Acquisition of the Elizabeth Barrett Browning Letters

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Thanks to National Heritage Memorial Fund support, the letters of celebrated Victorian writer Elizabeth Barrett Browning will be preserved for the UK public.

The collection of 131 letters has been acquired by the British Library where it can be accessed by researchers. A selection of the archives will also be digitised and made freely available online

The letters were written between 1846 and 1860, following the publication of Poems (1844), the successful volume for which she first became well-known.

One of the most important English writers

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: “The National Heritage Memorial Fund is delighted to support the British Library to acquire the Elizabeth Barrett Browning letters, adding these outstanding papers to the UK public collection to be cared for and accessible to all.

“Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most important English writers of the 19th century, and one of a small number of female writers who achieved prominence in Victorian Britain. This collection of letters provides a fascinating insight into her life, her work and her views on social and political issues of the time.”