Frances Swiney
Encyclopedia
Rosa Frances Emily Swiney (1847–1922) was a lady of the Anglo-Irish
ascendancy, also a member of the British Raj
in India
, and married to a British
Major-General, living in Cheltenham
, a spa town renowned for its conservative views even in the 19th century. She was an early feminist.
She was born in Pune
, India
, in 1847, the daughter of Ensign John Biggs of H.M. 8th Regiment, later to become a Major in the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, and of Frances Charlotte Malden. Her father's family claimed descent, through the Hesketh family
, from Isaac Newton
. She spent most of her childhood in Ireland
, returning to India apparently in early adulthood. Her first main interest was in painting
. She studied under James Danby, son of Francis Danby
, R.A., and specialised in pictures of Indian scenery and life, exhibiting at Simla
, Madras, and Birmingham
, England
. She had even intended taking up painting as a profession, but in 1871 she married Major (later Major-General) John Swiney of Donegal
, who was fifteen years her senior, and became a full-time wife and mother. In 1877 she returned to Britain and settled in Cheltenham, her husband finally joining her ten years later (he retired in 1890). She soon became involved in political activity, first through the Primrose League
(becoming a member of its executive council, although she later left the League) and writing pamphlets on Irish Home Rule
of a generally Unionist character. She retained a keen interest in Irish affairs, towards the end of her life being a strong supporter of the 1921 Treaty.
Despite her apparently conventional circumstances, she held many ideas popular with the radical progressive intelligentsia
of her day, being an active member of such bodies as the Malthusian League, the Secular Education League and the Eugenic Education Society; her eugenic beliefs led her to write a series of leaflets entitled "Racial Poisons", warning of the dangers of alcohol, tobacco, syphilis, etc. However, her main political and philosophical interest was in feminism
. She became involved with the Women's Emancipation Union, and in 1896 joined with Harriet McIlquham and others to form the Cheltenham Women's Suffrage
Society, of which she remained the president until its merging with the local Women Citizens' Association in 1920. Despite her long connection with Cheltenham, she seems to have found campaigning hard there, and described it on her retirement from the suffrage society as "the town of no ideas"; on one occasion in 1913 she was mobbed while attempting to address a meeting on women's suffrage. Although her main official position linked her to the eventually non-militant National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, she also joined the highly militant Women's Social and Political Union and the Women's Freedom League, and strongly defended militant
action. In addition, from about 1907 she was the moving force behind the League of Isis, although she attributed its origin to Henry Ancketill of Durban, Natal
. The object of the League was to promote the protection of maternity and more rational and humane sex relations generally. The League regularly met in the Eustace Miles Restaurant, London, and by 1911 it also had branches in New York
, South Africa
, and India
.
At a time that saw a great flowering of feminist activity and theoretical writing, Swiney stood out as a highly original feminist thinker. Her writing increasingly reflected her interest in a Theosophical matriarchalism, and an evolutionary philosophy of feminism. As she put it in Woman and natural law, she believed that "[t]he first male cell, and the first male organism, was an initial failure on the part of the maternal organism to reproduce its like, and was due to a chemical deficiency in the metabolism or physique of the mother", and much of her writing was concerned to redress the malign effects of that failure. A major feature of her work which has contributed to her popularity with more recent feminists was her insistence on women's control over their own sexuality
, expressed in terms similar to those of such other radical feminists as Elizabeth Clarke Wolstenholme Elmy, as for example in her insistence that the female alone should have the right to regulate sexual intercourse
.
Her many feminist publications began with The plea of disfranchised women, published in 1897 under the auspices of the Women's Emancipation Union, and continued regularly thereafter, including such titles as The awakening of women, The bar of Isis, and The cosmic procession. She was a frequent contributor to periodicals. From 1902 to 1914 she wrote a regular column entitled "Women among the nations" for Jaakof Prelooker's monthly The Anglo-Russian, a paper which, as well as informing a British readership of the political situation in Russia
, carried considerable information on feminist movements in Europe
and America
. In addition, from 1912 to 1914 she regularly wrote for The Christian Commonwealth, and at this time she also frequently contributed to the American feminist paper The Woman's Tribune. Above all, in 1913 and 1914 she wrote a series of major articles on sexuality for The Awakener, the organ of the Men's League for Women's Rights, a body campaigning against the traffic in women and for women's suffrage.
Her last major work, and the culmination of her philosophical beliefs, was The Ancient road, or the development of the soul, published in 1918; although in 1921 she had an interesting correspondence with Marie Stopes
, which is held in the Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine, in London
. However, that year also saw the death of General Swiney, at the age of 86, and she herself did not long outlive him, dying of bronchial asthma on 3 May 1922, at her home, Sandford Lawn, Bath Road, Cheltenham. She was survived by four sons and a daughter, all of whom had seen distinguished service in the Great War
. Her daughter, Mrs Gladys MacSwiney, was her sole legatee.
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
ascendancy, also a member of the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and married to a British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
Major-General, living in Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, a spa town renowned for its conservative views even in the 19th century. She was an early feminist.
She was born in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, in 1847, the daughter of Ensign John Biggs of H.M. 8th Regiment, later to become a Major in the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, and of Frances Charlotte Malden. Her father's family claimed descent, through the Hesketh family
Baron Hesketh
Baron Hesketh, of Hesketh in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1935 for Sir Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, 8th Baronet, who had previously briefly represented Enfield in the House of Commons as a Conservative. the titles are held by his...
