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Eliza S. Craven Green
1803-1866
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Eliza S. Craven Green is buried at St Mark's Cemetery,
Woodhouse, Leeds, England. (The gravestone is not
contemporary with her death as it gives information about
the later deaths of her husband and daughter Clara.)
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Grave of Eliza Craven Green by
Sara McGinlay
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Eliza was born on 10th December,1803 at Briggate, Leeds
of educated parents. (Her father was an auctioneer and
valuer and her mother had been educated as a child and ran a
school for young ladies.)
In her early life she, and her
sister Ann, acted in amateur productions. They were
recruited to join an amateur company on the Isle of Man in
about 1823. However, The Company at the New Theatre, Athol
Street in Douglas got into financial difficulties and the
sisters had to return home. A benefit concert was held for
them on 22nd July, 1824 so that they could raise their fares
home. In 1825 Eliza published in the Isle of Man her book of
verse A Legend of Mona.
In 1828 she married James
Green, a comedian, and resided in Manchester. Eliza
participated in literary life in Manchester and read a poem,
Children Sleeping, at the meeting in the Sun Inn on 24th
March 1842 which was later published in the Festive Wreath
which was edited by John Bolton Rogerson. Eliza also had her
work published in the Athenaeum Souvenir, William
Gaspey's Manchester Keepsake and Frederick
Kempster’s Flowers of Many Hues. However, by 1830
she had returned to Leeds.
Throughout her life she
wrote poetry that was published widely in newspapers -
principally the Leeds Intelligencer and Isle of Man papers.
She also wrote for Le Follet, Bradshaw's
Journal, The Bradfordian, and The
Oddfellows Journal. Eliza also wrote serialised short
stories for monthly publications sometimes under pseudonyms.
In 1858 she published her collected works of 137 poems
plus the earlier work A Legend of Mona as the book
Sea Weeds and Heath Flowers or Memories of Mona. In
1857 she received an award from the Royal Bounty Fund for
services to literature. She died at the age of 64 at 80, Meanwood
Street, Little London, Leeds on 11th march 1866.
Today she is best remembered for her poem Ellan Vannin
(Isle of Man) which was set to music by J. Townsend and is
much loved on the Isle of Man. (The BeeGees, who were born
on the Island, superbly render this emotive poem with the
haunting melody sung by Robin Gibb.)
(Text by
S.G. Needs: who is the great, great grandson of ECG.)
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When the summer day is over
And the busy cares have flown,
Then I sit beneath the
starlight
With a weary heart alone,
And there rises
like a vision,
Sparkling bright in nature's glee,
My
own dear Ellan Vannin
With its green hills by the sea.
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