Author: Manwaring, Miss
Biography:
MANWARING, Miss (fl 1826)
The only known publication of Miss Manwaring of Birmingham, The Slaves of Zanguebar, and Other Poems (1826), was given an appreciative notice as the first effort of a local young lady in the Birmingham Journal, although the reviewer regretted some moments of “female vanity” in it. La Belle Assemblée was much unkinder, summing it up as “a sad specimen of Brummagem-ware”—that is, a cheap and shoddy imitation of the real thing; in the reviewer’s view, “to want of talent is united the most offensive self-conceit and arrogance.” The most likely candidates for authorship are Ann and Sarah Manwaring, born in 1798 and 1800 respectively, daughters of John and Mary (Clarke) Manwaring, who had married at Aston on 24 Apr. 1791. Until she married, Ann would have been “Miss Manwaring” and her sister “Miss Sarah Manwaring.” But there are several possible marriage dates for Ann, starting in 1820, so it could be that Sarah was the writer; for her too there are several possible marriage dates, starting in 1833. For both of them there may well be later census records, although those generally appear improbable for one reason or another, such as a birthdate of 1816 in the census or a husband’s employment as boatman, ribbon weaver, or gardener. The contents of the collection show at least that the author belonged to the educated middle class. Perhaps the most revealing poem is an ”elegy” for Henry Osgood, a master at the Royal Lancastrian School in Birmingham, who had died at the age of 20 on 6 Mar. 1826. The writer expresses “secret anguish” but bows to God’s will. No more certain identification is possible at this point. (ancestry.com 15 Feb. 2024; findmypast.com 15 Feb. 2024; Birmingham Journal 13 May 1826; La Belle Assemblée [1826], 130-1)