Anne Killigrew
Anne Killigrew was an accomplished poet and painter born in 1660, just prior to the Restoration of Charles II in England. Growing up in a prominent royalist family in London, she was well-connected and well-educated, influenced by a lineage that included playwrights and court figures. Killigrew demonstrated artistic talent at an early age, leading to recognition in court circles for both her poetry and paintings. Her works often drew upon themes from Greek and Roman mythology, as well as biblical narratives, showcasing her extensive knowledge of these areas.
Though her literary output was limited—consisting of only eighty-four pages published posthumously—her poems reflect a deep commitment to exploring themes of virtue, chastity, and the moral responsibilities of women. Killigrew’s most notable contribution is her ability to articulate the struggles for recognition and respect faced by women artists, a perspective she captured eloquently in her writings. She passed away from smallpox at the young age of twenty-five, but her legacy continued through the admiration of contemporaries, including a renowned elegy by John Dryden. Today, Killigrew is remembered not only for her artistic talents but also for her embodiment of virtue and piety in her life and work.
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Subject Terms
Anne Killigrew
Writer
- Born: 1660
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: June 16, 1685
Biography
Anne Killigrew was born just before Charles II’s restoration in 1660. She was one of several children of Dr. Henry Killigrew and his wife Judith. They lived in St. Martin’s Lane, London, a fashionable section of the city, and her life was played out within the framework of Restoration England’s court, with all its glamour and uncertainties.
Killigrew’s entire family was closely involved with royalist politics and the Restoration court. Her father, Dr. Henry Killigrew, had been given a stall as prebendary in Westminster Abbey. Along with her father, Anne’s uncles Thomas and William Killigrew wrote many plays for the court theater.
Thus, Anne grew up in a well-connected and well-educated family. Though no details of her own education are known, she seems to have received a commendable one. Anne showed indications of genius very early and her father made sure to cultivate it carefully. Moving in court circles with her father and other family members, Anne soon became celebrated in the arts of painting and poetry. For these artistic abilities, Anne was often compared to Katherine Philips, the “Matchless Orinda.”
Killigrew’s works, both visual and verbal, display knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology and of biblical history. Her first poem, “Alexandreis,” has a classical theme. In both paintings and poems, she depicts scenes from the life of John the Baptist. Her knowledge of the Bible is also demonstrated in references to minor biblical figures, such as Nebat’s son in “The Invective Against Gold.” Her portraits of James, Duke of York, and Mary of Modena, as well as her own portrait and other paintings, also reflect this historical knowledge and classic style.
Poems such as “To My Lord Colrane” indicate that Anne was known in court circles for her poetry and that her verses were circulated in manuscript. This form of circulation was acceptable as a method of presenting a writer’s work, particularly for members of the upper class whose goal was recognition by their peers rather than paid publication. Anne’s own motivations for writing are most clearly articulated in “Upon the Saying That My Verses Were Made by Another.” The poem vividly describes her excitement at seeking fame, her distress when her work is attributed to others, and her determination to continue writing no matter what the world says of her.
This honest and wholehearted commitment to writing is reflected throughout Killigrew’s work. Her verse ranges from formal addresses to friendly letters, and her direct moral critiques as in “An Invective Against Gold” are comparable to the subtler social commentary of her pastoral dialogues. Her most succinct statement of the importance of poetry in her life appears in “An Epitaph on Her Self.”
Along with reflecting her commitment to poetic importance, Killigrew’s poems also suggest a longing for a world in which women are loved and respected for their virtue and wit, not sought solely for beauty or wealth. In the pastoral and courtly worlds, Killigrew advocates chastity as a necessary protection against male trifling and betrayal. Reason is also invoked as a protection, enabling one to use judgment and not be led astray by the deceit of others or the power of one’s own passions and desires.
While a highly skillful and versatile poet in her own right, Killigrew is perhaps best known as the subject of a famous elegy in 1686 by the poet John Dryden titled “To The Pious Memory of the Accomplished Young Lady Mrs. Anne Killigrew.” In his writings, he even compares Killigrew’s poetic abilities to the famous Greek poet of antiquity Sappho.
Still in her prime, Killigrew was to die of smallpox at the age of twenty-five on June 16, 1685, only months after the death of Charles II and the succession of James II. Her entire output of work is very small—only eighty-four pages of her only book Poems by Mrs. Anne Killigrew are clearly hers, and of these a number are fragmentary and unfinished. This book was published by her father a few months after her death which suggests that her verse lives on as the truest monument to her life. She is buried at the chapel of Savoy hospital in England.
Though much of her work remains incomplete, it is clear that Killigrew was an extremely talented and respectable poet. Along with her artistic talents, Killigrew was also a woman of exemplary virtue and piety, an assertion which is clearly supported through her verse and in the words of those who admired her.