Cavendish (1620/21–1669): co-authored a pastoral masque with her sister, Elizabeth Egerton
• Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673): author of closet dramas
• Dorothea Celesia (baptised 1738, d. 1790): translated Voltaire's Tancrède
• Susannah Centlivre (c. 1667–1723): playwright
• Marianne Chambers ( fl. 1799–1812): English playwright
• Charlotte Charke (1713–1760): playwright/actor/manager
• Susannah Cibber (1714–1766): actor who had at least one masque produced
• Catherine Clive (1711–1785): actor; wrote farces with some success
• Jane Collier (1714–1755): The Cry (1754), co-authored with Sarah Fielding
• Elizabeth Cooper (née Price) (1698? – 1761?): actor, playwright, and poet
• Misses Corbett, sisters Walterina Cunningham (died 1837) and Grace Corbett (c. 1765 – 1843): novelists, playwrights, and anthologists
• Margaret Cornelys (1723–1797): author of two comedies and a ballad opera, only one produced (Dublin 1781) ^[1]
• Hannah Cowley (1743–1809): playwright and poet
• Elizabeth Craven (1750–1828): writer of farces and pantomimes
• Catherine Crowe (1800–1876): primarily a fiction writer; two plays, one produced
• Mrs. Cullum ( fl. 1775): one drama, not produced ^[6]
• Catherine Cuthbertson ( fl. 1793): novelist who wrote one play

D

• Mary Davys (1674–1732): novelist; produced one play; had another published
• Charlotte De Humboldt ( fl. 1821–1838): poet and author of the tragedy Corinth (1821) ^[7]
• Anne de La Roche-Guilhem (1644–1707): wrote Rare on tout (1677), a masque for Charles II
• Mary Deverell (1731–1805): author of two plays, not performed
• Dorothea Dubois (1728–1774) wrote musical entertainments

E

• Maria Edgeworth (1768–1849): novelist who also wrote comic dramas, published but not performed
• Anna Maria Edwards ( fl. 1783–1787): one play, produced in Dublin ^[1]
• Christian Edwards ( fl. 1776–1787): one play, published but not produced ^[1]
• Elizabeth Egerton (1626–1663): co-authored a pastoral masque with her sister, Jane Cavendish
• Jane Egleton (d. 1734): actor who wrote a ballad opera

F

• Sarah Fielding (1710–1768): The Cry (1754), co-authored with Jane Collier
• Anne Finch (1661–1720): primarily a poet; author of verse dramas
• Elizabeth Forsyth ( fl. 1784–1789): author of The Siege of Quebec ^[1]
• Ann Francis (1738–1800): poetic dramatization of The Song of Solomon (1781)
• Susan Fraser ( fl. 1809–1816): author of one poetic tragedy, Comala (1809) ^[1]

G

• Sarah Gardner (née Cheney) ( fl. 1763–1795): comedic actor and playwright
• Maria Geisweiler ( fl. 1799–1800): author of dramas, unproduced ^[1]
• Mary Goldsmith ( fl. 1800–1804): author of two comic pieces ^{[1] [8]}
• Catherine Gore (1799–1861): eleven plays produced
• Mrs. Green ( fl. 1756): author of one play ^[1]
• Elizabeth Griffith (c. 1727 – 1793): playwright
• Elizabeth Gunning (1769–1823): a tragi-comedy, not produced

H

• Elizabeth Harlow ( fl. 1789): bookseller; author of one comedy ^[1]
• Elizabeth Harrison ( fl.1724–1756): The Death of Socrates in Miscellanies on moral and religious subjects (1756) ^{[1] [9]}
• Margaret Harvey (1768–1858): English poet, scholar, and playwright
• Eliza Haywood (1693–1756): playwright; wrote primarily in other genres
• Elizabeth Helme (1743–1814): educational writer who translated two children's plays
• Felicia Hemans (1793–1835): primarily a poet; some verse drama
• Philippina Hill (née Burton) ( fl. 1768-87): poet and author of one produced play ^{[1] [10]}
• Barbara Hofland (1770–1844): prolific writer who published one volume of dramas for children
• Frances Holcroft (1780–1844): poet, novelist, translator of plays
• Margaret Holford (1757–1834): one play produced
• Margaret Holford (1778–1852): one play, neither published nor produced
• Rachael Hoper ( fl. 1742–1760): three plays produced ^[11]
• Mary Hornby ( fl. 1819–1820): two plays, not produced ^[1]
• Harriet Horncastle Hook ( fl. 1784): author of one comic opera ^[12]
• Anne Hughes ( fl. 1784–1797): novelist and poet who wrote Moral dramas intended for private representation (1790) ^[13]
• Elizabeth Edmead Hull ( fl. 1786–1832): The Events of the Day (prod. Norwich, 1795) ^[1]

