Barbara Ann Wilberforce, about 1797 by John Russell, 1745-1806

Barbara Ann Wilberforce (née Spooner; 24 December 1777 – 21 April 1847) was the spouse of abolitionist and MP William Wilberforce.

Early life

She was born in Birches Green, Erdington, Warwickshire, and died in The Vicarage, East Farleigh, Kent. She was the eldest daughter and third child of

Isaac Spooner Isaac Spooner (c.1735–1816) was an English ironmaster and banker who founded Birmingham Bank. Life Spooner was born to Abraham Spooner and Anne Knight, he went into the family iron business based around a furnace at Aston, in the Birmingham a ...

of Elmdon Hall, Warwickshire, a banker of Birmingham, and his wife, Barbara Gough-Calthorpe, daughter of Sir Henry Gough, 1st Baronet, sister of Henry Gough-Calthorpe, 1st Baron Calthorpe and granddaughter of the MP Reynolds Calthorpe. On 15 April 1797, while at

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, she met her future husband, William Wilberforce, to whom she had been recommended by Wilberforce's friend, Thomas Babington. The couple were married a
St Swithins Church
Walcot, Bath on 30 May 1797.

Later life

She nearly died following an attack of typhoid in 1800, after which her health was never strong. Nevertheless, she bore six children, all of whom survived to adulthood. The children were William (July 1798), Barbara (1799), Elizabeth (1801), Robert (1802),

Samuel Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...

(1805), and Henry (1807). Following her husband's death in 1833, Barbara Wilberforce spent her time with her sons, Robert and Samuel, or with her sister Ann Neale in Taplow in Buckinghamshire. She died in The Vicarage, East Farleigh, Kent and is buried next to East Farleigh church, her son Robert Wilberforce's first

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

, and where her son Henry would minister a decade later.

''Amazing Grace''

In the 2006 film '' Amazing Grace'', about her husband's involvement in the movement to eliminate the slave trade, she was portrayed by actress Romola Garai.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilberforce, Barbara 1777 births 1847 deaths People from Birmingham, West Midlands

Barbara Barbara may refer to: People * Barbara (given name) * Barbara (painter) (1915–2002), pseudonym of Olga Biglieri, Italian futurist painter * Barbara (singer) (1930–1997), French singer * Barbara Popović (born 2000), also known mononymously as ...

19th-century English women 19th-century English people 18th-century English women 18th-century English people People from East Farleigh