Biographical Sketch:

Barbara Hofland (1770-1844)

Barbara Hofland, a poet and highly prolific and popular novelists of her time, was born in Sheffield in 1770. Shortly after her birth, her father, Robert Wreaks, an extensive manufacturer died; and her mother remarried. Barbara was brought up by her aunt. In 1795 her first literary essay, 'Characteristics of Some Leading Inhabitants of Sheffield' was published by the Sheffield Courant. A year later she married Thomas Bradshawe Hoole, a merchant who died of consumption just two years later. She was left with a baby son and some property, but that was lost soon afterward due to the failure of the firm that it was invested through.

To support herself and her son she turned to publishing poems, and in 1805 her first volume obtained 2,000 subscribers and brought in several hundred pounds. With her proceeds, she opened a boarding school at Harrogate. Although, it was unsuccessful, she still found time to make herself known through her fiction writing. In 1808, after ten years of being a widow, she remarried to a struggling young artist by the name of Thomas Christopher Hofland. His lack of success urged her to work harder. She moved to London in 1811 and increased her output. In 1812, one of her early works, The Clergyman's Widow sold 17,000 copies. By 1824 she had produced upwards of twenty works of fiction and by her death in 1844 she produced sixty some works.

Her novel, The Daughter in Law, attracted the notice of Queen Charlotte, because of its character Emily that was dedicated to her. Contemporary reviews of her novel Moderation published in 1825 praise her for winning ground yielded to her as a a female author. In reference to Hofland, The Literary Chronicle stated, "...no one ranks higher, on account of the morality and good feeling displayed in her works, than Mrs. Hofland..." She is also praised for her ability to use religion in her writing without being overbearing about it.

-Prepared by Benjamin Javorsky Student, University of Nebraska, December 2002.