Sarah Dixon facts for kids
Sarah Dixon was an English poet born around September 28, 1671, in Rochester, Kent. She started writing poetry when she was young and had a lot of free time. Her first known poem that still exists is from 1716. About 500 people bought her book, Poems on Several Occasions, before it was even printed. Famous people like Elizabeth Carter and Alexander Pope were among those who supported her work.
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Who Was Sarah Dixon?
Sarah Dixon was the daughter of James Dixon, a lawyer, and Elizabeth Southouse. Her grandfather was Robert Dixon, a clergyman. Sarah likely spent most of her life in a village called St Stephen's, near Canterbury.
Her Family and Poems
Sarah had a brother who probably died when he was a teenager. She might have had a sister too. Her niece, Eliza Bunce, was one of the people who bought her book. Eliza even added more of Sarah's poems to her own copy. Eliza's husband, Reverend John Bunce, encouraged Sarah and helped her prepare her poems for publishing.
One of Sarah's poems, "The Ruins of St. Austin's, Canterbury," was written when she was 73 years old. This abbey is the oldest Christian site in Britain. The poem was published after she died, in 1774, in a newspaper called the Kentish Gazette.
Sarah Dixon never married or had children. A poem she wrote in 1739 was for John and Eliza Bunce after their daughter passed away. Another poem in her book was called "On the Death of my Dear Brother, Late of University College, Oxford".
What People Thought of Her Work
Sarah Dixon herself said her poems were "all artless, uninformed," meaning she thought they were simple and not very fancy. But she was good at writing different kinds of poems and seemed to have read a lot of books.
Modern experts who study her work have different opinions:
- One expert said she was a "mordant satirist," meaning she wrote sharp, witty poems that made fun of both men and women. Her love poems showed many feelings, from joy to sadness to making fun of things.
- Another expert noted that her poems ranged from light, clever jokes about women's mistakes to romantic songs and serious religious verses.
- A third expert commented that Sarah Dixon understood feelings very well and showed how important family loyalty and love for her country were.
When Did Sarah Dixon Die?
Sarah Dixon passed away on April 23, 1765. She was 93 years old. She died in the village of Hackington, Kent.
