Christian Carstairs facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Christian Carstairs
"Addressed to a Beech Tree" by Christian Carstairs. Original Poems. By a Lady. Edinburgh, 1786.
Pen name	"a Lady"
Occupation	governess; author
Language	English
Years active	1763—1786
Notable work	Original Poems. By a Lady
Relatives	James Bruce Carstairs (father)
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Christian Carstairs was a Scottish poet from the 1700s. She wrote and published her poems without using her real name, often signing her work as "a Lady." She was active as a writer between 1763 and 1786.

Christian Carstairs: Her Life

Early Life and Family

Christian Carstairs was the daughter of James Bruce Carstairs. Her family lived in a place called Kinross, which is in Fife, Scotland. We don't know many details about her life. Most of what we do know comes from clues in her own writing.

For example, one of her poems mentions that she had a brother. This brother was a soldier who sadly died while serving in Bengal.

What She Did for Work

Christian Carstairs likely worked as a governess. A governess was a woman who lived with a family and taught their children at home. It's also thought that she might have tried to open a school. This school would have taught young women how to be milliners, which means making hats.

Her Writings

Her Poetry Book

Christian Carstairs is best known for her collection of poems. It was called Original Poems. By a Lady, Dedicated to Miss Ann Henderson. A Tribute to Gratitude and Friendship. She published this book in Edinburgh in 1786. She chose to publish it anonymously, meaning her name wasn't on it.

The book was sold by "subscription." This means people paid for the book before it was even printed. The list of people who subscribed was quite small, with only ninety-six names. However, many of these people were from important or wealthy families.

Her Play

Besides her poems, Christian Carstairs also wrote a short play. It was called The Hubble-Shue. People who have read it often find it a bit confusing. Even so, it was included in a collection of plays by Scottish writers from the 1600s and 1700s.

Why Her Work Is Important

A writer named Pamela Perkins has said that Carstairs's work is important for understanding history. Her poems covered many popular topics of her time. Because of this, her book gives us a good idea of what people were interested in back then. It also helps us understand what it was like for women writers in Scotland in the late 1700s.

List of Her Works

• Original Poems. By a Lady, Dedicated to Miss Ann Henderson. A Tribute to Gratitude and Friendship. Published in Edinburgh in 1786.
• The Hubble-Shue. This play was published with a preface by James Maidment in Edinburgh in 1833.

Where to Read Her Work Online

You can find some of Christian Carstairs's poems and her play online.

• "Christian Carstairs." You can find some of her poetry on the Eighteenth-century Poetry Archive website.
• The Hubble-Shue. Full text is available at Project Gutenberg.