The Puritan as Materfamilias: The Witness of Brilliana Harley

The Puritan penchant for curious names for their children is well known. For example, Hate-evill Greenhill, a baby girl who may have been related to the Puritan commentator William Greenhill (1591-1671), was baptized in April of 1661 in Banbury. The mother of Edward Polhill (1622-1693/4), another celebrated Puritan author, was Faint-not Polhill, a favorite name, it appears, for girls. Certainly not as bizarre as these girls’ names, but equally fascinating, is the name of the wife of a prominent English Presbyterian, Robert Harley (1579-1656), namely, Brilliana Harley (1598-1643). Read Full Article »