12 Sep 1846: Barrett, Browning elope

On this day in 1846, Elizabeth Barrett snuck out of her family’s London home to marry Robert Browning at St. Marylebone Parish Church.

When Elizabeth published Poems in 1844, Robert was so moved by her writing that he wrote her a letter asking to meet her. After some hesitance, she gave in, and the two ended up falling in love.

Their whirlwind romance had to remain a secret; Elizabeth’s father thought Robert had ulterior motives, so he refused to let them date. A week after they married, the pair moved to Italy, in part because it would be better for Elizabeth’s health (she was weak and confined to her home).

Elizabeth’s Sonnets from the Portuguese, published in 1850, tells of their courtship. Other notable works by Elizabeth include:

• The Seraphim, and Other Poems (1838)
• “How Do I Love Thee?” (1845)
• Aurora Leigh (1856)

A few of Robert’s poems:

• Porphyria’s Lover (1836)
• “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” (1842)
• Men and Women (1855)
• The Ring and the Book (1868)

Image: engraving by T.O. Barlow, from a Photograph by Macaire Havre, 1858