Ann Batten Cristall facts for kids

Ann Batten Cristall (1769–1848) was an English poet and a schoolteacher. She was friends with other well-known writers of her time, like Mary Wollstonecraft and Anna Letitia Barbauld. People who study her work today say she was very skilled at writing poems. They also note that her poems often questioned the popular ideas of the Romantic period.

Early Life and Learning

Ann Batten Cristall was born in Penzance, Cornwall. She was baptized on December 7, 1769. Her father, Alexander Cristall, was a sailor and later made sails. Her mother, Elizabeth, was from Penzance and was known for being educated and having good taste. Ann had two older half-brothers from her father's first marriage.

Her family moved to London when she was a child. They later lived in Rotherhithe and Blackheath. Ann's mother helped teach her. Ann also went to school in London with her brother, Joshua Cristall. Joshua later became a famous artist known for his water-colour paintings.

Her Work as a Writer and Teacher

Ann Cristall became a schoolteacher. It seems she relied on her brother Joshua for money. The famous writer Mary Wollstonecraft wrote letters to Joshua about Ann. In one letter from 1790, Wollstonecraft said that Ann's happiness "very much depends on you."

Ann Cristall's book of poems, Poetical Sketches, came out in 1795. Many famous writers, including Mary Wollstonecraft and Anna Letitia Barbauld, helped support its publication. They did this by signing up to buy the book before it was printed.

Ann's longer poems and her nature poems were often a bit sad. Sometimes they even had a mysterious or spooky feeling. Critics at the time noticed some small flaws. However, they still praised her "genius" and her "Warmth of imagination." Modern experts have called her book "a remarkable text of women's Romanticism." This means it was an important book for women writers during the Romantic period.

In 1797, Ann was introduced to Robert Southey, another poet. He also thought she was very talented.

Later Years and Passing

We do not know much about Ann Cristall's later life. After the 1790s, she seemed to stop being part of the group of writers she knew. She never married. She might have lived with her younger sister, Elizabeth, who was an engraver. Ann may have also worked as an assistant at Lewisham Hill Grammar School in Kent.

Ann Batten Cristall passed away on February 9, 1848. This was four months after her brother Joshua died. There is a special stone with her name on it in St Mary's Church in Lewisham, where she was buried.