This table lists women playwrights who were active in England and Wales, and the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, before the Victorian era, with a brief indication of productivity or other significant information. The entries may be reordered to browse by name or date. Authors of dramatic works are the focus of this list, though many of these writers worked in more than one genre.
| Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Abington, Frances | 1737–1815 | actor who wrote two plays, only one produced [1] |
| Amherst, Elizabeth Frances | 1716?–1779 | poet and naturalist whose Dramatick pastoral was produced in 1762 |
| Ariadne | 1694-95 (fl.) | pseudonym of unknown author of She Ventures and He Wins |
| Aubin, Penelope | 1679? – 1731? | primarily a novelist; one play produced |
| Baillie, Joanna | 1762–1851 | prolific playwright |
| Balfour, Mary E. | 1789–1810 (fl.) | one play produced, Belfast |
| Barrell, Maria (née Weylar) | 1803 (death) | born in West Indies; poet, playwright, and writer for periodicals |
| Barrymore, Mrs. W[ illiam? ] | 1823 (fl.) | one play produced [1] |
| Behn, Aphra | 1640–1689 | usually credited with being the first female professional playwright in English |
| Berry, Mary | 1763–1852 | one play produced, one in manuscript |
| Boaden, Caroline | 1821–1839 (fl.) | author of at least six plays; [2] daughter of James Boaden |
| Booth, Ursula Agnes | 1740–1803 | actor who wrote at least one farce [1] [3] |
| Boothby, Frances | 1669–1670 (fl.) | author of the first original play by a woman to be produced in London |
| Bourchier, Rachel (Countess of Bath; née Fane) | 1613–1680 | wrote masques |
| Bowes, Mary (Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne) | 1749–1800 | published one play |
| Boyd, Elizabeth | 1710?– 1745? | one play; wrote primarily in other genres |
| Brand, Barbarina | 1768–1854 | published four plays, one produced |
| Brand, Hannah | 1754–1821 | published playwright |
| Brooke, Charlotte | 1740–1793 | one play published but not produced |
| Brooke, Frances | 1723–1789 | primarily a novelist; wrote comic opera |
| Browning, Elizabeth Barrett | 1806–1861 | primarily a poet; one closet drama and one translation |
| Burgess, Mrs. | 1779–1780 (fl.) | one comedy, produced in Canterbury [4] |
| Burke, Miss | 1793 (fl.) | one comic opera/burletta [5] |
| Burney, Frances | 1752–1840 | primarily a novelist; author of several plays, only one produced in her lifetime |
| Burney, Frances | 1776–1828 | niece of Frances Burney; wrote two tragedies which were published but not produced |
| Burrell, Sophia | 1753–1802 | author of two tragedies |
| Carstairs, Christian | 1763—1786 (fl.) | poet who wrote a short theatrical |
| Cary, Elizabeth (Viscountess Falkland; née Tanfield) | 1585–1639 | first woman known to have written and published an original play in English |
| Cavendish, Jane | 1620?–1669 | co-authored a pastoral masque with her sister, Elizabeth Egerton |
| Cavendish, Margaret (Duchess of Newcastle) | 1623–1673 | author of closet dramas |
| Celesia, Dorothea | 1738 (baptised); d. 1790 | translated Voltaire's Tancrède |
| Centlivre, Susannah | 1667?–1723 | successful playwright |
| Chambers, Marianne | 1799–1812 (fl.) | English playwright |
| Charke, Charlotte | 1713–1760 | playwright/actor/manager |
| Cibber, Susannah | 1714–1766 | actor who had at least one masque produced |
