Anna Laetitia Barbauld Biographical Sketch

Young Anna Laetitia Barbauld Anna Letitia Barbauld was born Anna Letitia Aikin in 1743 in Warrington, England. Her father ran the Warrington Academy, a Dissenting school, and was involved closely with her education, which included instruction in Greek and Latin (Murch 60-61).

After rejecting several suitors, she married Rochemont Barbauld, a student at the Warrington Academy who soon after their marriage accepted a parish in Palgrave, far from the Aikin family (66-67). Mrs. Barbauld helped her husband as a teacher after he opened a school in Palgrave by lecturing on history and geography. Apparently, her talents as a teacher made her a favorite among the students (67).

Classical Cameo of Barbauld

Anna Letitia Barbauld first published her poetry in 1773 in a volume titled Miscellaneous Poems, which went through four editions in its first year of publication (70-71). This was followed by her 1775 publication of Devotional Pieces and Lessons for Children in 1778 (74). After spending some time traveling in Europe, the Barbaulds returned to England and Anna Letitia Barbauld began to write political pieces, from supporting the abolition of the slave trade to decrying the prejudice Dissenters faced (80).

A picture of Anna Barbauld as a matron Mr. Barbauld’s health, both mental and physical, declined throughout their marriage, and in 1808 he died (82). Barbauld’s last work, “Eighteen Hundred and Eleven" was published in 1812. This dark satire forecasting the decline of England earned harsh reviews (84). Barbauld died in 1825, after which her works were compiled and published by her neice Lucy Aikin.