author
Janet Little
1759–1813
Remembered as the “Scotch Milkmaid,” this Scottish poet turned the textures of working life, faith, friendship, and rural society into lively verse. Her poems helped bring a working woman’s voice into the literary world of late eighteenth-century Scotland.
1 Audiobook
The poetical works of Janet Little, the Scotch milkmaid
by Janet Little
About the author
Born in 1759 near Ecclefechan in Dumfriesshire, Janet Little grew up with limited formal schooling but developed a strong love of reading and writing. She worked in domestic service and later in dairy work, experiences that shaped the voice and subjects of her poetry.
Little wrote in Scots and became known in her own time as the “Scotch Milkmaid.” With support from patrons including Frances Dunlop, her work reached a wider audience, and her collection The Poetical Works of Janet Little was published in 1792. She is often remembered alongside the laboring poets of her era for bringing everyday Scottish life into literature with wit and feeling.
Later known as Janet Richmond after her marriage, she continued to be associated with Ayrshire literary circles connected to Robert Burns. She died on March 15, 1813, leaving behind a body of work that still stands out for its warmth, intelligence, and strong sense of place.