Benger, Elizabeth (1778–1827)

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Benger, Elizabeth (1778–1827)

British biographer and poet. Born Elizabeth Ogilvy Benger, Feb 1778, in Wells, Somerset, England; died Jan 9, 1827, in London, England; dau. of John Benger (purser in the navy, died 1796) and Mary (Long) Benger; niece of Sir David Ogilvy.

Writer, whose historical work often focused on women of intellect, befriended Laetitia Barbauld, Lucy Aikin, Elizabeth Hamilton, Joanna Baillie and Madame de Staël; wrote novels Marian (1812) and The Heart and the Fancy, or, Valsinore (1813), as well as poetry; biographies, which were frequently reprinted, include Memoirs of the late Mrs. Elizabeth Hamilton (1818), Memoirs of the Life of Anne Boleyn (1821) and Memoirs of the Life of Mary, Queen of Scots (1823).