Working-class poet. Born in Leicester, Leicestershire. Initially attended a Dame school
and Leicester Sunday School, but after the death of her father she began working in
various warehouses at the age of eight to help provide for her mother and two siblings.
Worked 13-14 hour days for eighteen pence a week. Eventually employed by N. Corah
& Sons in Leicester. Her interest in literature led her to write her own poetry. Contributed
to several local magazines and authored one volume of poetry, Lays of Lowly Life (1861). Biographical information: Reilly, Mid-Victorian Poetry, p. 500; John Plummer, A Factory Violet,English Woman’s Journal, July 1864, pp. 324-30. (CC)