The Life of Jane Porter

By Cassandra McLean

Jane Porter was a notable Scottish historical novelist during her time. The events of her life are recorded in considerable detail in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Dictionary of Literary Biography, and Wikipedia. The narrative that is presented of Porter remains the same across these databases, though not all of her works are discussed. The ODNB in particular tends to take on an opinionated voice when speculating on what Porter felt about her works, and what others must have thought of her. A more objective, and perhaps more detailed, record of Porter’s life can be found in the DLB, specifically the report by Michael Adams. It is from this record that I have cross-referenced much of the information in the other databases.

Porter's Childhood

Porter was born at Durham, England, and baptized on January 17, 1776. She later died in 1850. Her parents were William Porter and Jane née Blenkinsop; her siblings included her elder brothers, William Ogilvie Porter, Colonel John Porter, and Sir Robert Ker Porter; and her younger sister, Anna Maria Porter.

Porter’s father died in 1780, and afterwards her mother moved the family to Edinburgh for their education. Porter and Anna Maria went to George Fulton’s school, where they became keenly interested in literature. Both were noted to be prodigies; Anna Maria published Artless Tales at the age of twelve. The girls are also said to have spent time with Sir Walter Scott, a fellow Scottish historical novelist, when he was young, though there is no mention of this on his side.

The family moved to London around 1794, likely to assist Sir Robert in pursuing his career as a painter. It was there that Porter and Anna Maria entered the literary circles, becoming acquainted with such persons as Lucy Aiken, Anna Barbauld, and Elizabeth Benger. In 1797, the three siblings featured in The Quiz, a periodical that did not last for long.

Porter's Adulthood and Works

Porter published her first book, The Spirit of the Elbe, in 1799, and The Two Princes of Persia: Addressed to Youth, in 1801. Both books received much negative criticism, and it appears that, for this reason, Porter did not want to admit that these were her first publications.

Porter’s most notable works are Thaddeus of Warsaw (1803), set during the failed revolts against the Second Partition of Poland in the 1790s; and The Scottish Chiefs (1810), an early example of the historical novel that was translated into several languages and banned in France by Napoleon. The Scottish Chiefs was written after the sisters moved to Long Ditton, Kingston in 1804. Unfortunately, Porter hardly received any of the earnings from the success of these works because the rights remained with her publishers. Because of her brothers’ poor financial decisions, she and Anna Maria used their incomes to pay off their brothers’ debts, and had to move around as houseguests of their friends with no home to call their own. Porter also applied many times to the government for a literary pension, but was unsuccessful (Looser, pg. 159).

In addition to Porter’s novels, she took part in periodicals and plays, the latter of which did not progress well. Her 1819 play, Switzerland, appeared to have been sabotaged on the first performance by its lead, Edmund Kean, and closed afterwards. Another work of hers from 1822, Owen, Prince of Powys, closed after three performances.

Sir Robert's Portrait

It was around the time of 1822 that Porter’s brother, Sir Robert, returned to England from his travels (he had previously been in Tehran and received honours from the Persian monarch in 1819). During his stay, we can assume that his portrait was engraved by Thomas Alfred Woolnoth, which is the subject of Porter’s letter in my transcription.

Up to this point, Sir Robert had journeyed to Russia, Spain, Sweden, Caucasus, Persia, and Venezuela, receiving many honours from various monarchs, and even courting and marrying the Russian princess, Mary. After being away from home for so long, no doubt his family missed him and wished to have his portrait done – and it could also have served as a way to celebrate his accomplishments. He appears particularly professional and regal in his portrait, dressed in uniform and posed in an upright manner. However, there is hardly any mention of his time spent in England during this period, only that he had a brief return before leaving again for Russia.

Porter's Decline

Porter continued to write after 1822, producing such works as Tales Round a Winter’s Hearth (1826), Coming Out, and The Field of Forty Footsteps (1828). These titles were collaborations with her sister, Anna Maria. After this, Porter’s writing appears to have slowed; ODNB explains that she “wrote no further extended work;” her next notable piece appears in 1831, a romance/ship-wreck tale called Sir Edward Seaward’s Diary, which Porter claims was a true record of events and merely edited by her. However, it is more likely that it was written by her brother, William Ogilvie Porter, as shown by the letters in the University of Durham Porter archives. ODNB believes this work to be “a loss to the Jane Porter canon, since it could previously be added to show her versatility,” though there is not much in the way of knowing that for certain.

Following this, Porter did not write another book due to tragic circumstances in her family, starting with the death of her mother on June 21, 1831. During the sisters’ visit to William Ogilvie in Bristol, 1832, Anna Maria died of typhus. Years later, in 1842, Porter visited Sir Robert in Saint Petersburg, only for him to die shortly after her arrival. Porter moved into his house in Bristol after two years of trying to settle his estate. The date of her retirement to his home is unsure; ODNB claims it to be 1847, but Michael Addams’ account gives it as 1844.

Whichever the case, they both agree on the date of Porter’s death, which was May 24, 1850. She was buried in St Paul’s churchyard, and is commemorated in Bristol Cathedral alongside William Ogilvie, Sir Robert, and Anna Maria.