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Hutchinson, Mary (1770-1859)
Mary Wordsworth, born Hutchinson, was the wife of the poet William Wordsworth. William and Mary had known each other since childhood and married on 4 October 1802 at Brompton in Yorkshire. Love letters between Mary and William, which only came to light in 1978, have changed the view that scholars traditionally held that the relationship was not especially close. Wordsworth’s finest tribute to Mary is his poem ‘She was a Phantom of delight’ where Mary is described as ‘A perfect Woman, nobly planned, / To warn, to comfort, and command; / And yet a Spirit still, and bright / With something of angelic light.’ It was also Mary who suggested the two central lines of ‘The Daffodils’: ‘They flash upon the inward eye / Which is the bliss of solitude’. The couple were married for 48 years and had five children.

See also: GRMDC.A3

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Reference Hutchinson, Mary (1770-1859)

There are 57 works by Hutchinson, Mary (1770-1859) in the Trust's collection, e.g.:
DCMS 11 Notebook of verse by William Wordsworth in the hands of William and Dorothy Wordsworth and Mary Hutchinson (50 leaves, including 15 stubs). Work composed 1786-1797; transcribed 1790-1797. Includes draft work towards 'Salisbury Plain' and 'The Ruined Cottage'. Size 110mm x 175mm (hxw).

DCMS 11.7 Untitled verse by William Wordsworth. Published as 'Greyhound Ballad'. First line, 'The barren wife all sad in mind' (starts on leaf 23r). Transcribed by Dorothy Wordsworth, with some passages by Mary Hutchinson. Leaves 13v, 20v, 23r-24v, 27r-28r; stubs 25-6. Composed and transcribed between November 1796 and early 1797.

DCMS 11.8 Untitled verse by William Wordsworth. Published as 'Lines left upon a seat in a Yew-tree which stands near the Lake of Esthwaite on a desolate part of the shore, commanding a beautiful prospect'. First line, 'Here traveller rest - this lonely yew-tree stands'. Draft work by William Wordsworth, with a fair copy on 37v by Mary Hutchinson. Leaves 17v, 28v-29r, 37v; possibly also stub 38. Composed and transcribed spring 1797, probably by April.

DCMS 11.10 Untitled verse by William Wordsworth. Published as 'The Three Graves'. First line, 'Would ye come here ye maiden vile' (first line 42r). Transcribed by Dorothy Wordsworth, with some lines by Mary Hutchinson (fair copy leaves 42r-47r). Leaves 22v, 35r, 42r-47r, 48r-48v; stubs 39-41. Probably composed and transcribed spring 1797.

DCMS 13 Handmade notebook of verse by William Wordsworth. The work is mainly in his hand, but also by Dorothy Wordsworth and Mary Hutchinson (reconstructed with 12 leaves, including 2 stubs). Composed and transcribed between 1797 and 1802. Contains work towards 'The Ruined Cottage' and translations from Ariosto and Chaucer. Size 250mm x 391mm (hxw).

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There are 57 works by Hutchinson, Mary (1770-1859) in the Trust's collection, e.g.:
DCMS 11		Notebook of verse by William Wordsworth in the hands of William and Dorothy Wordsworth and Mary Hutchinson (50 leaves, including 15 stubs). Work composed 1786-1797; transcribed 1790-1797. Includes draft work towards 'Salisbury Plain' and 'The Ruined Cottage'. Size 110mm x 175mm (hxw).
DCMS 11.7		Untitled verse by William Wordsworth. Published as 'Greyhound Ballad'. First line, 'The barren wife all sad in mind' (starts on leaf 23r). Transcribed by Dorothy Wordsworth, with some passages by Mary Hutchinson. Leaves 13v, 20v, 23r-24v, 27r-28r; stubs 25-6. Composed and transcribed between November 1796 and early 1797.
DCMS 11.8		Untitled verse by William Wordsworth. Published as 'Lines left upon a seat in a Yew-tree which stands near the Lake of Esthwaite on a desolate part of the shore, commanding a beautiful prospect'. First line, 'Here traveller rest - this lonely yew-tree stands'. Draft work by William Wordsworth, with a fair copy on 37v by Mary Hutchinson. Leaves 17v, 28v-29r, 37v; possibly also stub 38. Composed and transcribed spring 1797, probably by April.
DCMS 11.10		Untitled verse by William Wordsworth. Published as 'The Three Graves'. First line, 'Would ye come here ye maiden vile' (first line 42r). Transcribed by Dorothy Wordsworth, with some lines by Mary Hutchinson (fair copy leaves 42r-47r). Leaves 22v, 35r, 42r-47r, 48r-48v; stubs 39-41. Probably composed and transcribed spring 1797.
DCMS 13		Handmade notebook of verse by William Wordsworth. The work is mainly in his hand, but also by Dorothy Wordsworth and Mary Hutchinson (reconstructed with 12 leaves, including 2 stubs). Composed and transcribed between 1797 and 1802. Contains work towards 'The Ruined Cottage' and translations from Ariosto and Chaucer. Size 250mm x 391mm (hxw).