I

• Elizabeth Inchbald (1753–1821): playwright
• Sarah Isdell ( fl. 1805–1825): two plays produced but not printed ^[1]

K

• Maria Theresa Kemble (1774–1838): actor, singer, dancer, and comic playwright
• Grace Kennedy (1782–1825): religious writer who wrote one drama, not performed
• Anne Killigrew (1660–1685): "A Pastoral Dialogue" published in Poems (1686)

L

• Mary Latter (1725–1777): one tragedy produced
• Rose D'Aguilar Lawrence ( fl. 1799–1836): poet and author of one play, not performed ^{[1] [14]}
• Mary Leadbeater (1758–1826): Irish Quaker author whose work included dramatic dialogues
• Mary Leapor (1722–1746): English poet who wrote one tragedy, unproduced
• Alicia Sheridan Le Fanu (1753–1817): Irish author of one comedy
• Harriet Lee (1757–1851): playwright
• Sophia Lee (1750–1824): playwright
• Charlotte Lennox (née Ramsay) (c. 1730 – 1804): Scottish novelist, playwright, and poet
• Jane Lumley (1537–1578): first translator of Euripides into English

M

• Elizabeth Macauley (1785?–1837): actor and author
• Delarivier Manley (1663 or c. 1670–1724): playwright
• Jean Marishall (Jane Marshall) ( fl. 1765–1788): one play
• Charlotte McCarthy ( fl. 1745-68): Irish novelist and religious writer who wrote one dramatic dialogue
• Catherine Metcalfe (d. 1790): one tragedy ^[1]
• Ann Minton (b. 1785): A Wife to be Lett; or, The Miser Cured (1802) ^[1]
• Mary Russell Mitford (1787–1855): playwright
• Mary Wortley Montagu (1689–1762): prolific writer whose comedy, Simplicity, was not produced
• Hannah More (1745–1833): playwright; published in many genres
• Ann Hamilton M'Taggart (1753?–1834): published playwright, none produced ^[1]

N

• Charlotte Nooth ( fl. 1807–1816): poet who published one play

O

• Mary O'Brien ( fl. 1785–1790): Irish poet and playwright
• Amelia Opie (1769–1853): English abolitionist and writer, mainly of novels and poetry
• Olivia Owenson (1785–1845): Irish poet and dramatist
• Sydney Owenson (1781?–1859): Irish writer known mainly for novels

P

• Eliza Parsons (1739–1811): prolific Gothic novelist who had one play produced
• Anne Penny (née Hughes; 1729–1784): Welsh poet and author of one dramatic entertainment
• Katherine Philips (1631–1664): mainly a poet; author of two plays (one unfinished)
• Laetitia Pilkington (1709–1750): Anglo-Irish poet who had one play produced
• Elizabeth Pinchard (née Sibthorpe; fl. 1791–1820): novelist who also wrote dramatic dialogues for young readers
• Hester Thrale Piozzi (1741–1821): author and patron with two unpublished plays
• Mary Pix (1666–1709): playwright
• Francis Plowden (d. 1827): author of one comic opera ^[15]
• Annabella Plumptre (1769–1838): collaborated with her sister, Anne Plumptre
• Anne Plumptre (1760–1818): wrote primarily in other genres; translated dramas
• Elizabeth Polack ( fl. 1830–1838): author of five plays, three surviving
• Elizabeth Polwheele (c. 1651 – c. 1691): two plays extant
• Jane Pope (1744–1818): English actor who had one comedy produced in 1767
• Anna Maria Porter (1778–1832): poet and novelist who se The Fair Fugitives was produced in 1803
• Jane Porter (1776–1850): two plays
• Jael Pye (née Mendez) (c. 1737 – 1782): published four works, each in a different genre

