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At the Circulating Library

A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901

A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901

Author: Jane Roberts

Author: Jane Roberts (1792–1871)

Biography: Jane Roberts was born in 1792 in Hythe, Kent, the daughter of John Roberts and Martha Bedson. Her early life cannot be traced. In 1829, she travelled to Australia with the intention of joining her emigrant brother, but she returned to England after two years. On her return, she wrote the travel book Two Years at Sea (1834) about her journey and two novels: Lowenstein (1836) and The Court Favourite (1840). Roberts only other work is a card game based on the royal line of succession. In the censuses of 1851 and 1861, she was living alone in London in poverty. She successfully applied to the RLF and received other money from charitable friends. She died in 1871 in London. Note: Duke University owns Roberts's diary and notebooks from 1833–1839 and 1851 in which she recounts her friendships and dealings with publishers.

Author Tags:

References: British Census (1851, 1861); Duke University; RLF (case number 1127)

Fiction Titles:

  1. Lowenstein, King of the Forests: A Tale.  2 vol.  London: Whittaker, 1836.
  2. The Court Favourite: or, Facts and Fiction of the Nineteenth Century.  3 vol.  London: J. W. Southgate, 1840.