Anne Hart
Anne Hart was an influential figure in Antigua during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Born in 1768 into a black slaveholding family, she and her sister Elizabeth Hart actively engaged in the education and empowerment of both enslaved and free African Caribbean individuals while advocating for the abolition of slavery. Both sisters were committed evangelical Methodists, and their writings reflected their religious beliefs, political views, and personal experiences, making them some of the earliest female African Caribbean writers. Hart’s most notable work includes a historical account of Antiguan Methodism, which intriguingly incorporates various African cultural practices, despite her critical views on them.
Anne Hart was baptized as a Methodist in 1786 and married John Gilbert, a white man who shared her religious fervor. Throughout their lives, they faced significant challenges, including poverty and illness, which ultimately impacted their ability to support themselves. Hart suffered from health issues later in life, and after the death of her husband in 1833, she passed away in 1834. Her contributions, alongside her sister's, were later highlighted in a compilation by English professor Moira Ferguson, emphasizing their roles as early advocates for social change and writers in the Caribbean context.
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Subject Terms
Anne Hart
Nonfiction Writer
- Born: January 1, 1768
- Birthplace: Antigua
- Died: July 18, 1834
- Place of death: Antigua
Biography
Antigua native Anne Hart and her sister Elizabeth Hart were the free daughters of an eighteenth century black slaveholding family. The two sisters, both of whom married Caucasian husbands, played active roles in the education of both enslaved and free African Caribbean people, and they actively fought to end slavery. Also devoted evangelical Methodists, the Hart sisters’ writings reflect their religion, their politics, their lives, and their status as two of the first female African Caribbean writers. Anne Hart’s best-known work is a history of Antiguan Methodism. An interesting aspect of this essay is its inclusion of many African practices. These practices provide a glimpse into the culture of black Antiguans during this time, even though Hart condemned them as “heathen, superstitious, and sin.”
Anne Hart was born in 1768. Her family were among the first Antiguans to join the Methodist movement within the Church of England. Hart was baptized as a Methodist in 1786, and became a full member of the Methodist Society. She married John Gilbert, a white man who shared his wife’s piety.
Throughout their lives, Hart and her husband contributed much to the welfare of the poor and the enslaved around them. However, because of his zealous belief in his religion, Gilbert was often at odds with other men he worked with, which made it difficult for him to provide for his wife and himself. The couple very often had little to eat.
In 1830, both Hart and her husband became ill, with the disease lingering in Gilbert until 1833, when he died. After his death, Hart was diagnosed with “St. Anthony’s Fire.” Historians suspect she and her husband had pellagra, a disease common in Antigua during this time among slave societies because of a lack of nutrition. Hart died in 1834. English professor Moira Ferguson presented a collection of the writings of Anne Hart Gilbert and Elizabeth Hart Thwaites in The Hart Sisters: Early African Caribbean Writers, Evangelicals, and Radicals.