| Clive, Catherine | 1711–1785 | actor; wrote farces with some success |
| Collier, Jane | 1714–1755 | The Cry (1754), co-authored with Sarah Fielding |
| Cooper, Elizabeth (née Price) | 1698?–1761? | actor, playwright, and poet |
| Corbett sisters, Walterina Cunningham (d. 1837) and Grace Corbett (c. 1765–1843) | 1765?– 1837 | novelists, playwrights, and anthologists |
| Cornelys, Margaret | 1723–1797 | author of two comedies and a ballad opera; only one produced (Dublin 1781) [1] |
| Cowley, Hannah | 1743–1809 | playwright and poet |
| Craven, Elizabeth | 1750–1828 | writer of farces and pantomimes |
| Cullum, Mrs. | 1775 (fl.) | one drama, not produced [6] |
| Cuthbertson, Catherine | 1793 (fl.) | novelist who wrote one play |
| Davys, Mary | 1674–1732 | novelist; produced one play; had another published |
| De Humboldt, Charlotte | 1821–1838 (fl.) | poet and author of the tragedy Corinth (1821) [7] |
| Deverell, Mary | 1731–1805 | author of two plays, neither performed |
| Dubois, Dorothea | 1728–1774 | wrote musical entertainments |
| Edgeworth, Maria | 1768–1849 | widely read novelist who also wrote comic dramas; published but not performed |
| Edwards, Anna Maria | 1783–1787 (fl.) | one play, produced in Dublin [1] |
| Edwards, Christian | 1776–1787 (fl.) | one play, published but not produced [1] |
| Egerton, Elizabeth | 1626–1663 | co-authored a pastoral masque with her sister, Jane Cavendish |
| Egleton, Jane | 1734 (death) | actor who wrote a ballad opera |
| Fielding, Sarah | 1710–1768 | The Cry (1754), co-authored with Jane Collier |
| Finch, Anne (Countess of Winchilsea) | 1661–1720 | primarily a poet; also wrote verse dramas |
| Forsyth, Elizabeth | 1784–1789 (fl.) | author of The Siege of Quebec [1] |
| Francis, Ann | 1738–1800 | poetic dramatization of The Song of Solomon (1781) |
| Fraser, Susan | 1809–1816 (fl.) | author of one poetic tragedy, Comala (1809) [1] |
| Gardner, Sarah (née Cheney) | 1763–1795 (fl.) | comedic actor and playwright |
| Geisweiler, Maria | 1799–1800 (fl.) | author of dramas, unproduced [1] |
| Goldsmith, Mary | 1800–1804 (fl.) | author of two comic pieces [1] [8] |
| Gore, Catherine | 1799–1861 | eleven plays produced |
| Green, Mrs. | 1756 (fl.) | author of one play [1] |
| Griffith, Elizabeth | 1727?–1793 | playwright |
| Gunning, Elizabeth | 1769–1823 | a tragicomedy, not produced |
| Harlow, Elizabeth | 1789 (fl.) | bookseller; author of one comedy [1] |
| Harrison, Elizabeth | 1724–1756 (fl.) | The Death of Socrates in Miscellanies on moral and religious subjects (1756) [1] [9] |
| Harvey, Margaret | 1768–1858 | English poet, scholar, and playwright |
| Haywood, Eliza | 1693–1756 | long career writing in many genres |
| Helme, Elizabeth | 1743–1814 | educational writer who translated two children's plays |
| Hemans, Felicia | 1793–1835 | primarily a poet; some verse drama |
| Hill, Philippina (née Burton) | 1768-87 (fl.) | poet and author of one produced play [1] [10] |
| Hofland, Barbara | 1770–1844 | prolific writer who published one volume of dramas for children |
| Holcroft, Frances | 1780–1844 | poet, novelist, translator of plays |
| Holford, Margaret (the elder) | 1757–1834 | one play produced |
| Holford, Margaret (the younger) | 1778–1852 | one play, neither published nor produced |
| Hook, Harriet Horncastle | 1784 (fl.) | author of one comic opera [11] |
