Bernard Barton letterbook

Bernard Barton (1784-1849) was a Quaker and poet. He was born on January 31, 1784, in Carlisle, England, the son of Quakers John and Maria (Done) Barton. His mother died shortly after his birth, and his father died when Barton was a child, leaving Barton to be raised by his father's second wife. Barton was educated at Friend's School, in Ipswich, and was apprenticed to Samuel Jesup in 1798. In 1807, Barton married Lucy Jesup, who died in 1808, while giving birth to the couple's only child, Lucy Barton. Barton then worked as a clerk for Messrs. Alexander's bank, where he worked for the remainder of his life.

In 1812, Barton published his first volume of poetry, 'Metrical Effusions,' and in 1818, he published the 'Convict's Appeal,' a protest against the criminal code of the time, written in verse. Later publications included 'Poems by an Amateur' (1818), 'Poems' (1820), 'Napoleon and other poems' (1822), and 'Verses on the death of P.B. Shelley' (1822). Barton became the friend and correspondent of many other writers and literary men, including Charles Lamb, Robert Southey, and William Wordsworth. He lodged with Anne Knight, a Quaker children's author, and provided her with poems for a few of her books.

Bernard Barton died February 19, 1849, in Woodbridge, England.