Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Born March 6, 1806
Died June 29th 1861
Born in Durham England, Elizabeth Barrett was the oldest of twelve children belonging to Edward and Mary Moulton-Barrett. The family was fairly wealthy, her father making his fortune in Jamican Sugar plantations.
Elizabeth had always been a gifted child, though suffering ill health that left her a semi-invalid, she wrote poetry from an early age, and studied Latin and Greek, outdoing her brothers in her family with her high learning.
In 1832 her mother suddenly died leaving Elizabeth badly affected. She became even more withdrawn from society itself, but she never stopped wanting to learn and continued reading and writing, getting the chance to meet Wordsworth, and also her soon to be love of her life Robert Browning.
The Seraphim and other poems Elizabeth's first volume to actually have her name on it was printed in 1838, and was well recieved. In 1844 the two volumed Poems was published and Elizabeth dedicated them to Worsworth and Tennyson as well as Robert Browning, whom she considered the greatest poets of her time. This led the way for Robert and Elizabeth to finally meet and fall in love
As time passed Elizabeth's health deteriorated and
losing many of her own family members to death, the only
thing that cheered her up a little was the publishing of
herPoems Before Congress.
In June 1861, Elizabeth took seriously ill with an
abcess of the lung and died in her husband's arms. She
left the world with a legacy of a woman who was before
her time in that her poems dealt with politics and the
social injustices of her day.