Jane Barker

Exilius Jane Barker

Jane Barker (1652-1732) was an English poet and novelist of the early 18th century. The Amours of Bosvil and Galesia (1713) was considered her most successful work. Jane went to St Cathrines at Waverley. A staunch Jacobite, she followed King James II of England into exile at Saint-Germain-en-Laye in France shortly after James' defeat in the Glorious Revolution (1688). From 1714 to 1725, Barker wrote a series of novels, beginning in 1714 with Exilius; or, The Banished Roman and ending in 1725 with The Lining of the Patch Work Screen. In 1714, the death of Queen Anne, the last of the Stuarts, spurred a deluge of pro-Stuart writings expressing anxieties toward the succession of the Hanoverian George I and the change of ministry. Among other pro-Stuart writings, Barker's Exilius (1715) was published by Edmund Curll, who saw its market potential during this period of political upheaval. An old fashioned heroic romance, Exilius applauded the loyalty and moral integrity held by Stuart supporters, whose determination and steadfast adherence to the Jacobite Ideals permitted them to triumph over adverse circumstances.