Catherine Rew, nee McFadyen, was a missionary in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa for over fifty years. She was born into a lower-middle class family in Renfrew, near Glasgow. Her father was the station…
Category: Blog and News
News items of interest to WHN Members
Why don’t the girls propose?
The men are shy- the ladies cry Their minds they won’t disclose; If it be so, I’d like to know Why don’t the girls propose? At splendid balls, in dazzling halls amid a host o beaux, with speaking eye…
Uncovering the Life and Archive of Dame Elizabeth Taylor Cadbury, Quaker Philanthropist (1858-1951)
Elizabeth Taylor Cadbury is typically identified as the wife of Quaker chocolate manufacturer George Cadbury (1839-1922), described by the News Review in 1948 as ‘the Queen-Mother of British Chocolate’. However, beyond her popular identification with British confectionary, Taylor Cadbury deserves…
Dervorgilla of Galloway (abt 1214- abt 1288)
Dervorgilla of Galloway was a thirteenth century noblewoman of a prestigious lineage. Her Scottish relatives were major landowners in the South of Scotland. Her mother was the daughter of Matilda and David, Prince of Scotland; she was niece to Robert…
Women’s Work, Yesterday and Today, part three.
This is the final part of my interview with the University of Warwick’s knowledge portal, promoting the WHN conference, ‘Performing the self: women’s lives in historical perspective’. You can also read parts one and two. What do you think are the key factors…
Women’s Work, Yesterday and Today, part two.
This is part two of my interview promoting the WHN conference, ‘Performing the Self: Women’s Lives in Historical Perspective’. You can read part one here. What, if any, are the common misconceptions about women and work in history (I realise this…
Women’s Work, Yesterday and Today, part one.
A few weeks ago, I was interviewed for the University of Warwick knowledge portal about the Women’s History Networks forthcoming conference, ‘Performing the Self: Women’s Lives in Historical Perspective’. You can read the outcome of the interview here, but I…
Still Makes My Blood Boil…
On June 4th 1913, it was derby day at Epsom racecourse. Suffragette, Emily Wilding Davison, ducked beneath the railings and onto the race track, just as King George’s horse Anmer approached Tattenham corner. She rushed towards the horse and was…
Married Women’s Property and Divorce in the 19th Century
In 1882, after a series of earlier reforms, the Married Women’s Property Act passed for England, Wales and Ireland, while Scotland had a less extensive Act in 1880 and another in 1881. The Act restored to married women the right…