Ellen Forrester (1828 – 1883) was an Irish nationalist and poet.
Life
Ellen Forrester was born Ellen Magennis in 1828, probably in
Clones, County Monaghan
Clones ( ; , meaning 'meadow of Eois') is a small town in western County Monaghan, Ireland. The area is part of the Border Region, earmarked for economic development by the Irish Government due to its currently below-average economic situation ...
. She was the sixth of seven children of the local schoolmaster, Bernard Magennis. She was baptised on 26 December 1828. She was educated by her father, and considered to have inherited her poetical talent from her mother, a
Presbyterian who then converted to
Catholicism.
One of her brothers was the Irish journalist, Bernard Magennis (1833–1911), editor of the Dublin publication, the ''Social Mirror''.
Ellen Magennis moved to
England at age 17, working as a nursery governess in
Liverpool. She then moved to
Manchester, marrying a stonemason, Michael Forrester on 24 October 1847, at
Leeds parish church.
Michael Forrester drank heavily, and died of consumption at a young age in 1865, leaving Forrester with 5 children aged from 10 years and younger.
Poetry
She had written poetry most of her life, so to support her family she began submitting verse to English and Irish journals. Three of her children also wrote poetry: Arthur Forrester (1850-1895),
Fanny
Fanny may refer to:
Given name
* Fanny (name), a feminine given name or a nickname, often for Frances
In slang
* A term for the vulva, in Britain and many other parts of the English-speaking world
* A term for the buttocks, in the United States
...
Forrester (1852-1889), and Mary (b. 1857).
Forrester was a committed nationalist, and helped
Caroline Douglas
Caroline Douglas (1821 – 1904) was a Marchioness of Queensberry, and Irish nationalist benefactor.
Early life and family
Caroline Douglas was born Caroline Margaret Clayton in Ireland in 1821. Her father was English, Sir William Clayton, ...
raise money for the defence fund for the
Manchester Martyrs. Her son Arthur joined the
Irish Republican Brotherhood in 1866 and was a leading Lancashire
Fenian. She sought help from her friend,
Michael Davitt, when Arthur was arrested in 1869.
During Davitt's own imprisonment in
Millbank penitentiary, he requested permission for Forrester to visit him but this was denied as she was deemed to be a "notorious Fenian-sympathiser."
Around 1860 Forrester published her first volume of poetry, ''Simple strains''. This was followed by a collection of songs in 1869, ''Songs of the rising nation'', which also included verse from Arthur and Fanny Forrester. Towards the end of her life Forrester struggled with poverty and poor health, but according to accounts of her life she was in continuing good humour. in 1872 she applied to the
Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its long ...
describing herself as a "cripple" and dependant on her two daughters who worked in factories. This application was rejected.
She died on 6 January 1883 in
Salford, she was buried in a local Catholic cemetery.
Commemoration
In April 2022, her biography was published by the
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, alongside that of her daughter and fellow poet
Fanny Forrester.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forrester, Ellen
1828 births
1883 deaths
Writers from County Monaghan
Irish women poets
19th-century Irish women writers
19th-century Irish poets