Anna, Lady Miller (''née'' Riggs; 1741 – 24 June 1781) was an English poet, travel writer, heiress and
salon
Salon may refer to:
Common meanings
* Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments
* French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home
* Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment
Arts and entertainment
* Salon (P ...
hostess.
Biography
Anna was the daughter of Edward Riggs, by his wife, Margaret Pigott, of the historic house of
Chetwynd,
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...
. Her grandfather, Edward Riggs, had been a member of the
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fra ...
, a commissioner of revenue, and a
Privy Councillor in Ireland, and Anna inherited much of his wealth. Her father became a commissioner of customs in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in 1741.
Horace Walpole
Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician.
He had Strawb ...
described Anna's mother in 1765 as ''an old rough humourist, who passed for a wit''.
Fanny Burney
Frances Burney (13 June 1752 – 6 January 1840), also known as Fanny Burney and later Madame d'Arblay, was an English satirical novelist, diarist and playwright. In 1786–1790 she held the post as "Keeper of the Robes" to Charlotte of Mecklen ...
characterised her as ''mighty merry and facetious''.
[ cites Burney, ''Diary'', i. 364]
In 1765 Anna married
John Miller, a member of a poor Irish family seated at
Ballicasey,
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
. Miller had served through the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
, but resigned his
commission at the peace of 1763. Anna brought him a large fortune, and he adopted her maiden surname before his own. At extravagant cost he built a house at
Batheaston
Batheaston is a village and civil parish east of the English city of Bath, on the north bank of the River Avon. The parish had a population of 2,735 in 2011. The northern area of the parish, on the road to St Catherine, is an area known as N ...
, near
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
, and laid out a garden, of which Walpole gave a detailed description.
However, the expense of the couple's lifestyle soon demanded that they economise and they moved to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and made a tour of the Italian
antiquities
Antiquities are objects from antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean: the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Egypt and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures. Artifacts from earlier periods such as the Meso ...
. In 1776 Anna's lively letters sent to a friend during her travels were published anonymously in three volumes. A second edition, in two volumes, appeared in 1777. The book did enjoy some success but Walpole's opinion was that "The poor
Arcadia
Arcadia may refer to:
Places Australia
* Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
* Arcadia, Queensland
* Arcadia, Victoria
Greece
* Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese
* Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
n
patron
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
ess does not spell one word of French or Italian right through her three volumes of travel".
John Miller became a
baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
in 1778 and Anna became Lady Miller. She instituted a fortnightly literary salon at her villa. Lee characterised the salon as bearing "some resemblance to the later follies of the
Della Cruscans
The Della Cruscans were a circle of European late-18th-century sentimental poets founded by Robert Merry (1755–98).
History and influence
Robert Merry travelled to Florence where he edited two volumes, ''The Arno Miscellany'' (1784) and ''Th ...
". In Italy, Lady Miller had purchased an antique vase, dug up at
Frascati
Frascati () is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with ...
in 1759. The vase was placed on an "altar" decorated with
laurel
Laurel may refer to:
Plants
* Lauraceae, the laurel family
* Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel
People
* Laurel (given name), people with the given name
* Laurel (surname), people with the surname
* Laurel (mus ...
, and each guest was invited to place in the urn an original composition in
verse
Verse may refer to:
Poetry
* Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry
* Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza
* Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme
* Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...
. A committee was appointed to determine the best three productions, and their authors were then crowned by Lady Miller with
wreath
A wreath () is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a circle .
In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, most commonly as an Advent and Chri ...
s of
myrtle. The practice was continued until Lady Miller's death. The urn was then purchased by Edwyn Dowding, of Bath, and placed by him in the public park of the town. The society became famous, and was much laughed at.
Anthony Morris Storer
Anthony Morris Storer (1746–1799) was an English man of fashion, politician and collector.
Life
Born on 12 March 1746, Anthony Morris Storer was elder son of Thomas Storer of Westmoreland, Jamaica (d. Golden Square, London, on 21 July 1793, a ...
, writing to
George Selwyn, observed, "Their next subject is upon Trifles and Triflers. ... You may try your hand at an
ode
An ode (from grc, ᾠδή, ōdḗ) is a type of lyric poetry. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structured in three majo ...
, and I do not doubt but you may be crowned with myrtle for your performance". Walpole, in a letter to
Henry Seymour Conway
Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway (1721 – 9 July 1795) was a British general and statesman. A brother of the 1st Marquess of Hertford, and cousin of Horace Walpole, he began his military career in the War of the Austrian Succession. He ...
