Louisa Martindale (feminist)
Encyclopedia
Louisa Martindale, née Spicer (25 June 1839 – 15 March 1914) was a British activist for women's rights and suffragist.
She was born in Woodford Green
, Essex
. Her father, James Spicer, was a wholesale stationer with a successful family business. The family were prominent Congregationalists
.
She founded the Ray Lodge Mission Station in Woodford Green in 1865. During her time in Brighton
, she was one of the founders of the Women's Liberal Association (1891), Women's Co-operative Movement and a women's dispensary that later became the New Sussex Hospital for Women and Children. She was also involved with the British and Foreign Bible Society
and the Women's Suffrage Society. She assisted her brother, Albert Spicer
, a Liberal
MP
for the Monmouth Boroughs
(1892–1900) and Hackney Central
(1906–18), who himself worked on issues such as the admission of women into county council
s.
Her interest in women's rights dated from 1867. She spoke in Spicer's Monmouth constituency on issues such as the aforementioned admission of women into county councils, wrote lectures on the rights of women and related topics, and supported women's right to preach. In 1904, she attended (with her daughter Hilda) the International Congress of Women
in Berlin
, where she met Susan B. Anthony
; she was a member of the executive committee of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
, and a vice-president of the Central Society. Not just content with political action, Martindale engaged in a practical manner to improve the situation of women. In the 1880s, she opened her house for shop girls on alternate Saturdays, and took a number of underprivileged young women under her wing, among whom was Margaret Bondfield
, later the first female Cabinet member of the United Kingdom
.
, a surgeon, and Hilda, a civil servant Hilda Martindale. A third daughter died in infancy. After her husband's death in around 1874, she travelled with her young daughters in England and Europe, eventually settling in Brighton
. In 1903, she moved to Horsted Keynes
in Sussex
, where she built a Congregational church.
Perhaps her legacy is best symbolized by her brother James Spicer's great-granddaughter, Harriet Harman
QC
MP
, a Labour
politician
who has attained high-ranking functions such as Deputy Leader, and Party Chair
of the Labour Party
, Leader of the House of Commons
, Lord Privy Seal
, and Minister for Women and Equality
.
She was born in Woodford Green
Woodford Green
Woodford Green, formerly in the county of Essex, is part of the North East London suburb of Woodford, on the edge of Epping Forest, mostly within the London Borough of Redbridge with a small part on the western side of the green within the London Borough of Waltham Forest .-History:Woodford Green...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. Her father, James Spicer, was a wholesale stationer with a successful family business. The family were prominent Congregationalists
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
.
She founded the Ray Lodge Mission Station in Woodford Green in 1865. During her time in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, she was one of the founders of the Women's Liberal Association (1891), Women's Co-operative Movement and a women's dispensary that later became the New Sussex Hospital for Women and Children. She was also involved with the British and Foreign Bible Society
British and Foreign Bible Society
The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply as Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world....
and the Women's Suffrage Society. She assisted her brother, Albert Spicer
Sir Albert Spicer, 1st Baronet
Sir Albert Spicer, 1st Baronet PC was an English businessman and Liberal Party politician.He was born in Brixton, London, the son of James Spicer D.L...
, a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Monmouth Boroughs
Monmouth Boroughs (UK Parliament constituency)
Monmouth Boroughs was a parliamentary constituency consisting of several towns in Monmouthshire...
(1892–1900) and Hackney Central
Hackney Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Hackney Central was a borough constituency in what was then the Metropolitan Borough of Hackney, in London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
(1906–18), who himself worked on issues such as the admission of women into county council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
s.
Her interest in women's rights dated from 1867. She spoke in Spicer's Monmouth constituency on issues such as the aforementioned admission of women into county councils, wrote lectures on the rights of women and related topics, and supported women's right to preach. In 1904, she attended (with her daughter Hilda) the International Congress of Women
International Congress of Women
The name International Congress of Women was used by a number of feminist and pacifist events since 1878.-Paris, 1878:The First International Congress of Women's Rights convened in Paris in 1878 upon the occasion of the third Paris World's Fair. Seven resolutions were passed, beginning with the...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where she met Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony
Susan Brownell Anthony was a prominent American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women's rights movement to introduce women's suffrage into the United States. She was co-founder of the first Women's Temperance Movement with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as President...
; she was a member of the executive committee of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies , also known as the Suffragists was an organisation of women's suffrage societies in the United Kingdom.-Formation and campaigning:...
, and a vice-president of the Central Society. Not just content with political action, Martindale engaged in a practical manner to improve the situation of women. In the 1880s, she opened her house for shop girls on alternate Saturdays, and took a number of underprivileged young women under her wing, among whom was Margaret Bondfield
Margaret Bondfield
Margaret Grace Bondfield was an English Labour politician and feminist, the first woman Cabinet minister in the United Kingdom and one of the first three female Labour MPs...
, later the first female Cabinet member of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Personal life
In 1871, she married William Martindale, a merchant. Their marriage was short-lived; he died only a few years later. Their children included LouisaLouisa Martindale
Dr. Louisa Martindale, CBE, MB/BS , FRCOG, JP was an English physician, surgeon, and writer. She also served as magistrate on the Brighton bench, was a prison commissioner and a member of the National Council of Women...
, a surgeon, and Hilda, a civil servant Hilda Martindale. A third daughter died in infancy. After her husband's death in around 1874, she travelled with her young daughters in England and Europe, eventually settling in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. In 1903, she moved to Horsted Keynes
Horsted Keynes
Horsted Keynes is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. The village is located about eight kilometres north east of Haywards Heath, in the Weald...
in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, where she built a Congregational church.
Legacy
Louisa Martindale's legacy is by now well-recognized. The history of her work in Horsted Keynes, as a founder of the Congregationalist "Free Church" there, as a community leader, and as an advocate of women's religious rights, is maintained in the Martindale Centre, in the heart of the village.Perhaps her legacy is best symbolized by her brother James Spicer's great-granddaughter, Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, a Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who has attained high-ranking functions such as Deputy Leader, and Party Chair
Party Chair
In politics, a party chair is the presiding officer of a political party....
of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, Leader of the House of Commons
Leader of the House of Commons
The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons...
, Lord Privy Seal
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
, and Minister for Women and Equality
Minister for Women and Equality
The post of Minister for Women and Equalities is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom with responsibility for addressing all forms of discrimination, with particular emphasis on gender inequality.-History:...
.
Further reading
- Banks, O. The Biographical Dictionary of British Feminists. Vol. 2. New York: New York UP, 1990. ISBN 978-0814711460.
- Levine, Philippa. Victorian Feminism, 1850–1900. Gainesville: UP of Florida, 1989. ISBN 978-0813013213.
- Levine, Philippa. Feminist Lives in Victorian England: Private Roles and Public Commitment. Figueroa, 2004. ISBN 978-0972762595.
- Martindale, Hilda. From One Generation to Another. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1944.
- Martindale, Hilda. Some Victorian Portraits and Others. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1948. Repr. Ayer, 1970. ISBN 9780836980301.
- Martindale, Louisa. A Women Surgeon. London: Gollancz, 1951.