Beatrix Potter outside Hill Top Cottage her home in England's Lake District
Did you know that Beatrix Potter the author of all of those wonderful children's books was a respected and hardworking sheep farmer?
In order to prepare for a talk I am giving this morning in my church I read The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks. James is from a long line of shepherds or sheep farmers in England's Lake District. I learned so much about the life of a modern-day shepherding family from his memoir.
One of the things James Rebanks writes about in The Shepherd's Life is The Lake District's most famous shepherd Beatrix Potter the well-known children's author of books like The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Benjamin Bunny.
Beatrix was from a very wealthy family and her best-selling books made her a multi-millionaire. But when she was in her early forties she began to buy land in England's Lake District purchasing thousands of acres. On some of that land she had her very own sheep farm.
Beatrix with her sheep dog Kep
And Beatrix was not some distant landlord. She moved to the Lake District where she lived in a modest home with her husband and tromped the fields helping to care for the sheep.
Inside Beatrix Potter's Lake District Home which provided her with a tranquil place to live and work
The Lake District is often considered the most beautiful and scenic area of England and for Beatrix Potter being in its natural surroundings inspired her writing. It took her away from the busyness of London which tended to leave her tired and depressed. It provided relief from the constant attention she garnered because of her fame and gave her a chance to be at peace.
In his book James Rebanks said the locals respected Beatrix's dedication to sheep farming and her desire to live relatively anonymously. They treated her like any of their other neighbours who were all shepherds.
Beatrix Potter's cottage is open to the public
When Beatrix Potter died she left her home, her thousands of acres of land and her sheep farm to the National Trust England's largest charity dedicated to the conservation of the environment. That means Beatrix's home and land is open to the public.
Her Bible is displayed in her former home and as she requested it is open to the 23rd Psalm that begins with the words The Lord is my shepherd.
Other posts...........
The Farm
Brave Shepherds
Spending the Day with Jose and Antonio
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