Mrs. Manley (1663–1724)

Delarivier Manley (her first name is spelled various ways), also called Delia, and best known as Mrs. Manley, is sometimes referred to (with Aphra Behn and Eliza Haywood) as one of "the fair triumvirate of wit." She was probably born on the island of Jersey, a daughter of Sir Roger Manley, a former Cavalier army officer, and a woman from the Spanish Netherlands who died when Delarivier was young. She and her sister appear to have moved with their father to his various postings.

After his death in 1687, the two young women became wards of their cousin, John Manley, a Member of Parliament. Delarivier later bigamously married John Manley, who already had a wife in the West Country. The couple had a son of whom little is known. In 1694, Delarivier left her husband and went to live with Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland, the former mistress of King Charles II. She was dismissed by the duchess after six months, and may have then reconciled with her husband for a time.

From 1694 to 1696, she traveled extensively in England and began her literary career. Her first play, a comedy, The Lost Lover, or, The Jealous Husband, appeared in 1696, along with the tragedy The Royal Mischief. Her other dramatic works include Almyna, or, The Arabian Vow (1707), The New Atalantis (1709), and Lucius, The First Christian King of Britain (1717). She also wrote political pamphlets, romantic novels, and The Adventures of Rivella (1714), which she claimed was semi-autobiographical. She also joined Jonathan Swift briefly as co-author of The Examiner newspaper. Her last major work was The Power of Love in Seven Novels (1720).