R

• Elizabeth Richardson (d. 1779): author of The double deception; or, lovers perplex'd ^[16]
• Sarah Watts Richardson (d. 1824): poet, novelist, playwright ^[17]
• Jane Robe ( fl. 1723): author of The Fatal Legacy (1723)
• Rose Roberts (1730–1788): translator, poet, and writer of sermons who wrote at least one drama
• Fanny Robertson (1765–1855): actor-manager, author of at least two plays
• Mary Robinson (1757–1800): wrote primarily in other genres; one play produced
• Anna Ross (b. 1773): performer; wrote comic opera
• Susanna Rowson (née Haswell) (1762–1824): British-American novelist, poet, playwright
• Elizabeth Ryves (1750–1797): Irish poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and translator

S

• Charlotte Elizabeth Sanders ( fl. 1787–1803): wrote plays for young readers ^[1]
• Elizabeth Satchell (later Kemble; 1763–1841): actor; had one pastoral produced
• Jane Scott (1779–1839): theatre manager, actor, and prolific playwright
• Olivia Serres
• Elizabeth Sheridan (1758–1837): wrote one play, since lost ^[1]
• Frances Sheridan (1724–1766): playwright
• Mrs. C. Short ( fl. 1792): Dramas for the Use of Young Ladies (1792) ^[18]
• Mary Sidney (1561–1621): translated one play
• Charlotte Smith (1749–1806): novelist and poet; one comedy attributed to her
• Mariana Starke (1761/2–1838): author of four plays, not all produced; mainly a travel writer
• Agnes Stratford ( fl. 1794–1795): one tragedy, published but not produced ^[19]
• Katherine of Sutton ( fl. 1358–1376): abbess who rewrote several mystery plays; considered England's first woman playwright

T

• Elizabeth Tollet (1694–1754): Susanna; or innocence preserved, in Poems on several occasions (1755; not produced)
• Sarah Trimmer: prolific educational writer; author of The little hermit; or, the rural adventure (1788; not produced)
• Catherine Trotter (1679–1749): playwright
• Margaret Turner ( fl. 1790–1810): pastoral ^[20]

W

• Eglantine Wallace (née Maxwell; d. 1803): comedies and tragedy
• Jane West (1758–1852): wrote primarily in other genres
• Anne Wharton (née Lee; 1659–1685): poet and verse dramatist
• Elizabeth Whitlock (née Kemble; 1761–1836): known mainly for acting
• Ann Wilson ( fl. 1778–1812): Jephthah's daughter (1783; not produced) ^[21]
• Jane Wiseman ( fl. c. 1682–1717): author of one produced play
• Mary Wroth (1587–1652): primarily a poet; one drama extant

Y

• Ann Yearsley (c. 1753 – 1806): primarily a poet; produced and published one play
• Elizabeth Yorke (née Lindsay; 1763–1858): playwright

See also

• List of biographical dictionaries of women writers in English
• List of early-modern British women novelists
• List of early-modern British women poets
• List of female poets
• List of feminist poets
• List of playwrights
• List of playwrights by nationality and date of birth
• List of women rhetoricians
• List of women writers
• Women Writers Project
• Women's writing (literary category)

Notes and references

Notes

References

• Blain, Virginia, et al., eds. The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. New Haven and London: Yale UP, 1990. ( Internet Archive)
• Buck, Claire, ed.The Bloomsbury Guide to Women's Literature. Prentice Hall, 1992. ( Internet Archive)
• Chadwyck-Healey Database of English Prose Drama ( through 1750) and ( 1750–1939)
• Mann, David (1996). Women Playwrights in England, Ireland, and Scotland, 1660-1823. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN  0-253-33087-4.
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: OUP, 2004.
• Robertson, Fiona, ed. Women's Writing, 1778–1838. Oxford: OUP, 2001. ( Internet Archive)
• Schlueter, Paul, and June Schlueter. An encyclopedia of British women writers. Rutgers University Press, 1998. ( Internet Archive)
• Todd, Janet, ed. British Women Writers: a critical reference guide. London: Routledge, 1989. ( Internet Archive)

External links

• Bibliography of Early Modern Women Writers That Are In Print
• British Women Playwrights around 1800
• The Brown University Women Writers Project
• A Celebration of Women Writers
• Emory Women Writers Resource Project
• Images of Early Modern, 20th and 21st Century British Female Playwrights
• List of biographical dictionaries, with a focus on 17thc women writers
• London Theater People - 1660–1800
• Luminarium
• The Perdita Project
• The Restoration Comedy Project
• Romantic Circles
• Women Romantic-Era Writers
• The Women Writers Archive: Early Modern Women Writers Online