Mary Lamb - Early Life

Early Life

She was born on 3 December 1764, the third of seven children of John and Elizabeth Lamb. Her parents worked for Samuel Salt, an attorney of the Inner Temple in London. The family lived above Salt in his home at 2 Crown Office Row in the Inner Temple. Only two of Mary's siblings survived: her older brother John Jr. and her younger brother Charles. Mary learned about literature and writers from her father's stories of the times he had seen Samuel Johnson and his circle, who visited Johnson at his home in the Inner Temple. Mary remembered seeing, at the age of five, the writer Oliver Goldsmith in the street, and she also witnessed David Garrick's acting. Her father may have taken her with him on his trips to the Pope's Head bookstore nearby.

Samuel Salt died in 1792, and the Lambs had to move out of their lodgings soon after. John Lamb continued to work in his old position in the Great Hall of the Inner Temple, where he had waited on Salt, but his wages were not sufficient to keep the lodgings that had been provided without cost by Salt. Samuel Salt left £600 to the Lambs, along with small annuities. They moved to a home in Little Queen Street, near High Holborn. Around this time, John Lamb had a stroke, losing most of the use of his left hand. John was allowed to continue receiving his salary while another man stood in for him in the Inner Temple, performing his duties. This arrangement lasted until John's death in 1799.

In the early 1790s, Elizabeth Lamb began to experience debilitating pain, possibly from arthritis, which ended up crippling her. Mary, the only one at home during the day, took responsibility for her mother's care. By 1796, Elizabeth was completely helpless and dependent on Mary. John's sister Sarah Lamb also lived with the family, and her care was spread between Charles and Mary. In 1795 Charles had a mental breakdown, and spent the end of 1795 to the beginning of 1796 in a private mental facility. During this time, Mary worked as a seamstress, along with a little girl who served as her apprentice. The responsibilities and expectations placed on Mary began to be a serious burden for her toward the end of 1796. John Lamb had become senile, Elizabeth required constant care, and Mary's brother John had had an accident, and had moved back in with the family, so that he could be cared for by Mary. She may also have had difficulties in training her young apprentice. The situation began to affect Mary's mental stability.