Janet Little
Encyclopedia
Janet Little, later Janet Richmond, (1759 - March 15, 1813), known as The Scotch Milkmaid, was a Scottish
poet who wrote in the Scots language
. Born in Ecclefechan
, she enjoyed a "common education" and, as an assistant to local clergy, was able to exercise her love of reading and writing. By the 1780s she had gained a reputation as a "rustic poetess". Her employer, Mrs Frances Dunlop, recommended her poetry to Robert Burns
. Burns, who had recently been inundated by a swarm of untalented imitators, was initially wary, but he later assisted Mrs Dunlop in publishing Little's poetry. One source describes her as 'a very tall masculine woman, with dark hair, and features somewhat course.'
Little's most notable patron, apart from Burns and Mrs Dunlop, was James Boswell
. Some time in the early 1790s, Little married John Richmond (died 1819), a widower more than eighteen years her senior. She continued to write until her death in 1813 of "a cramp in the stomach".
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
poet who wrote in the Scots language
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
. Born in Ecclefechan
Ecclefechan
Ecclefechan is a small village in the south of Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway.Ecclefechan lay in the early middle ages within the British kingdom of Rheged, and the name is derived from the Brythonic for "small church"...
, she enjoyed a "common education" and, as an assistant to local clergy, was able to exercise her love of reading and writing. By the 1780s she had gained a reputation as a "rustic poetess". Her employer, Mrs Frances Dunlop, recommended her poetry to Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
. Burns, who had recently been inundated by a swarm of untalented imitators, was initially wary, but he later assisted Mrs Dunlop in publishing Little's poetry. One source describes her as 'a very tall masculine woman, with dark hair, and features somewhat course.'
Little's most notable patron, apart from Burns and Mrs Dunlop, was James Boswell
James Boswell
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck was a lawyer, diarist, and author born in Edinburgh, Scotland; he is best known for the biography he wrote of one of his contemporaries, the English literary figure Samuel Johnson....
. Some time in the early 1790s, Little married John Richmond (died 1819), a widower more than eighteen years her senior. She continued to write until her death in 1813 of "a cramp in the stomach".
Selected Poems
- 'On a Visit to Mr. Burns' (1791)
- 'An Epistle to a Lady'
- 'Given to A Lady Who Asked me to Write a Poem' (1792)
- 'On Halloween' (1792)
- 'To My Aunty'
- 'Upon a Young Lady's Breaking a Looking Glass'
External links
- Excerpts from the Poetical Works of Janet Little, including a brief biography
- Complete Poetical Works of Janet Little