, from Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
. She spent most of her childhood in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, returning to India apparently in early adulthood. Her first main interest was in painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. She studied under James Danby, son of Francis Danby
Francis Danby
Francis Danby was an Irish painter of the Romantic era. His imaginative, dramatic landscapes were comparable to those of John Martin. Danby initially developed his imaginative style while he was the central figure in a group of artists who have come to be known as the Bristol School...
, R.A., and specialised in pictures of Indian scenery and life, exhibiting at Simla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
, Madras, and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She had even intended taking up painting as a profession, but in 1871 she married Major (later Major-General) John Swiney of Donegal
Donegal
Donegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" ....
, who was fifteen years her senior, and became a full-time wife and mother. In 1877 she returned to Britain and settled in Cheltenham, her husband finally joining her ten years later (he retired in 1890). She soon became involved in political activity, first through the Primrose League
Primrose League
The Primrose League was an organisation for spreading Conservative principles in Great Britain. It was founded in 1883 and active until the mid 1990s...
(becoming a member of its executive council, although she later left the League) and writing pamphlets on Irish Home Rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
of a generally Unionist character. She retained a keen interest in Irish affairs, towards the end of her life being a strong supporter of the 1921 Treaty.
Despite her apparently conventional circumstances, she held many ideas popular with the radical progressive intelligentsia
Intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
of her day, being an active member of such bodies as the Malthusian League, the Secular Education League and the Eugenic Education Society; her eugenic beliefs led her to write a series of leaflets entitled "Racial Poisons", warning of the dangers of alcohol, tobacco, syphilis, etc. However, her main political and philosophical interest was in feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
. She became involved with the Women's Emancipation Union, and in 1896 joined with Harriet McIlquham and others to form the Cheltenham Women's Suffrage
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
Society, of which she remained the president until its merging with the local Women Citizens' Association in 1920. Despite her long connection with Cheltenham, she seems to have found campaigning hard there, and described it on her retirement from the suffrage society as "the town of no ideas"; on one occasion in 1913 she was mobbed while attempting to address a meeting on women's suffrage. Although her main official position linked her to the eventually non-militant National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, she also joined the highly militant Women's Social and Political Union and the Women's Freedom League, and strongly defended militant
Militant
The word militant, which is both an adjective and a noun, usually is used to mean vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'. It comes from the 15th century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier"...
action. In addition, from about 1907 she was the moving force behind the League of Isis, although she attributed its origin to Henry Ancketill of Durban, Natal
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
. The object of the League was to promote the protection of maternity and more rational and humane sex relations generally. The League regularly met in the Eustace Miles Restaurant, London, and by 1911 it also had branches in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
At a time that saw a great flowering of feminist activity and theoretical writing, Swiney stood out as a highly original feminist thinker. Her writing increasingly reflected her interest in a Theosophical matriarchalism, and an evolutionary philosophy of feminism. As she put it in Woman and natural law, she believed that "[t]he first male cell, and the first male organism, was an initial failure on the part of the maternal organism to reproduce its like, and was due to a chemical deficiency in the metabolism or physique of the mother", and much of her writing was concerned to redress the malign effects of that failure. A major feature of her work which has contributed to her popularity with more recent feminists was her insistence on women's control over their own sexuality
Human female sexuality
Human female sexuality encompasses a broad range of behaviors and processes, including female sexual identity and sexual behavior, the physiological, psychological, social, cultural, political, and spiritual or religious aspects of sex...
, expressed in terms similar to those of such other radical feminists as Elizabeth Clarke Wolstenholme Elmy, as for example in her insistence that the female alone should have the right to regulate sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
.
Her many feminist publications began with The plea of disfranchised women, published in 1897 under the auspices of the Women's Emancipation Union, and continued regularly thereafter, including such titles as The awakening of women, The bar of Isis, and The cosmic procession. She was a frequent contributor to periodicals. From 1902 to 1914 she wrote a regular column entitled "Women among the nations" for Jaakof Prelooker's monthly The Anglo-Russian, a paper which, as well as informing a British readership of the political situation in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, carried considerable information on feminist movements in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. In addition, from 1912 to 1914 she regularly wrote for The Christian Commonwealth, and at this time she also frequently contributed to the American feminist paper The Woman's Tribune. Above all, in 1913 and 1914 she wrote a series of major articles on sexuality for The Awakener, the organ of the Men's League for Women's Rights, a body campaigning against the traffic in women and for women's suffrage.
Her last major work, and the culmination of her philosophical beliefs, was The Ancient road, or the development of the soul, published in 1918; although in 1921 she had an interesting correspondence with Marie Stopes
Marie Stopes
Marie Carmichael Stopes was a British author, palaeobotanist, campaigner for women's rights and pioneer in the field of birth control...
, which is held in the Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. However, that year also saw the death of General Swiney, at the age of 86, and she herself did not long outlive him, dying of bronchial asthma on 3 May 1922, at her home, Sandford Lawn, Bath Road, Cheltenham. She was survived by four sons and a daughter, all of whom had seen distinguished service in the Great War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Her daughter, Mrs Gladys MacSwiney, was her sole legatee.
Writings
- The Ancient Road
- The Bar of Isis
- The Cosmic Procession
- Women and Natural Law