| Hoper, Rachael | 1742–1760 (fl.) | three plays produced [12] |
| Hornby, Mary | 1819–1820 (fl.) | two plays, neither produced [1] |
| Hughes, Anne | 1784–1797 (fl.) | novelist and poet who wrote Moral dramas intended for private representation (1790) [13] |
| Hull, Elizabeth Edmead | 1786–1832 (fl.) | The Events of the Day (prod. Norwich, 1795) [1] |
| Inchbald, Elizabeth | 1753–1821 | widely published in various genres |
| Isdell, Sarah | 1805–1825 (fl.) | two plays produced but not printed [1] |
| Kemble, Maria Theresa | 1774–1838 | actor, singer, dancer, and comic playwright |
| Kennedy, Grace | 1782–1825 | writer on religious subjects who wrote one drama, not performed |
| Killigrew, Anne | 1660–1685 | "A Pastoral Dialogue" published in Poems (1686) |
| La Roche-Guilhem, Anne de | 1644–1707 | wrote Rare on tout (1677), a masque for Charles II |
| Latter, Mary | 1725–1777 | one tragedy produced |
| Lawrence, Rose D'Aguilar | 1799–1836 (fl.) | poet and author of one play, not performed [1] [14] |
| Leadbeater, Mary | 1758–1826 | Irish Quaker author whose work included dramatic dialogues |
| Leapor, Mary | 1722–1746 | English poet who wrote one tragedy, not produced |
| Le Fanu, Alicia Sheridan | 1753–1817 | Irish author of one comedy |
| Lee, Harriet | 1757–1851 | playwright |
| Lee, Sophia | 1750–1824 | playwright |
| Lennox, Charlotte (née Ramsay) | 1730?–1804 | Scottish novelist, playwright, and poet |
| Lumley, Jane | 1537–1578 | first translator of Euripides into English |
| Macauley, Elizabeth | 1785?–1837 | actor and author |
| Manley, Delarivier | 1670?–1724 | playwright |
| Marishall, Jean (Jane Marshall) | 1765–1788 (fl.) | one play |
| McCarthy, Charlotte | 1745-1768 (fl.) | Irish novelist and religious writer who wrote one dramatic dialogue |
| Metcalfe, Catherine | 1790 (death) | one tragedy [1] |
| Minton, Ann | 1785 (birth) | A Wife to be Lett; or, The Miser Cured (1802) [1] |
| Mitford, Mary Russell | 1787–1855 | playwright |
| Montagu, Mary Wortley (Lady Mary) | 1689–1762 | prolific writer whose comedy, Simplicity, was not produced |
| More, Hannah | 1745–1833 | playwright; published in many genres |
| M'Taggart, Ann Hamilton | 1753?–1834 | published playwright, none produced [1] |
| Nooth, Charlotte | 1807–1816 (fl.) | poet who published one play |
| O'Brien, Mary | 1785–1790 (fl.) | Irish poet and playwright |
| Opie, Amelia | 1769–1853 | English abolitionist and writer, mainly of novels and poetry |
| Owenson, Olivia (Lady Clarke) | 1785–1845 | Irish poet and dramatist |
| Owenson, Sydney (Lady Morgan) | 1781?–1859 | Irish writer known mainly for novels |
| Parsons, Eliza | 1739–1811 | prolific Gothic novelist; one play produced |
| Penny, Anne (née Hughes) | 1729–1784 | Welsh poet and author of one dramatic entertainment |
| Philips, Katherine | 1631–1664 | poet; author of two plays (one unfinished) |
| Pilkington, Laetitia | 1709–1750 | Anglo-Irish poet; one play produced |
| Pinchard, Elizabeth (née Sibthorpe) | 1791–1820 (fl.) | novelist; wrote dramatic dialogues for young readers |
| Piozzi, Hester Thrale | 1741–1821 | author and patron; two unpublished plays |
| Pix, Mary | 1666–1709 | playwright |
| Plowden, Francis | 1827 (death) | author of one comic opera [15] |
| Plumptre, Annabella | 1769–1838 | collaborated with her sister, Anne Plumptre |
| Plumptre, Anne | 1760–1818 | wrote primarily in other genres; translated dramas |
