Catharine Trotter Cockburn

Catharine Trotter Cockburn
Born	Catharine Trotter 16 August 1679 London, England
Died	11 May 1749(1749-05-11) (aged 69) Longhorsley, England
Resting place	Longhorsley
Occupation	novelist, dramatist, philosopher.
Language	English
Nationality	English
Genre	correspondence
Subject	moral philosophy, theological tracts
Spouse	Patrick Cockburn ​ (m. 1708)​

Catharine Trotter Cockburn (16 August 1679–11 May 1749) was an English novelist, dramatist and philosopher who wrote on various subjects, including moral philosophy and theology, and maintained a prolific correspondence.

Trotter's writings encompass a wide range of topics, such as necessity, the infinitude of space and substance. However, her primary focus was on moral issues. She believed that moral principles were not inherent but could be discovered by each individual through the use of reason, a faculty bestowed by God. In 1702, she published her first significant philosophical work, titled "A Defence of Mr. Lock's [sic.] An Essay Concerning Human Understanding." This defence received praise from John Locke, who expressed his appreciation by providing financial support and books to Trotter via Elizabeth Burnet, the intermediary who first acquainted Locke with Trotter's "Defence."^[1]

Trotter's work garnered the attention of William Warburton, who wrote a preface for her final philosophical work. Additionally, the biographer Thomas Birch approached her to assist him in compiling a collection of her works. Although Trotter agreed to the project, she died before the publication could be completed. As a result, Birch posthumously published a two-volume collection titled "The Works of Mrs. Catharine Cockburn, Theological, Moral, Dramatic and Poetical" in 1751. This collection serves as a primary source by which readers and historians have come to know her contributions.