Her surviving works are varied; she produced translations of classical themes, religious and philosophical poetry and poems arguing for women's involvement in education and intellectual pursuits such as natural philosophy.
[4] She was the daughter of George Tollett who, observing her intelligence, gave her a thorough education in languages, history, poetry and mathematics.
Tollett was fluent in Italian, and French and she achieved a proficiency in Latin that was unconventional for women of her time.
[3][4] Tollett grew up in the Tower of London where her father lived as a commissioner of the British Navy.
[1][3] Her mother likely died while she was young and Tollett, being the eldest daughter, would have been expected to stay at home and care for her siblings.