Baillie, Joanna

(1762-1857 or 1762-1851)

   A Scottish poet descended from the patriot William Wallace, who lived most of her life in England. Of her many publications, the early ones are: Fugitive Verses, 1790 (anonymously, with a second edition in 1842). Plays on the Passions, 1798 (containing Basil, a tragedy on love; the Trial, a comedy on the same subject; and De Monfort, a tragedy on hatred). Collection of Poems, 1823. She wrote 27 dramatic plays, poems, songs and several hymns. "The Legend of Lady Griseld Baillie" portrays the courage of Grisel, who acted as courier between her father, Sir Patrick Hume and his friend, Robert Baillie, imprisoned, accused of complicity in the 1683 Rye House plot to assassinate King Charles II, because of his pro-Roman Catholic policies. Robert Baillie, a covenanter, was hanged in 1684. "The Legend of Lady Griseld Baillie" tells of a time when Scotland struggled to be free from Catholic dominance. "The Outlaw's Song" portrays the feelings of a man outlawed from home and hearth and family with no place of his own, when the very birds of the air have a place to rest.

   Sources: Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, 2006. English Poetry: Author Search. Chadwyck-Healey Ltd., 1995 (http://www.lib.utexas.edu:8080/search/epoetry/author. html). Poemhunter (www.poemhunter.com). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk). The New Penguin Book of Scottish Verse. Robert Crawford and Mick Imlah, eds. Penguin Books, 2000. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th edition. Margaret Drabble, ed. Oxford University Press, 2000.