| Polack, Elizabeth | 1830–1838 (fl.) | author of five plays, three extant |
| Polwheele, Elizabeth | 1651?–1691? | two plays extant |
| Pope, Jane | 1744–1818 | English actor; one comedy produced, 1767 |
| Porter, Anna Maria | 1778–1832 | poet and novelist whose The Fair Fugitives was produced in 1803 |
| Porter, Jane | 1776–1850 | two plays |
| Pye, Jael (née Mendez) | 1737?–1782 | published four works, each in a different genre |
| Richardson, Elizabeth | 1779 (death) | author of The double deception; or, lovers perplex'd [16] |
| Richardson, Sarah Watts | 1824 (death) | poet, novelist, playwright [17] |
| Robe, Jane | 1723 (fl.) | author of The Fatal Legacy (1723) |
| Roberts, Rose | 1730–1788 | translator, poet, and writer of sermons who wrote at least one drama |
| Robertson, Fanny | 1765–1855 | actor-manager, author of at least two plays |
| Robinson, Mary | 1757–1800 | wrote primarily in other genres; one play produced |
| Ross, Anna | 1773 (birth) | performer; wrote comic opera |
| Rowson, Susanna (née Haswell) | 1762–1824 | British-American novelist, poet, playwright |
| Ryves, Elizabeth | 1750–1797 | Irish poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and translator |
| Sanders, Charlotte Elizabeth | 1787–1803 (fl.) | wrote plays for young readers [1] |
| Satchell, Elizabeth (later Kemble) | 1763–1841 | actor; one pastoral produced |
| Scott, Jane | 1779–1839 | theatre manager, actor, and prolific playwright |
| Serres, Olivia (née Wilmot) | 1772–1834 | published Flights of Fancy: Consisting of Miscellaneous Poems. With the Castle of Avola, an Opera, in Three Acts. London: J. Ridgway, 1805. [18] |
| Sheridan, Elizabeth | 1758–1837 | wrote one play, since lost [1] |
| Sheridan, Frances | 1724–1766 | playwright |
| Short, Mrs. C. | 1792 (fl.) | Dramas for the Use of Young Ladies (1792) [19] |
| Sidney, Mary | 1561–1621 | translated one play |
| Smith, Charlotte | 1749–1806 | novelist and poet; one comedy attributed to her |
| Starke, Mariana | 1761–1838 | author of four plays, not all produced; mainly a travel writer |
| Stratford, Agnes | 1794–1795 (fl.) | one tragedy, published but not produced [20] |
| Sutton, Katherine of | 1358–1376 (fl.) | abbess who rewrote several mystery plays; considered England's first woman playwright |
| Tollet, Elizabeth | 1694–1754 | Susanna; or innocence preserved, in Poems on several occasions (1755; not produced) |
| Trimmer, Sarah | 1741–1810 | prolific educational writer; author of The little hermit; or, the rural adventure (1788; not produced) |
| Trotter, Catherine | 1679–1749 | playwright |
| Turner, Margaret | 1790–1810 (fl.) | pastoral [21] |
| Wallace, Eglantine (née Maxwell) | 1803 (death) | comedies and tragedy |
| West, Jane | 1758–1852 | wrote primarily in other genres |
| Wharton, Anne (née Lee) | 1659–1685 | poet and verse dramatist |
| Whitlock, Elizabeth (née Kemble) | 1761–1836 | known mainly for acting |
| Wilson, Ann | 1778–1812 (fl.) | Jephthah's daughter (1783; not produced) [22] |
| Wiseman, Jane | 1682?–1717 (fl.) | author of one produced play |
| Wroth, Mary (Lady Mary) | 1587–1652 | primarily a poet; one drama extant |
| Yearsley, Ann | 1753?–1806 | primarily a poet; produced and published one play |
| Yorke, Elizabeth (Countess of Hardwicke; née Lindsay) | 1763–1858 | playwright |
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