Born in Oldham in 1823, author of "The Manchester Man", daughter of a local chemist and politician. She was active in the Anti-Corn Law League movement, and published poetry, notably "Ivy Leaves" (1843). She married Linnaeus Banks, a notable lecturer and journalist, in 1846, and led a rather itinerant life due to her husband's many job changes, to which various newspapers she contributed regular articles. "The Manchester Man" was serialised in Cassell's magazine, and revealed a hitherto unknown graphic realism on life, customs and the social fabric of 19th Century Manchester. She detested the "modernisation" of Manchester in the light of industrial and social change which abounded around her at that time. She died in 1897.