Anne Plumptre (1760–1818) was an English writer and translator sometimes collaborating with her sister

Annabella Plumptre Annabella "Bell" Plumptre (1769–1838) was a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British writer and translator. She sometimes collaborated with her sister Anne Plumptre. Life Plumptre was born in Norwich in 1769. Her father was Robert ...

Life

Anne was born in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

. She and her sister, Annabella ellPlumptre were daughters of Robert Plumptre, became active in the Enfield circle, a local group of literati. Later she became involved in politics during the period of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. She published her own fiction, travel writing and political enquiry, as well as many translations of letters, travel writing, drama, and other genres. Anne was the second daughter of Dr. Robert Plumptre, who became President of Queens' College, Cambridge. Her brother

James Plumptre James Plumptre (1771–1832) was an English clergyman and dramatist. Life James Plumptre was born at Cambridge on 2 October 1771, the third son of Robert Plumptre, President of Queens' College, Cambridge, by his wife, Anne Newcome.''ODNB'' The ...

was known as a dramatist. She was well educated in foreign languages, particularly in German. She began writing articles in periodicals. The freethinking Alexander Geddes encouraged her. Her first book, a novel in two volumes, entitled ''Antoinette'', was published anonymously, but was acknowledged in a second edition. Anne was one of the first to make German plays known in London, and in 1798 and 1799 translated many of the dramas of

Kotzebue Kotzebue ( ) or Qikiqtaġruk ( , ) is a city in the Northwest Arctic Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the borough's seat, by far its largest community and the economic and transportation hub of the subregion of Alaska encompassing t ...

, following up this work with a ''Life and Literary Career of Kotzebue'', translated from the German and published in 1801. From 1802 to 1805 she resided in France, and published her experiences in 1810 in the ''Narrative of a Three Years Residence in France'' (3 vols.) Lucy Brightwell states that she accompanied

John Opie John Opie (16 May 1761 – 9 April 1807) was an English historical and portrait painter. He painted many great men and women of his day, including members of the British Royal Family, and others who were notable in the artistic and literary ...

and Amelia Opie to Paris in August 1802. She became well known as a supporter of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

; in 1810 she declared that she would welcome him if he invaded England, because he would do away with the aristocracy and give the country a better government. In 1814–15 she visited Ireland, and recorded her experiences in the ''Narrative of a Residence in Ireland'', published in 1817. It was ridiculed by

John Wilson Croker John Wilson Croker (20 December 178010 August 1857) was an Anglo-Irish statesman and author. Life He was born in Galway, the only son of John Croker, the surveyor-general of customs and excise in Ireland. He was educated at Trinity College Dubl ...

in the ''

Quarterly Review The ''Quarterly Review'' was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by London publishing house John Murray. It ceased publication in 1967. It was referred to as ''The London Quarterly Review'', as reprinted by Leonard Scott, f ...

''. Her other contributions to literature consist mainly of translations of travels from the French and German.

Helen Maria Williams Helen Maria Williams (17 June 1759 – 15 December 1827) was a British novelist, poet, and translator of French-language works. A religious dissenter, she was a supporter of abolitionism and of the ideals of the French Revolution; she was imp ...

, the poet, was a close friend. She died in Norwich on 20 October 1818, at the age of 58, after a "productive and for the most part successful literary career" (Shaffer).

Notes

References

Elinor Shaffer Elinor Shaffer (born 1935) FBA is a professor at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, honorary professor at University College, London, editor of the Comparative Literature series of Legenda (imprint), and editor of ''Reception of ...

.
Plumptre, Anne (1760–1818)
" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. Ed. H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. Oxford: OUP, 2004. 22 November 2006.

External links

Anne Plumptre
Corvey Women Writers on the Web. *

'. Ed. Thomas C. Crochunis.
British Women Playwrights around 1800
'. 15 July 2000. {{DEFAULTSORT:Plumptre, Anne English dramatists and playwrights British women dramatists and playwrights Writers of the Romantic era 1760 births 1818 deaths Writers from Norwich 18th-century British women writers 18th-century British writers 19th-century English women writers 19th-century British writers British women travel writers British travel writers 18th-century English women 18th-century English people