Elizabeth Inchbald, an English dramatist, born at Standingfield, near Bury St. Edmund's, Suffolk, Oct. 15, 1753, died in Kensington, Aug. 1, 1821. She was the daughter of a farmer named Simpson, who died when she was in her 18th year. She then sought an engagement at the London theatres, but without success. Recounting her troubles to Mr. Inchbald, a comedian of Drury Lane, much her senior, he married her, instructed her in the art, and performed with her for several seasons at London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and elsewhere. He died in 1779, and she played successfully at Covent Garden from 1780 to 1789, when she retired from the boards and devoted herself to literature. In this new pursuit she was equally successful. She wrote 19 plays, and edited the "British Theatre," a collection of plays (47 vols., London, 1808-15). A few of her own pieces, as "The Wedding Day" and "Wives as They Are," still hold their place on the English stage. Her novels, " A Simple Story " and "Nature and Art," once enjoyed even a higher popularity than her dramatic writings, and are still admired. She wrote an autobiography, which she caused to be destroyed.

The "Memoirs of Mrs. Inchbald," by Boaden (2 vols. 8vo, London, 1833), was compiled from her journal, covering a period of 50 years.