Harriet Miller Davidson (25 November 1839 – 21 December 1883) was a Scottish poet and novelist.

Life

Davidson was born in

Cromarty Cromarty (; gd, Cromba, ) is a town, civil parish and former royal burgh in Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. Situated at the tip of the Black Isle on the southern shore of the mouth of Cromarty Firth, it is seaward from ...

in 1839. She was the daughter of Lydia Mackenzie Falconer Miller, a writer of children's books and

Hugh Miller Hugh Miller (10 October 1802 – 23/24 December 1856) was a self-taught Scottish geologist and writer, folklorist and an evangelical Christian. Life and work Miller was born in Cromarty, the first of three children of Harriet Wright ('' ...

, a self-taught

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

. Davidson was said to have been affected for the rest of her life by her father's suicide on 24 December 1856.W. G. Blaikie, ‘Davidson, Harriet Miller (1839–1883)’, rev. Pam Perkins, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 8 Dec 2014
/ref> She met her husband, John Davidson, while in Europe and she married the Presbyterian minister in 1860. They emigrated to Adelaide in 1870 after her husband was made minister at Chalmers Church in the city. When the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

was created her husband was chosen as the first Hughes professor of English literature although it was argued that his wife was just as well qualified. She wrote ''Isabel Jardine's History'' which was published by the Scottish Temperance League in 1867. She published poems and stories in both countries about temperance and of daughters left by inspirational fathers. She wrote ''Christian Osborn's Friends'' in 1869 as well as contributing poems and stories to the local newspapers and ''

Chambers's Journal ''Chambers's Edinburgh Journal'' was a weekly 16-page magazine started by William Chambers in 1832. The first edition was dated 4 February 1832, and priced at one penny. Topics included history, religion, language, and science. William was so ...

''. Davidson ran a small school at her home in Adelaide. She visited Scotland in 1877 but died in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

in 1883 having become an invalid.R. B. Walker, 'Davidson, John (1834–1881)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/davidson-john-3372/text5097, published first in hardcopy 1972, accessed online 9 December 2014. After she died her four daughters moved back to Britain. One of the daughters married in 1890 to become Lydia Falconer Fraser Miller Middleton.Obituary. The Times, Tuesday, 27 November 1934; Issue 46922; pg. 9; col B

Bibliography

Novels

* ''A Man of Genius'' (1872) * ''The Hamiltons : A Story of Australian Life'' (1878)

Young adult novels

* ''Isobel Jardine's History'' (1867) * ''Christian Osborne's Friends'' (1870) * ''The Child of the Sun : A Tale for Children'' (1881) * ''Sir Gilbert's Children'' (1884)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Harriet Miller 1839 births 1883 deaths People from the Black Isle Scottish women novelists Scottish emigrants to Australia Australian women novelists Australian women poets 19th-century Scottish poets 19th-century Scottish novelists 19th-century Australian writers 19th-century British women writers 19th-century British writers Writers from Adelaide 19th-century Australian women writers Scottish women writers Scottish women poets