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.

Her father, Captain David Trotter, was a respected commodore in the Royal Navy, known personally to King Charles II and the Duke of York, who valued his distinguished service.

In 1683, Captain Trotter participated in the demolition of Tangier, and while escorting the fleet of merchant ships belonging to the Turkey Company, he succumbed to the plague in Alexandretta (Iscanderoon) in early 1684.

During the remaining years of King Charles II's reign, Mrs Trotter received a pension from the Admiralty, and Queen Anne granted her an annual allowance of £20.

[4] Catharine, the younger daughter, displayed a keen intellect, a natural aptitude for acquiring knowledge and a talent for penmanship and extemporaneous verse from an early age.

She avidly read books, progressing from imaginative works that captivated her as a child to treatises on moral philosophy and religion as her reasoning abilities and judgment developed.

Due to her father's professional connections, her mother's aristocratic ties, and her own remarkable talents, Catharine Trotter had a wide circle of acquaintances.

Despite facing financial constraints and likely having little wealth of her own apart from her writing earnings, Trotter moved in esteemed social circles and was frequently welcomed as a guest in the homes of the wealthy and influential.

[6] Before the text of Fatal Friendship, several sets of eulogistic verses were dedicated to Trotter, including one by P. Harman, who also wrote the prologue; one by an anonymous writer (likely Lady Sarah Piers); and another by the playwright John Hughes, who hailed her as "the first of stage reformers."

In October 1703, her friend and physician, Dr. Denton Nicholas, wrote her a serious letter of remonstration, urging her to reduce the severity of her abstinence practices due to the strain they imposed on her naturally delicate constitution.

[9] Even at her healthiest, Trotter's fragile constitution prevented her from walking more than a mile to church and back on a summer day without experiencing fatigue bordering on illness.

Nevertheless, she possessed an independent and energetic spirit that allowed her to sustain the mental and physical effort required for meticulous literary composition over extended periods.

Throughout most of this period, Burnet traveled abroad, particularly to the courts of Berlin and Hanover, where he spread the reputation of "la nouvelle Sappho-Ecossoise" and aroused the curiosity of Leibnitz, who sought to become acquainted with her philosophical works.

Around that time, she harbored hopes of obtaining a pension from the crown, supported by the influential Marlborough family, due to her father's long service and sacrifices for King and country.

In the same year, her tragedy titled The Revolution of Sweden, based on Vertot's account of Gustavus Ericson, was performed at the Queen's Theatre in the Haymarket and subsequently published with a dedication to Lady Harriet Godolphin, the eldest daughter of the Duke and later Duchess of Marlborough in her own right following his passing.

However, her preferred residence was at "Mr. Finney's, in Beaufort Buildings on the Strand," where she could occupy private lodgings without the constraints of domestic responsibilities or the disruptions caused by young children.

One of the positive outcomes of her stays in Salisbury was her acquaintance with Bishop Gilbert Burnet and his third wife, Elizabeth, who was the eldest daughter of Sir Richard Blake and the widow of Robert Berkeley, Esq., of Spetchley.

[13] In the summer of 1707, during her stay with Madame de Vere, an invalid residing near Ripley, Surrey, Catherine Trotter encountered a young clergyman named Fenn.

Although "Vindication of Mr. Locke's Christian Principles from the Injurious Imputations of Dr. Holdsworth" remained unpublished due to the reluctance of booksellers, it was eventually included in her collected works.

[14] One of Trotter's notable poetic productions was "A Poem, occasioned by the Busts set up in the Queen's Hermitage, designed to be presented with a book in vindication of Mr. Locke, which was to have been inscribed to Her Majesty."

In this work, she eloquently argued from the honors bestowed by Queen Caroline upon the busts of Clarke, Locke and Newton, including her patronage of the poet Nicholas Duck.

[18] In Trotter's verses titled "Calliope's Directions: How to Deserve and Distinguish the Muse's Inspirations," she skillfully defines the uses of tragic, comic and satiric poetry.

A few lines from the poem exemplify her style:[6] "Let none presume the hallowed way to tread By other than the noblest motives led : If for a sordid gain, or glittering fame, To please without instructing be your aim, To lower means your grovelling thoughts confine, Unworthy of an art that's all divine."

In the preface to her "Letter to Dr. Holdsworth," Trotter made a statement, possibly referring to Lord King:[21]"The great zeal Mr. Locke showed for the conversion of deists, the serious veneration he expresses for the Divine Revelation, and (how little soever he was fond of particular systems) the care he took not to oppose any established articles of faith, make it a work worthy a sincere Christian to support his character against the injudiciousness of those who have reproached him as a Socinian heretic, an enemy, an underminer of religion.

That there are no plain proofs from his writings to ground such a charge upon, is a sufficient foundation for this defence; but that he was certainly no Socinian, I am farther well assured by the authority of one who was intimate to his most private thoughts, and who is as eminent for his probity, as for the high station he at present possesses.

"In a letter to her niece dated "Long Horseley, September 29, 1748," Trotter expressed her dissatisfaction upon reviewing Mr. Locke's views on moral relations,[22] stating that his plan limited the consideration to the present order of things.

Trotter held Bishop Butler's "The Analogy" in high regard and considered it a valuable work that effectively addressed objections raised by deists, reinforcing the believer's conviction in God's wisdom and reconciliation with mankind.

In later letters, dated October 2, 1747, from "Long Horseley," Trotter reiterated her deep appreciation for Bishop Butler's writings, expressing complete satisfaction with his doctrine and endorsing every sentence he wrote as aligning with her theological beliefs.

"[18] Trotter's reputation has undergone changes over the past three centuries, with a recent resurgence in interest due to the efforts of feminist critics, including Anne Kelley.

In the dedication to "Fatal Friendship" (1698), she reflects on the expectation of facing criticism when a woman assumes a distinct role in society, especially if she engages in what is considered the domain of men.