Elizabeth Hands

Elizabeth Hands (1746–1815), also known by her pen name Daphne, was an English poet. Born as Elizabeth Herbert in Harbury, she worked as a domestic servant before her daughter's birth. By 1785, she was married to Mr. Hands, a blacksmith, and they lived near Rugby.

Hands began publishing poems under the pseudonym "Daphne" in Jopson's Coventry Mercury. Her work caught the attention of Thomas James, headmaster of Rugby School, who arranged for the publication of her book *The Death of Amnon: A Poem* in 1789. The volume, which included satirical and pastoral poems, gained significant recognition, securing over 1,200 subscribers, including members of parliament like Edmund Burke and Charles James Fox.

Hands' poetry often featured satire and tackled diverse themes, including biblical narratives, love, friendship, and philosophical topics. Her use of irony and wit highlighted the limited literary judgment of her social superiors, particularly in her two satirical poems, "A Poem, On the Supposition of an Advertisement appearing in a Morning Paper, of the Publication of a Volume of Poems, by a Servant Maid" and its sequel. These works mocked the pretentiousness of bourgeois readers who dismissed her poetry due to her servant background.

Her literary achievements were notable for a working-class woman of her time, as she challenged societal expectations through her astute manipulation of poetic form and subject matter.