Elizabeth Somerville

Elizabeth Somerville (née Helme; 1774–1840) was a Scottish novelist who wrote primarily for children. She was also a school mistress.

Life

Elizabeth Helme was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, one of the five children of Elizabeth and William Helme. Her mother, Elizabeth, was a school teacher and translator, and her father was a schoolmaster. Despite these employments, the family frequently struggled financially.

In her later life, Somerville moved to Lancashire and lived in District Nine of that county.

There is evidence that she and her family continued to suffer from economic precarity. According to an 1841 census, she made her living by "independent means," which could refer to free-lance writing.

Writing

Somerville began publishing in 1799 and initially published her works as "Elizabeth Helme" or "Elizabeth Helme, Junior." Unsurprisingly, some of her works have been on occasion mis-attributed to her mother. After 1801 she used her married name and published as "Mrs. Somerville.""Elizabeth Helme Somerville." Orlando: Women’s Writing in the British Isles from the Beginnings to the Present. Accessed 10 July 2022.
Orlando

Works

The following is a list of published works authored by Somerville, though there still remain some issues with attribution.

* ''The faithful mirror'' (1799)
*''James Manners, Little John, and their dog Bluff. By Elizabeth Helme, Jun''. (London: Darton & Harvey / E. Newbery, 1799)
* ''Flora: or the deserted child. By Elizabeth Somerville.'' (London: Longman and Rees, 1800)
* ''Lessons for children of three years old'' (London: Benjamin Crosby and Co. / B. Tabart, 1800)
"Somerville, Elizabeth." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 1426. Accessed 2022-07-10.
WPHP

*''Lessons, or, Short stories in two and three syllables, containing ... By Elizabeth Somerville.'' (London: Benjamin Crosby and Co. / B. Tabart, 1800)
*''The village maid, or, Dame Burton's moral stories for the instruction and amusement of youth. By Elizabeth Somerville.'' (London: Vernor and Hood, Poultry, 1801)
* ''The birth-day, or, Moral dialogues and stories for the instruction and amusement of juvenile readers'' (1802)
*''Mabel Woodbine and her sister Lydia: a tale interspersed with moral and original stories. By Elizabeth Somerville.'' (London: B. Crosby and Co., 1802)
*''The new children in the wood, or, The Welch cottagers: a tale. By Elizabeth Somerville.'' (London: B. Crosby and Co., 1802)
* ''Choice tales, for the improvement of youth of both sexes'' (1803)
* ''Preludes to Knowledge, Or, Amusing and Instructive Conversations on History, Astronomy, Geography, Optics, and the Division of Time in Different Countries. Interspersed with Stories, Moral and Entertaining'' (1803)
*''Sacred Lectures from the holy scriptures, on the old and New Testament; interspersed with moral and religious reflections. Expressly written for the purpose of implanting in the minds of youth early impressions of the duty they owe to their creator; and shewing the dreadful consequences of sin and disobedience. By Elizabeth Somerville, author of several juvenile publications. In two volumes.'' (London: T. Hurst, 1803)
* ''The history of little Charles, and his friend Frank Wilful'' (1808)
* ''Aurora and Maria; or the Advantages of Adversity. A Moral Tale''. (London: Philip Norbury, 1809)
* ''The history of little Phoebe and the reclaimed child'' (1809)

Reception

''The British Critic'' describes Somerville's ''Preludes to knowledge…'' as “a very leasingand proper book for children about ten or twelve years of age, in which musementis judiciously blended with nstruction"

The ''Biographical Dictionary of Authors in Great Britain'' (1816) refers to Somerville as an "author of several ingenious books for children."

In the Anti-Jacobin Review, Somerville's book ''Aurora and Maria; or the Advantages of Adversity. A Moral Tale'', is described as "a very neat, interesting, instructive, and moral tale, replete with natural and affecting incidents, impressive examples, and salutary lessons very well adapted to...improve the minds of the youth."

Frontispiece Elizabeth Somerville James Manners 1801.jpg, Frontispiece from Elizabeth Somerville's ''James Manners, little John, and their dog Bluff'' (London: Darton and Harvey / E. Newbery, 1801)
Title page Elizabeth Somerville James Manners 1801.jpg, Title page from Elizabeth Somerville's ''James Manners, little John, and their dog Bluff'' (London: Darton and Harvey / E. Newbery, 1801)
Elizabeth Somerville History of little Charles 1808 page 10.jpg, Page from Elizabeth Somerville's ''The history of little Charles, and his friend Frank Wilful: embellished with cuts'' (Originally printed in London. U.S. edition: Litchfield onn. Printed by Hosmer & Goodwin, 1808, p. 10 ).
Elizabeth Somerville History of little Charles 1808 page 11.jpg, Woodcut from Elizabeth Somerville's ''The history of little Charles, and his friend Frank Wilful: embellished with cuts'' (Originally printed in London. U.S. edition: Litchfield onn. Printed by Hosmer & Goodwin, 1808, p. 11).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somerville, Elizabeth
Scottish children's writers
1774 births
1840 deaths
19th-century British women writers
19th-century Scottish writers
19th-century Scottish women writers