Anne Wilson, Lady Wilson (née Adams) (11 June 1848 – 11 February 1930) was an Australian

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

. Most of her work was published as Mrs James Glenny Wilson or the pseudonym Austral.

Biography

Adams was born in 1848 at

Greenvale, Victoria Greenvale is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Hume local government area. Greenvale recorded a population of 21,274 at the 2021 census. Greenvale is located ...

. Her mother, Jane Anderson, was Scottish, and her father, the farmer Robert Adams, was Irish. She was known as Annie, and she received her education at

Geelong High School Geelong High School is a co-educational, public, secondary school located in East Geelong, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The school opened in 1910, making it one of Victoria's oldest state secondary schools, and moved to its curr ...

and at a private institution in

St Kilda, Victoria St Kilda is an inner seaside suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 6 km (4 miles) south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip Local governmen ...

. After her schooling, she travelled through Europe with her mother. On 21 January 1874, she married

James Wilson James Wilson may refer to: Politicians and government officials Canada *James Wilson (Upper Canada politician) (1770–1847), English-born farmer and political figure in Upper Canada * James Crocket Wilson (1841–1899), Canadian MP from Quebe ...

at St Enochs station near

Skipton, Victoria Skipton is a town in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. The town is situated on the Glenelg Highway 166 kilometres west of the state capital, Melbourne and 52 kilometres south west of the regional centre, Ballarat. Skipton is in the ...

. Her husband had bought of land in the

Rangitikei District The Rangitikei District is a territorial authority district located primarily in the Manawatū-Whanganui region in the North Island of New Zealand, although a small part, the town of Ngamatea (13.63% by land area), lies in the Hawke's Bay Regio ...

of New Zealand in 1873, and by the end of 1874, the Wilsons were living there. They lived in their homestead, which they called Lethenty, for the rest of their lives, but she always identified with Australia throughout her life. James Wilson, a well-known public man, was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1915. Annie Wilson's first book of poems, ''Themes and Variations'', came out in London in 1889 and was followed by a novel, ''Alice Lauder, a Sketch'', in 1893. Another novel, ''Two Summers'' published by

Harper Harper may refer to: Names * Harper (name), a surname and given name Places ;in Canada * Harper Islands, Nunavut *Harper, Prince Edward Island ;In the United States *Harper, former name of Costa Mesa, California in Orange County * Harper, Il ...

in 1900, was later included in Macmillan's colonial library. In 1901 ''A Book of Verses'' was published (new and slightly enlarged edition, 1917), a collection of her poems from English, American and Australian magazines. Her husband died in 1929 leaving her with two sons and two daughters. Lady Wilson died at Lethenty and is buried in the Clifton Cemetery at Bulls. Some of her poems are included in several Australian and New Zealand

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Anne 1848 births 1930 deaths Australian poets Australian women novelists Australian women poets People from Manawatū-Whanganui Writers from Melbourne Australian emigrants to New Zealand People from the City of Hume