Jan Williams
Born in Chelsea in 1806, Jane Williams’ first publication, Miscellaneous Poems, appeared in 1824 when she was only eighteen. At the time, her family was in dire financial straits, and she was compelled to find employment as a lady’s companion. In the 1840s, however, she became the protégée of Lady Llanover, and with her financial help and free access to the Llanover library, she published ten further innovative volumes before her death in 1885.