Dora Greenwell, born Dorothy Greenwell was an English poet.
Background
Dorothy Greenwell was born 6 December 1821 at the family estate called Greenwell Ford in Lanchester, County Durham, England. Her father was William Thomas Greenwell (1777–1856) and mother was Dorothy Smales (1789–1871). She was known as Dora to avoid confusion with her mother.
Career
Her oldest brother was William Greenwell (1820–1918), an archaeologist. She had three younger brothers: Francis Greenwell (1823–1894), Alan Greenwell (1824–1914) and Henry Nicholas Greenwell (1826–1891). She published her first volume of poems in 1848 through William Pickering, after her family had to leave their home.
Her major success came in the 1860s.
Many works have Christian religious themes. She is often compared to Christina Rossetti, and dedicated a book to Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
In addition to poetry, she wrote essays on women"s education and suffrage, and attacked the slave trade. Some of her verses were set to music as hymns, such as "I Am Not Skilled to Understand" by William J. Kirkpatrick.
A contemporary version was composed by Aaron Shust.
She also wrote biographies of French priest Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire and American Quaker After her mother"s death in 1871, she visited friends for a few years, and then moved to London in She died 29 March 1882 and was buried in Arnos Vale Cemetery in Bristol.