The 1710 edition of The Ladies’ Dairy was part of a series of almanacs that ran in Great Britan from the early 18th century through the mid 19th century. Created by mathematician and School Master John Tipper, it was the first almanac specifically marketed towards English women. During his time as editor and publisher Tipper covered a wide range of content within the almanac, including recipes, poems, and medicinal advice. It was a massive success and quickly became one of the best-selling English almanacs of the 18th century.

  The Ladies’ Dairy is broken up into two parts. The first is organized like many other almanacs from the period, with an introductory editor's note, astrological information, and a detailed monthly calendar. The second resembles modern magazines and contains short stories, puzzles, and mathematical equations. These questions were submitted and answered by both men and women under pseudonyms. Participating in this interactive feature fostered a sense of community among readers, cementing it within 18th century English popular culture.

One of the most popular forms of community puzzles within The Ladies Diary were riddles labeled in the almanac as enigmas. These enigmas and their solutions cover four pages of the 1710 edition and are all written in verse. Tipper prefaces the published solutions by crediting four of the explanations to a man from Tarvin and an “Ingenious Lady” (Tipper 8) and later acknowledges thirteen other men and women by name for sending in answers to previous enigmas. In this edition he also includes a humorous message to the readers at the end of the enigma section, explaining that these riddles were more difficult because he had received “several letters from several ladies that all my enigmas were so easy, they could find them out almost at the first reading” (Tipper 11). This acknowledgement of women’s intellectual contributions reflects scientific and intellectual revolutions taking place throughout the 18th century, and how it extended beyond the typical upper class educated male circles.

Work Cited

Miegon, Anna. "The Ladies’ Diary and the emergence of the almanac for women, 1704-1753." (2008).

Tipper, J. The Ladies Diary: Or, the Woman's Almanack, for the Year of Our Lord, 1710. J. Wilde, 1710.

Like much of the Tidewater and Chesapeake Regions of the United States, Southern Maryland was originally home to the Piscataway Indigenous Nation. Before European contact, the Piscataway people lived in permeant villages along the bank of the Potomac River. These villages were noted by John Smith on his 1612 map of Virgina dotting the small inlets stretching north. Traditionally, the Piscataway people relied on both the land and rivers to provide for their communities. They had an agriculturally based society and produced many staple native crops such as beans, maize, and squash. Cultivation and animal husbandry was done primarily by the women of the tribe. The Potomac River was also a significant part of Piscataway culture. They navigated the river in canoes to harvest clams, oysters, and other shellfish in the surrounding marshes. The Piscataway Nation received Maryland state recognition in early 2012 but they have never been federally recognized (Rosado). 

The original Piscataway land, now modern Charles County and St. Marys county, still looks remarkably similar to the landscape during the 18th century. Areas such as Nanjamoy, Chaptico, and Accokeek are very rural and consist mostly of farmland, Amish communities, and forests. Nature Parks and reserves cover southwestern Maryland along the bank of the Potomac River. Since most of these areas are protected by law the native wildlife flourishes. Marshlands produce a variety of reeds and grasses which would have provided important raw materials for the Piscataway people. Native animals that Piscataway men would have hunted, such as deer, rabbits, and wild turkeys, still live in the surrounding forests.  

 However, it is irresponsible to claim that there have been no major changes across the past three centuries. As industrialization and urbanization spreads south of Washington D.C more and more of this natural landscape is lost to development. Pollution and overhunting in Maryland have driven wild turkeys, otters, and black bears to endangerment. Most importantly, the Piscataway people themselves have been forced from this land and by extension the cultural connection and practices tied to it. 

Works Cited 

“Chesapeake Tribes Today.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/cajo/learn/historyculture/american-indian-tribes-today.htm. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.  

Rosado, Lois. “Piscataway People of Maryland: The Original Greenbelters?” Greenbelt News Review, 23 Nov. 2022, www.greenbeltnewsreview.com/news-stories/piscataway-people-of-maryland-the-original-greenbelters/.