Jean Ingelow was an English poet and novelist. She also wrote several stories for children. Jean Ingelow followed this book of verse in 1851 with a story, Allerton and Dreux, but it was the publication of her Poems in 1863 which suddenly made her a popular writer.

This ran rapidly through numerous editions and was set to music, proving very popular for English domestic entertainment.

Her work often focused on religious introspection. In the United States, her poems obtained great public acclaim and the collection was said to have sold 200,000 copies. In 1867 she edited, with Dora Greenwell, The Story of Doom and other Poems, a collection of poetry for children.