Founder of the pseudo-sciences of physiognomy and animal magnetism, Lavater was also known for his Vermischte unphysiognomische Regeln zur Selbst- und Menschenkenntniß (1787), translated by Henry Fuseli as Aphorisms on Man (1788).

The addressee of many love sonnets by the Italian author Petrarch.

Joseph Lavallée, the marquis de Bois-Robert, was a prolific French author, translator, and man of letters.

Made Bishop of Worcester under Henry VIII, Latimer was martyred for his Protestant views by Mary, Queen of Scots

Originally an actor and playwright, Lathom soon turned gothic novelist, eventually authoring over a score of novels and some half a dozen plays, including some translations and adaptations. His first novel was called The Castle of Ollada (1795). The Midnight Bell (1798) is one of the novels Isabella Thorpe plans to peruse with Catherine Morland in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey (1818). Men and Manners (1799) is regarded as his best work.

A cleric from the Malvern Hills sometimes referred to as Robert De Langlonde or Robert Langley, author of the dream vision poem Piers Plowman (c.1367-70).

A celebrity sensation for her best-selling poetry and the erotic scandal that is inextricable from her fame, Letitia Landon, better known as L. E. L., enjoyed a wide and appreciative audience for her poetry and literary essays. Less known to her readers and still often unsung today was her periodical editing work and anonymous reviewing, especially for the Literary Gazette, edited by Landon's literary mentor and eventual lover, William Jerdan.

Jane, née Fowler (b. 1695), wife of Sir Multon Lambard (1675-1758), of Seven Oaks in Kent.

Lamb, Mary, 1764-1847 (Library of Congress Name Authority)— Sister of the author Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb collaborated with her brother on Tales from Shakespeare (1807) as well as some other works for children. After Charles left school, he and Mary resided in their family home until 1796. At that point, exhausted from the strain of caring for aged parents, Mary stabbed and killed their mother and was institutionalized for insanity. Eventually released to Charles's care, she experienced periodic recurrences of instability, several requiring temporary rehospitalization.

Charles Lamb's modest family origins included a father who was a servant and a mother who was the daughter of a female domestic. Though his parents bore seven children, only Charles, his older sister Mary, and the oldest boy John survived infancy. Charles was educated at Christ's Hospital, joining the East India Company soon after he left the school. During 1795 he suffered a mental breakdown and was confined for six weeks. In 1796, Mary also suffered a breakdown, stabbing and killing their mother.