Mary Anne Burges was a Scottish writer who wrote a best selling sequel to The Pilgrim"s Progress.
Background
Burges was born in Edinburgh in 1763 to George and Anne Burges. Her father had distinguished himself at the Battle of Culloden capturing one of the standards. Her father had been deputy paymaster in Gibraltar and he was in charges of the customs when she was born.
Career
She was a gifted linguist speaking five to seven European languages. Her particular interests were geology and botany. She is known for anonymously publishing a sequel to John Bunyan"s best seller, The Pilgrim"s Progress.
Her book was called The Progress of the Pilgrim Good-Intent, in Jacobinical Times.
The hero of the narrative is "Good-Intent" and according to the book"s introduction he is the great, great grandson of John Bunyan"s hero, "Christian". The book went through seven editions in English, two in Ireland and three in America by 1802.
This established Burges as a professional and independent woman. She died in 1813 at her house in Ashfield in 1813.
In 1814 the book was reissued with John Bowlder for another edition