ANNA LETITIA, an English authoress, was b. at Ribworth-Ilarcourt, in Leicestershire—where her father, the Rev. John Ain', a dissenting clergyman, kept an academy—on the 20th June, 1743. Her private education, the religious influence of her home, and secluded life in the country were well fitted to develop early her natural taste for poetry; but it was not until 1773 that she was induced to give her effusions to the public, who appreciated them so highly that four editions were called for during the year. Encouraged by this, she the same year, conjointly with her brother, published Miscellaneous Pieces in Prose (Load: 1773), which also passed through many editions.
In the following year, the poetess married the Rev. Roehemont Barba:11d, a dissenting minister at Palgrave, in Suffolk, in which village the newly married pair opened a board ing-sehool for boys. The literary fame and the assiduity of Mrs. B. soon made it cele brated. During the ten years Mrs. B. was engaged in the duties of tuition here, site published Early Lessons for Children, and Hymns in Prose, works which have been often reprinted in England for youthful readtrs, and translated into several languages. Her Drrotional Pieces was also published during this period. In 1702, she commenced with the brother previously mentioned—who wrote the most of them--the well-known series, Erenings at Home, which were completed in three years. In 1795, sho edited
Akenside' s Pleasures of Imagination, and Collins's Odes, prefixing to Melt a critical essay. In 1804, she began to edit a selection from the Spectator; Guardian, Tager, etc.; and in 1810 published a collection of the British novelists, the task of editing which she had undertaken to divert her mind from the loss she had sustained two years previous in the death of her huslamd. The Female Spectator (Loud. 1811) contains a selection from her writings. Her last poetical effort was anode., entitled Eighteen Hundred and E'eren (bond. 1812). All her compositions are characterized by simplicity of feeling, an easy, towing style, and pure and elevated sentiment, and give token of a mind well versed in classical literature. She lived in quiet retirement till her death, which happened on the 9th Mar., 1825. The life of Mrs: B. has been written by Lucy .Aikin, also known as an authoress, and prefixed to the collection of the Works of A. L. Barbanld (2 vols., bond. 1825). The same lady also publiShed from the posthumous papers of the authoress, A .Legacy for Young Ladies (Loud. 1826).