Esther Bakewell was an English writer of the nineteenth century, born in Wakefield on January 6, 1798. She was the fifth child of Apphia Simpson and Robert Bakewell, a pioneering geologist. Her brother, Frederick Collier Bakewell, was a notable inventor. Though details of her personal life remain sparse, records indicate that she lived with her brother Frederick's family in her later years and passed away in Hampstead on July 21, 1873.\n\nBakewell's literary output primarily targeted young readers, though she also produced works for adults. Her early publications for children included The Book of One Syllable (1842), a collection of short stories, and Eagle Cliff (1843), which focused on life at a boarding school. Her writing often explored moral themes and social difficulties, particularly those faced by young women in vulnerable positions.\n\nIn January 1852, Bakewell contributed the short story "My First Place" to Charles Dickens's weekly journal, Household Words. The story centered on a servant girl falsely accused of theft, a narrative theme that she would later expand upon in her only full-length novel, Glenwood Manor-House, published in 1857. Through these works, Bakewell engaged with contemporary Victorian concerns regarding class, domestic service, and justice.
