Maria and Harriet Falconar facts for kids

Maria and Harriet Falconar were sisters from England or Scotland. They wrote and published books of poems when they were teenagers. They released their first poems in the late 1780s. After that, we don't know much about what happened to them. Their early lives and what they did later are a bit of a mystery.

The Young Poets: Maria and Harriet Falconar

Who Were the Falconar Sisters?

Maria Falconar was born in 1771, and her sister Harriet was born in 1774. They might have been the daughters of Magnus Falconar. He wrote medical books in the 1780s. Another idea is that they were the children of a Scottish poet named William Falconer. He died in 1769. However, this would mean their father died before they were born. Also, the sisters lived in London.

Their First Poems

Maria Falconar's poems first appeared in print in 1786. Two of her poems were published in a magazine called the European Magazine and London Review.

In 1788, the sisters published their first book together. It was simply called Poems. Important people supported their book. The Duke of Northumberland was one of them. Other famous writers like Elizabeth Carter also helped. The poems in this book were about feelings and ideas. Some topics were "Remorse" (feeling sorry) and "Fancy" (imagination).

Poems About Important Topics

In the same year, 1788, Maria and Harriet published another book. This one was called On Slavery. It talked about the ethics of slavery. This book is still available today. You can find it in the British Library or as an e-book. When this book came out, Maria was said to be 17 and Harriet was 14. The book was published by companies in Whitehall, London.

Later Writings

In 1791, the sisters wrote another book. Maria was 20 and Harriet was 17. This book was called Poetic Laurels. They wrote it for the Prince of Wales. He later became George IV of the United Kingdom. The poems in this book hinted that they might get married soon. They also seemed to know that marriage could make it harder for them to keep writing. It is possible they kept writing under their married names. Maybe future research will find more of their writings.