Beatrix Potter Biography

Beatrix Potter Biography
Beatrix Potter was a writer, illustrator and conservationist. She is best remembered for
her best-selling children’s books, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Stories that combined
her love for both animals and the English countryside. In her later life, she bought a
substantial amount of land in the Lake District and on her death donated it to the National
Trust, helping to preserve a significant part of the Lake District national park.
Short bio Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter (28 July 1866 – 22 December 1943)
Beatrix was born in Kensington, London to middle-class, Unitarian

parents. Her father, Robert, was a distinguished lawyer, and her mother the daughter of a
wealthy merchant. Her parents were also artistic and this artistic talent was passed on to
Beatrix.
She spent much of her early life in her own company; she rarely saw her brother Ewan,
who was sent to boarding school. Having little social contact with children of her own
age, Beatrix began to be drawn into her own world of creating her own stories, based on
animals. Beatrix was a naturally gifted artist, and with some art lessons, she also learnt
the technical side of drawing. She later wrote:
“Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the
originality.”
During her childhood, and especially in the Lake District, she

looked after many animals, such as; rabbits, frogs, and even bats. She drew these animals
throughout her childhood, gradually improving the standard of her drawings. Beatrix was
also interested in natural history; she would spend many hours drawing wildlife such as
fungi and flowers. At one time she had aspirations to develop this scientific interest
professionally. An uncle tried to help her become a student at the Royal Botanic Gardens
at Kew, but she was rejected because of her gender. Nevertheless, she later became
respected for her contribution to mycology – the study of fungi.
In her early 20s, Beatrix’s parents tried to arrange a suitable partner for Beatrix to marry.
Many suitable suitors were found; however, for each prospective marriage partnership
Beatrix turned them down. She was a fiercely independent woman, and she disliked the
idea of being tied down to an uneventful domestic life of staying at home and bringing up
children. Thus, unusually for the late Victorian time period, Beatrix remained single and
stayed at home.
Publication of Peter Rabbit Books
In her 20s that she sought to try and get her children’s book and drawings published. Her
initial attempts proved unsuccessful, but she persevered and eventually it was taken on by
Frederick Warne & Company. The first book was published in 1902 when Beatrix was
36. The publishers did not have much hope it would sell many copies; they actually gave
the project to their youngest brother, Norman, as a kind of test for his first project.
However, Norman proved to be a good choice. He warmed to both the book and Beatrix.
He was determined to make a success of the book and developed a good working
relationship with Beatrix as they pored over the individual details of the book. It was
Norman who insisted that each drawing of Peter Rabbit would be in colour. Beatrix
insisted that the book remain small, so that it would be easy for children to hold. By the
end of the year, 28,000 copies were in print.
Beatrix also had a good business sense. As early as 1903, she patented a Peter Rabbit
doll. These spin-offs provided a good source of additional income, enabling her to
become wealthy.
Relationship with Norman Warne
The relationship between Norman and Beatrix blossomed, and eventually, they became
engaged in 1906. However, Beatrix’s parents disapproved. They felt it wrong for Beatrix
to marry a tradesman. However, they eventually relented, but insisted Beatrix live apart
for 6 months; giving her time to change her mind. Tragically, before the wedding could
take place, Norman passed away, dying of pernicious anaemia. Beatrix was devastated,
she wrote a letter to his sister, Millie, saying; “He did not live long, but he fulfilled a
useful happy life. I must try to make a fresh beginning next year.”
After his death, Beatrix moved to the Lakeland. In 1905, she bought Hill Top Farm, in
Sawrey, Cumbria. She lived here for the remainder of her life. Due to failing eyesight,
Beatrix later stopped writing her children books; instead, she devoted her time to the
breading of sheep and helping the conservation of Lakeland farms. She was particularly
interested in the breeding and raising of local Herdwick sheep, and she became one of the
major Herdwick sheep farmers of the area. She felt very much at home in the local
agricultural shows:
I hate publicity, and I have contrived to survive to be an old woman without it, except in
the homey atmosphere of Agricultural Shows. [1939 interview]
Beatrix Potter with William Heelis
She married William Heelis in 1913 when she was 47. The couple were childless, though
Beatrix played an active role in William’s extended family, such as his many nieces of
his brothers and sisters. In this later period, her writing tailed off. She only wrote and
drew a small quantity, mostly for her own interest. Her life was taken up with farming,
conservation, and looking after her family.
Beatrix Potter – Conservation in Lake District

Due to proceeds from her very successful books and later her inheritance, Beatrix was
able to buy many working farms. On her death, she left over 4,000 acres to the National
Trust. It is one of the biggest legacies’s ever made.
Potter wrote 23 books. Some of her best-known titles include:
 The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902)

 The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin (1903)
 The Tailor of Gloucester (1903)
 The Tale of Benjamin Bunny (1904)
 The Tale of Two Bad Mice (1904)
 The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (1905)
 The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan (1905)
 The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher (1906)
 The Story of A Fierce Bad Rabbit (1906)
In 2007 a film Miss Potter was released, starring Renée Zellweger. It focused mainly on
the events surrounding her early publications, and romance with Norman Warne.
Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “Beatrix Potter Biography”, Oxford,

UK. www.biographyonline.net, published 29 May 2012, Last updated 22 September
2019.

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Beatrix Potter Biography

Short bio Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter (28 July 1866 – 22 December 1943)

Beatrix was born in Kensington, London to middle-class, Unitarian

During her childhood, and especially in the Lake District, she

Publication of Peter Rabbit Books

Relationship with Norman Warne

Beatrix Potter with William Heelis

Beatrix Potter – Conservation in Lake District

Potter wrote 23 books. Some of her best-known titles include:

 The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902)

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “Beatrix Potter Biography”, Oxford,

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