Anne Evans (4 June 1820–1870) was an English poet and composer. She has been described as "a witty poet and skilled composer of dance songs". Her ''Poems and Music'' were published posthumously in 1880. Virginia Blain, Patricia Clements and Isobel Grundy: ''The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. Women Writers from the Middle Ages to the Present Day'' (London: Batsford, 1990), p. 346. Orland
Retrieved 27 May 2018.
/ref>

Background

Born on 4 June 1820, either at Britwell, Berkshire, or Sandhurst, Anne Evans was the eldest daughter of

Arthur Benoni Evans Arthur Benoni Evans (1781–1854) was a British writer. Evans was born at Compton Beauchamp in the English county of Berkshire (now in Oxfordshire), on 25 March 1781. His father, the Rev. Lewis Evans, vicar of Froxfield, Wiltshire, was a well-kn ...

(1781–1854) and his wife Ann '' ic', ''née'' Norman. Her father was a noted linguist and

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...

, who was a professor of classics and history at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and her grandfather the Welsh-born mathematician and astronomer Lewis Evans (1755–1827). Of her brothers and sisters, Sebastian Evans (1830–1909), also wrote poetry. G. C. Boase, rev. Mari G. Ellis: "Evans, Arthur Benoni", ODNB, 2004
Retrieved 27 May 2018.
/ref> The family moved to Britwell, and in 1829 to

Market Bosworth Market Bosworth is a market town and civil parish in western Leicestershire, England. At the 2001 Census, it had a population of 1,906, increasing to 2,097 at the 2011 census. It is most famously near to the site of the decisive final battle o ...

, Leicestershire, where her father became headmaster of

Dixie Grammar School Dixie Grammar School is an independent school in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire. The earliest records of the School's existence date from 1320, but the school was re-founded in 1601 under the will of an Elizabethan merchant and Lord Mayor of L ...

. Anne was educated at home. After her father's death in 1854, she moved to 16

Kensington Square Kensington Square is a garden square in Kensington, London, W8. It was built from 1692 on land acquired for the purpose in 1685 and is the oldest such square in Kensington. The houses facing, Nos. 1–45, are listed Grade II for their architec ...

in London. In the 1850s she spent some time as a companion, in England and abroad, to the two daughters of the novelist

William Makepeace Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray (; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was a British novelist, author and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1848 novel ''Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portrait of British society, and t ...

, the elder being the future novelist Anne Thackeray Ritchie. Evans stayed single. Her health declined in 1867 and she remained an invalid until her death on 19 February 1870. She was survived by her mother, who died in 1883 aged 91.

Writings

Evans's earliest extant poem was "Flora's Lesson". She became an emotional poet by conviction. As she once remarked, "If anyone expects to find poetry without susceptibility, let him look at the sky for a rainbow without rain." Her works included sonnets, a verse drama called ''Maurice Clifton'', and two ballads, "Sir Ralph Duguay" and "Orinda". She was noted also for her epigrams and witty definitions. Her work was eventually published in an 1880 edition of her ''Poems and Music''. This included a memorial preface by Anne Thackeray Ritchie, in which she described her as a "diffident woman, who... unconsciously touched and influenced us all by her intense sincerity of heart and purpose."British Library catalogu
Retrieved 27 May 2018.
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Anne 1820 births 1870 deaths English women poets English-language poets Victorian women writers Writers from Berkshire