Anna Eliza Bray
Anna Eliza Bray was an English author born in Surrey in the late eighteenth century, known for her diverse literary contributions and dedication to preserving the works of her late husbands. She was first married to Charles Alfred Stothard, an antiquarian draftsman, who died in 1821. Following his death, Bray invested considerable resources to publish his work, "The Monumental Effigies of Great Britain," which included a text written by her brother. She later married Reverend Edward Atkyn Bray and published his travel journal, "The Mountains and Lakes of Switzerland," after his passing nearly twenty-six years later. Bray's own writings encompassed historical novels that often reflected the cultures of Devonshire and Cornwall, with her notable work, "The Borders of the Tamar and Tavy," emerging in 1836. This book was inspired by local traditions and was positively received, having been encouraged by poet Robert Southey. Additionally, she authored an autobiography of her former father-in-law, Thomas Stothard, published in 1851. Anna Eliza Bray passed away in 1883, with her own autobiography released posthumously in 1884, highlighting her literary legacy and the impact of her familial connections.
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Subject Terms
Anna Eliza Bray
Fiction and Nonfiction Writer
- Born: December 25, 1790
- Birthplace: Newington, Surrey, England
- Died: January 21, 1883
Biography
Anna Eliza Bray, born the daughter of J. Kempe in Surrey, England, in the late eighteenth century, authored numerous original works in her lifetime and additionally committed herself to ensuring publication of works composed by the two husbands who preceded her in death. Her first marriage was to artist Charles Alfred Stothard, an antiquarian draftsman and the son of painter Thomas Stothard. Her husband died in 1821, when he fell from a ladder while working on a stained glass window, and the widow invested significant money and efforts to secure the publication of Charles Stothard’s inThe Monumental Effigies of Great Britain in 1832. The widow enlisted her brother, Alfred John Kempe, to compose the complementary text.
Sometime prior to the publication of Charles Stothard’s work, she married the Reverend Edward Atkyn Bray, with whom she traveled to Switzerland in 1839. There her second husband kept an account of their travels, and Bray published the reverend’s journal in her work, The Mountains and Lakes of Switzlerand. Edward Bray died nearly twenty-six years before his wife, and Anna Eliza Bray published two volumes of his verses, along with a memoir, in 1859, two years following her second husband’s death.
Bray’s own publications include novels depicting foreign cultures and her popular historical novels, which often told the history of the Devonshire and Cornwall families. Her reputed The Borders of the Tamar and Tavy appeared in 1836, and depicted the colorful traditions of Tavistock, the birthplace of her husband Edward Bray and the community where they lived together; some of her husband’s notes contributed to the narrative. The Borders of Tamar and Tavy was encouraged by Robert Southey, and Bray wrote the well- received book in the form of letters to him. She also composed an autobiography of her former father-in-law, Thomas Stothard, in 1851, including both her own memories of the artist and those of his friends and family. Bray died in 1883, and her Autobiography was published in 1884.