In 1972, Alan Whicker, presenter of the widely watched ‘Whicker’s World’, together with his television crew, entered the silent and hidden world of the cloister. As part of a series ‘Whicker within a woman’s world’, he had astoundingly secured permission…
Category: Blog and News
News items of interest to WHN Members
Women’s History Network Corona Virus Hardship Fund
By Anna Muggeridge In response to the severe financial hardship resulting from the coronavirus outbreak, the Women’s History Network launched a hardship fund for historians of women based in the UK in March 2020. The fund provided one-off grants of…
American Women War Correspondents of World War I by Chris Dubbs
On 3 August 1914, one day into World War 1, the writer Corra Harris received a telegram from George Lorimer, editor of the Saturday Evening Post, America’s largest circulation magazine: “How would you like to spend a few days in…
“The sister found romance. Nell found her adventure and fortune as the uncrowned queen of the Nippys” : Nell Bacon, J. Lyons & Co.’s ‘Nippy No. 1’ by Leila Kassir
In our latest great blog we hear from Leila Kassir about Nell Bacon, a legendary ‘Nippy’! Following the launch in 1894 of their first teashop at 213 Piccadilly, the catering firm J. Lyons & Co. (Lyons) became a ubiquitous presence…
Where was Florence Nightingale? Developing municipal health visiting after 1900 by Dr Pamela Dale
In this blog Dr Pamela Dale tells us about the history of health visitors and their relationship to Florence Nightingale. Today health visiting is an elite branch of nursing: only registered nurses and midwives can train as health visitors. Nurses…
Sexual Progressives: Reimagining Intimacy in Scotland, 1880-1914 by Dr Tanya Cheadle
In our latest great blog we hear from Dr Tanya Cheadle about her new monograph: Sexual Progressives: Reimagining Intimacy in Scotland, 1880-1914 In October 1890, the feminist freethinker Jane Hume Clapperton and maverick scientist Patrick Geddes walked together through the…
Imagining Caribbean Womanhood: race, nation and beauty competitions, 1929-1970 by Dr Rochelle Rowe
In our latest fascinating blog we hear from Rochelle Rowe about her book Imagining Caribbean Womanhood: race, nation and beauty competitions, 1929-1970 I recently enjoyed the ‘feel-good’ movie Misbehaviour, which tells the story of feminist protests at the 1970 Miss…
Fellowships for Independent Researchers
The Women’s History Network is offering a small grant of up to £750 to support the direct costs of those researching women’s history, who are not employed in higher education. The research should be intended to lead to a…
Locating the Bread Winner: Working Class Lives in Vicwardian Britain by Professor Emma Griffin
In this blog we are delighted to hear from Professor Emma Griffin about her new monograph, Bread Winner: An Intimate History of the Victorian Economy. I’ve have been interested in the historical possibilities of life-writing since chancing upon some working-class…