, said, "I am glad you went
o Bath especially as you escaped being initiated into Mrs. Miller's follies at Bath-Easton."
Fanny Burney
Frances Burney (13 June 1752 – 6 January 1840), also known as Fanny Burney and later Madame d'Arblay, was an English satirical novelist, diarist and playwright. In 1786–1790 she held the post as "Keeper of the Robes" to Charlotte of Mecklen ...
, while on a visit to Bath in 1780, was introduced to Lady Miller by
Hester Thrale
Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi (née Salusbury; later Piozzi; 27 January 1741 or 16 January 1740 – 2 May 1821),Contemporary records, which used the Julian calendar and the Annunciation Style of enumerating years, recorded her birth as 16 January ...
, and wrote, "Nothing here is more tonish than to visit Lady Miller. She is a round, plump, coarse-looking dame of about forty, and while all her aim is to appear an elegant woman of fashion, all her success is to seem an ordinary woman in very common life, with fine clothes on."
A selection of the compositions was published in 1775. The edition was sold out within ten days and a new edition appeared in 1776 with a second volume of poems. Walpole called the book ''a bouquet of artificial flowers, and ten degrees duller than a magazine''. A third volume was published in 1777, and a fourth in 1781. The profits of the sale were donated to charity. Among the contributors were the
Duchess of Northumberland, who wrote on a buttered
muffin
A muffin is an individually portioned baked product, however the term can refer to one of two distinct items: a part-raised flatbread (like a crumpet) that is baked and then cooked on a griddle (typically unsweetened), or an (often sweetened) ...
,
Lord Palmerston
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...
,
Lord Carlisle Lord Carlisle may refer to:
* Mark Carlisle, Baron Carlisle of Bucklow
* Earl of Carlisle, a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England
See also
* Alex Carlile, Baron Carlile of Berriew
{{disambiguation, tndis ...
,
Christopher Anstey
Christopher Anstey (31 October 1724 – 3 August 1805) was an English poet who also wrote in Latin. After a period managing his family's estates, he moved permanently to Bath and died after a long public life there. His poem, ''The New Bath Gui ...
,
William Mason William, Willie, or Willy Mason may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*William Mason (poet) (1724–1797), English poet, editor and gardener
*William Mason (architect) (1810–1897), New Zealand architect
*William Mason (composer) (1829–1908), Ame ...
,
David Garrick
David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of Sa ...
,
Anna Seward
Anna Seward (12 December 1742 ld style: 1 December 1742./ref>Often wrongly given as 1747.25 March 1809) was an English Romantic poet, often called the Swan of Lichfield. She benefited from her father's progressive views on female education.
Li ...
, and Lady Miller herself, to whom most of the writers paid extravagant compliments.
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
held the collection in high contempt. Sir
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...
believed that Seward's talents were discovered by Lady Miller, and Seward acknowledged her help in her ''Poem to the Memory of Lady Miller''. Besides the works already mentioned, a volume by Lady Miller entitled ''On Novelty, and on Trifles and Triflers'', appeared in 1778.
Lady Miller died on 24 June 1781, at the Hot Wells,
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, and was buried in the Abbey Church, Bath. On her monument, designed by
John Bacon and erected in 1785, there is an
epitaph
An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
in verse, composed by Seward. She left two children, a son and a daughter.
Family
Sir
John Riggs Miller
Sir John Riggs-Miller, 1st Baronet (''c.'' 1744 – 28 May 1798) was an Anglo-Irish politician who championed reform of the customary system of weights and measures in favour of a scientifically founded system.
Early life
He was born John Mille ...
, who inherited his wife's fortune, married, after 1786, the widow of Sir Thomas Davenport. He sat in parliament for a time and settling in Bloomsbury Square, he became known in London society as an inveterate gossip and newsmonger, and was a well-known figure in many London clubs. He died suddenly on 28 May 1798, and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son by his first marriage,
John Edward Augustus Miller (1770–1825).
[ cites ''Gent. Mag.'' 1798, pt. ii. pp. 626–7, and 1825, pt. ii. p. 286.]
Further reading
*
*
Notes
*
;Attribution
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Anna
1741 births
1781 deaths
18th-century English poets
18th-century English women
Burials in Somerset
English feminist writers
English letter writers
Women letter writers
English travel writers
Writers from Shropshire
Wives of baronets
British women travel writers
British salon-holders