Author: Benger, Elizabeth Ogilvy
Biography:
BENGER, Elizabeth Ogilvy (1778-1827: ODNB)
She was born at or near Wells, Som., and was an only child. Her father, John Benger, was a purser in the navy; her mother was Elizabeth (Chambers) Benger. Most of her formative years were spent in Chatham and Rochester. She lacked literary surroundings and later claimed to have been obliged to read the open books in shop windows, returning each day when the page had been turned. However, her parents arranged for her to learn Latin at a local boys' school when she was twelve. In 1797, following the death of John Benger a year earlier, the family moved to Devizes where a well-stocked library was available. On a further move to London in 1808, Benger found herself in congenial company among literary Dissenters, and became something of a literary lionizer. She wrote novels and biographies. Mme de Staël said that she was the most interesting woman she had seen in England. She died in London and was buried at St. Pancras. (RPW; ODNB 5 Mar. 2020)
Other Names:
- E. Benger
- Miss Benger