A BRIEF HISTORY OF WOMEN IN THE CITY RESEARCH PAPER VIRGINIA ROUNDING November 2019 Cover images Left: “Moll Cut-Purse” Mary Frith (c1584-1659) © London Metropolitan Archives: City of London Right: Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) © London Metropolitan Archives: City of London 2 CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............5 Tylers and Bricklayers ................27 Upholders ......................... .27 ❚ 01 Wheelwrights ...................... .28 INTRODUCTION, INCLUDING Woolmen ..........................28 OVERVIEW OF SOURCES AND BRIEF LITERATURE REVIEW ...............6 04 ❚ A SELECTION OF INDIVIDUAL 02 ❚ WOMEN .......................30 SIGNIFICANT GROUPS OF WOMEN . 14 Ann Alexander [née Barber] Bell Founders .......................14 (1774/5–1861) ......................30 Benefactresses and philanthropists ... .14 Hannah Allen [née Howse; other Educationists .......................14 married name Chapman] (fl. 1632–64) .30 Investors .......................... .14 Margaret Allen [née Sutton] Journalists ......................... .14 (1933–2015) ........................30 ‘Landladies’ (for want of a better word)14 Alicia Amherst [married name: Members of parish fraternities ........ .15 Alicia Margaret Cecil, Lady Rockley] Merchants .........................15 (1865–1941) ........................31 Milliners ........................... .15 Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Nurses, midwives and other medical (1836–1917) ........................31 practitioners ....................... .15 Isabel Bally-Otes-Frowyck (d.1464) .... .31 Postal workers and telegraphists ...... .16 Alice Barnham [née Bradbridge] Property owners. .16 (1523–1604) ........................31 Religious (nuns) .................... .16 Hester Bateman [née Neden, Needham] Sextonesses ........................16 (c. 1708–1794) ..................... .32 Shopkeepers .......................17 Isabella Mary Beeton [née Mayson] (1836–65) ..........................32 Silkwomen .........................17 Hester Biddle (1629/30–97) ........... .33 Silversmiths ........................ .18 Dorothy Henrietta Boulger [née Havers] Sportswomen ...................... .18 (1847–1923) ........................33 Women in financial services ......... .18 Lady Joan Bradbury (c.1450–1530) .... .33 Women in publishing ................18 Dame (Madeline) Dorothy Brock Writers, artists, actresses and musicians .19 (1886–1969) ........................34 03 ❚ Agnes Bulmer [née Collinson] LIVERY COMPANY MEMBERSHIP ....20 (1775–1836) ........................34 Bowyers ...........................20 Elizabeth Calvert (d.1675?) .......... .34 Carpenters ........................ .21 Elizabeth, Lady Campden [née May] (d. c.1642) .........................34 Distillers ........................... .22 Elizabeth Caslon [née Cartlich] Farriers ............................ .22 (1730–95) ..........................35 Gardeners .........................22 Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie Girdlers ........................... .22 [née Miller] (1890–1976) ............. .35 Gunmakers ........................23 Alice Claver ....................... .35 Haberdashers ......................23 Monica Mary Geikie Cobb (1891–1946) 36 Ironmongers ....................... .23 Johanna Cock (d. 1762) .............36 Leathersellers ...................... .23 Catherine [Rachel] de Costa [née Mercers ........................... .25 Mendes] (1679–1756) ............... .36 Needlemakers ..................... .25 Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts Paviors ............................26 [Baroness Burdett-Coutts] (1814–1906) . .37 Saddlers .......................... .26 Margaret Dane (d. 1579) ............ .37 Scriveners ......................... .26 Mary Edwards (1705?–43) ............38 Spectacle Makers .................. .26 Florence Feek (1876–1940) ........... .38 Tallow Chandlers ................... .27 3 RECOGNITION OF WOMEN IN THE CITY OF LONDON Ethel Gordon Fenwick [née Manson] Elizabeth Stokes (fl. 1723–33) ......... .55 (1857–1947) ........................38 Ethel Strudwick (1880–1954) .......... .55 Margery Fish [née Townshend] Violette Szabo (1921–45) .............56 (1892–1969) ........................38 Elizabeth Whipp [née Worsup] Beatrice FitzAndrew-Fyler (d.1479) .... .39 (d. 1646) .......................... .56 Charlotte Forman (1715–1787) ....... .39 Elizabeth Wilford [nee Gale] (d. 1559) . .56 Elizabeth Fry [née Gurney] (1780–1845) .39 Ellen Wryght (d.1604) ................57 Margaret Gillies (1803–87) ........... .40 Margaret Wyatt (d. 1632) ............ .57 Anne Griffin (b. 1595) ............... .40 Harriet Grote [née Lewin] (1792–1878) . .40 05 ❚ Elizabeth Hanbury [née Sanderson] RECOMMENDATIONS ............58 (1793–1901) ........................41 06 ❚ Winifred Emily Hector (1909–2002) .... .41 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................60 Rosamond Davenport Hill (1825–1902) . .42 Archival sources ....................60 Ruth Homan [née Waterlow] Books. .61 (1850–1938) ........................42 Articles ............................68 Laura Martha Honey [née Young] Pamphlets .........................71 (1816?–43) .........................43 Websites/online databases .......... .71 Elinor [Eleanor] James [née Banckes] (1644/5–1719) ......................43 A selection of material available at British History Online ...............71 Ellen Langwith (d. 1481) ............. .43 Lady Joan Laxton (d. 1576) .......... .44 Judith Levy (1706–1803) ............. .44 Elizabeth Mallet (fl. 1672–1706) ....... .45 Lady Dorcas Martin [née Eccleston] (1536/7–99) ........................45 Charlotte Matthews [née Marlar] (bap. 1759, d. 1802) .................46 Lady Jane Mico [née Robinson] (c.1634–1670) ...................... .46 Eleanor Mosley (1700– after 1748) ..... .47 Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) ..... .47 Alice Owen [née Wilkes] (1547–1613) .. .47 Dame Thomasine Percyvale (d.1512). .48 Alice Picot-Bridnell (d.1437) .......... .48 Violet Piercy (b. 1889?) .............. .48 Lilian Pink (1890–1986) ............... .49 Hester Pinney (1658–1740) ........... .49 Dame Kathleen Annie Raven (1910–99) ..........................50 Katherine Reynkyn-Rich (d.1469) ...........................50 Caroline Edith Rigg (1852–1929) ...... .50 Mary Say [née Bemister; other married name Vint] (1739/40–1832) .......... .51 Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Schreiber [née Bertie; other married name Guest] (1812–95) ..........................51 Sarah Sergeant (1675–1726) ......... .52 Mary Harris Smith (1844–1934) ........ .52 Esther Sleepe (1725–62) ..............54 Dorothy Beatrice Spiers [née Davis] (1897–1977) ........................54 Elizabeth Stirling (1819–95) ........... .54 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful for discussions with, and information from, the following people in the preparation of this paper: Elizabeth Scudder and Philippa Smith of the London Metropolitan Archives; Murray Craig and Laura Miller of the City of London Chamberlain’s Court; Jennifer Adam, Curator, and Miranda Garrett, Collections and Exhibition Manager, the Bank of England Museum; Kate Higgins, Assistant Archivist, The Mercers’ Company; John Capon, Head of Collection, The Fishmongers’ Company; Stephen Freeth, Archivist, The Merchant Taylors’ and The Vintners’ Companies; David Bartle, Archivist, The Haberdashers’ Company; Justine Taylor, Archivist, The Ironmongers’ Company; Jessica Collins, Senior Archivist, The Clothworkers’ Company; Hannah Dunmow, Archivist, The Brewers’ Company; Jerome Farrell, Archivist, The Leathersellers’ Company; Victoria West, Archivist, The Barbers’ Company; Rupert Meacher, Clerk, The Cutlers’ Company; Lizzie De Santos, Archivist, The Tallow Chandlers’ Company; Murray Whiteside, Clerk, The Girdlers’ Company; Jeff Mason, Clerk, The Butchers’ Company; Sue Hurley, Archivist, The Saddlers’ Company; Julie Tancell, Archivist, The Carpenters’ Company; Chris Twyman, Clerk, The Painter-Stainers’ Company; Peter Brunner, Company Historian and Past Master, The Plumbers’ Company; Paul Herbage, Past Master, The Cooks’ Company; David Cole-Adams, Archivist and Past Master, The Tylers and Bricklayers’ Company; Simon Leach, Court Assistant and Chairman of the Muniments Committee, The Bowyers’ Company; Bill Clark, Past Master, The Woolmen’s Company; Giles Cole, Clerk, The Scriveners’ Company; John Houston, former Honorary Archivist, The Upholders’ Company; Alex Robertson, Clerk, The Turners’ Company; Charlotte Clifford, Clerk, The Farriers’ Company; John Freestone, Clerk, The Paviors’ Company; John Ford, Archivist, The Society of Apothecaries; Helen Perkins, Clerk, The Spectacle Makers’ Company; Simon Burrows, Honorary Archivist, The Framework Knitters’ Company; Angie Lewis, Honorary Archivist and Assistant, The Needlemakers’ Company; David Gollin, Senior Past Master, The Gardeners’ Company; Piers Baker, Clerk, The Tinplate Workers’ alias Wire Workers’ Company; Graham Westwell, Assistant Archivist and Past Master, The Wheelwrights’ Company; Edward Macey-Dare, Clerk, The Distillers’ Company; Edgar Mobbs, Honorary Archivist, The Glass Sellers’ Company; Derek Stimpson, Honorary Archivist, The Gunmakers’ Company; Annie Prouse, Clerk, The Makers of Playing Cards’ Company. VIRGINIA ROUNDING 24 November 2019 5 RECOGNITION OF WOMEN IN THE CITY OF LONDON INTRODUCTION, INCLUDING OVERVIEW OF SOURCES AND BRIEF LITERATURE REVIEW The Records of London’s Livery Companies Online (ROLLCO) at londonroll.org provides records of Apprentices and Freemen in the City of London Livery Companies between 1400 and 1900. Currently the database includes information about apprenticeship