Author: Little, Janet
Biography:
LITTLE, Janet later Richmond (1759-1813: ODNB)
Little is known about her early life and education but she was born at Nether Bogside, Dumfriesshire, and her father was George Little. She early went into service and by 1788 she was employed in the dairy at Loudon Castle by Frances Dunlop, a patron of Robert Burns. Little sent Burns some of her poems. His initial response was cool but later he assisted with the subscription for her 1792 collection; the book has an impressive list of subscribers, including Burns and James Boswell, and reportedly earned its author £50. In 1792 she married John Richmond, a widower with five children who was a labourer on the Loudon estate. The couple remained living on the estate until Little’s death from “a cramp in the stomach”; she was buried in the cemetery at Loudon Kirk. Although she was initially known for her association with Burns, more recently her poetry has attracted serious critical attention. (ODNB 25 Feb 2020) SR