‘In early life they formed a romantic attachment, as deep as it proved to be lasting, and determined to enjoy their friendship in perfect seclusion.’ The ladies of Llangollen, or Lady Eleanor Charlotte Butler (1739-1829) and the Hon Sarah Ponsonby…
Tag: Katie Barclay
Women’s Social and Political Union in Ireland
In June 1914, the WSPU sent a letter, on headed notepaper with ‘Votes for Women’ emblazoned in purple at the top, to William Walsh, Archbishop of Dublin, demanding that he take interest in their cause. They enclosed the above photograph. Their letter read:…
What’s in a name? Or leaving your patrilineage behind.
As tends to happen when you get to a certain age and your friends set to marry themselves off, the question of naming suddenly becomes a topic of discussion. Should you choose to take your husband’s name? And, what are…
Maud Allen: The Salome Dancer
Maud Allen (1873-1956), born as Beulah Maude Durrant in Toronto, Canada, was an early twentieth century performer. She was a favourite of the music hall and popular theatres, where a population from diverse social backgrounds went to watch a variety…
Wetnursing
Last year, Salama Hayek made headlines when she breastfed another women’s child in Sierra Leone, having to defend her actions and even justify why she was not ‘stealing’ [!!] milk from her own daughter. Yet, wet-nursing (breastfeeding another woman’s child)…
Blogging Against Disablism
Yesterday was ‘Blogging against Disablism’ day, where bloggers everywhere are called to speak out against discrimination against those with disabilities. With that in mind, I began to think about what historians know about women with disabilities in the British past…
Before there was internet, part 2- chain mail.
Anyone who has had an email address for any length of time has probably received a chain-email- one of those emails sending you a poem or a melodramatic story, followed by a dire warning to forward it on to ten…
On Woman
This poem was published in the Ennis Chronicle and Clare Advertiser on the 25th October 1809 and reflects nineteenth century humour. Happy a man may pass his life, If freed from matrimonial chains, If he’s diverted by a wife, He’s…
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
The month of April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, designated to highlighting the ongoing problem of sexual assault in society, and encouraging people to work towards eradicating it. The problem of sexual assault and rape is a topic that has…