Barbara Bodichon
Encyclopedia
Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon (8 April 1827 – 11 June 1891) was an English educationalist, artist, and a leading early nineteenth century feminist and activist for women's rights
.
, and Benjamin (Ben) Leigh Smith
(1783-1860) , an MP's only son, who was himself a Radical MP for Norwich
. Benjamin had four sisters. One, Frances (Fanny) Smith
, married into the Nightingale family and produced a daughter, Florence Nightingale
, the nurse and statistician; another married into the Bonham Carter family
. Ben's father wanted him to marry Mary Shore, the sister of William Nightingale, now a relative by marriage.
Ben Smith's home was in Marylebone
, London, but from 1816 he inherited and purchased property near Hastings
: Brown's Farm near Robertsbridge, with a house built around 1700 (extant), and Crowham Manor, Westfield, which included 200 acre (0.809372 km²). Although a member of the landed gentry
, Smith held radical views. He was a Dissenter, a Unitarian
, a supporter of free trade
, and a benefactor to the poor. In 1826 he bore the cost of building a school for the inner city poor at Vincent Square
, Westminster
, and paid a penny a week towards the fees for each child, the same amount as paid by their parents. http://www.hastingspress.co.uk/history/19/bodichon.htm
On a visit to his sister in Derbyshire in 1826, Smith met Anne Longden, a 25-year-old milliner from Alfreton. She became pregnant and Smith took her to a rented lodge at Whatlington, a small village near Battle, East Sussex
. There she lived as 'Mrs Leigh', the surname of Ben Smith's relations on the nearby Isle of Wight
. Barbara's birth created a scandal because the couple did not marry. Smith rode from Brown's Farm to visit them daily, and within eight weeks Anne was pregnant again. When little Ben was born the four of them went to America for two years, during which time another child was conceived. On their return to Sussex they lived openly together at Brown's, and had two more children. After their last child was born, in 1833, Anne became ill with tuberculosis and Smith leased 9 Pelham Crescent, which faced the sea at Hastings; the healthy properties of sea air
were highly regarded at the time. A local woman, Hannah Walker, was employed to look after the children. Anne did not recover so Smith took her to Ryde, Isle of Wight, where she died in 1834 when Barbara was only seven years old.
. During this period she became close friends with the artist Anna Mary Howitt
, for whom she sat on several occasions.
In 1857 she married an eminent French physician, Dr Eugene Bodichon, and, although wintering many years in Algiers
, continued to lead the movements she had initiated in behalf of Englishwomen.
In 1858, she set up the English Women's Journal as an organ for discussing employment and equality issues directly concerning women, in particular manual or intellectual industrial employment, expansion of employment opportunities, and the reform of laws pertaining to the sexes.
In 1866, co-operating with Emily Davies
, she matured a scheme for the extension of university education to women, and the first small experiment at Hitchin
developed into Girton College, Cambridge
, to which Mme Bodichon gave liberally of her time and money.
With all her public interests she found time for society and her favorite art of painting. She studied under William Holman Hunt
, and her water-colors, exhibited at the Salon, the Royal Academy
and elsewhere, showed great originality and talent, and were admired by Corot
and Daubigny
. Her London salon included many of the literary and artistic celebrities of her day; she was George Eliot
's most intimate friend, and, according to her, the first to recognize the authorship of Adam Bede
. Her personal appearance is said to be described in that of Romola
. Mme Bodichon died at Robertsbridge
, Sussex
, on the 11th of June 1891.
She was a Unitarian
who wrote of Theodore Parker
: He prayed to the Creator, the infinite Mother of us all (always using Mother instead of Father in this prayer). It was the prayer of all I ever heard in my life which was the truest to my individual soul. (Lingwood, 2008)
came across the grave of Barbara Bodichon. The grave lay in the tiny churchyard in Brightling
, East Sussex, about 50 miles (80.5 km) from London, in a state of disrepair, its railings rusted and breaking away and the inscription on the tomb almost illegible. The historian Dr Judith Rowbotham at Nottingham Trent University
issued an appeal for funds to restore the grave and its surrounds. About £1,000 was raised and under the eye of Mrs Irene Baker, Secretary, Brightling Parochial Church Council this has now been used to sand-blast the railings and repaint them, and clean the granite tomb. The grave and its surrounds are now in very good, attractive order, as they must have been over a century ago.
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
.
Early life
She was the extramarital child of Anne Longden, a 17-year-old milliner from AlfretonAlfreton
Alfreton is a town and civil parish in Amber Valley, Derbyshire, England, adjoining the Bolsover and North East Derbyshire districts. It was formerly a Norman Manor and later an Urban District. The population of the Alfreton Ward was 7,928 at the 2001 Census...
, and Benjamin (Ben) Leigh Smith
Benjamin Smith (British Whig politician)
Benjamin Leigh Smith was a British Whig politician who represented the constituencies of Sudbury and Norwich.He was one of five sons and five daughters of William Smith, the famous MP and abolitionist...
(1783-1860) , an MP's only son, who was himself a Radical MP for Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
. Benjamin had four sisters. One, Frances (Fanny) Smith
Frances Smith
Frances Smith was a Smith College freshman who disappeared in January 1928. Her body was discovered on March 29, 1929 in the Connecticut River, near Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Her full name was Frances St. John Smith....
, married into the Nightingale family and produced a daughter, Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
, the nurse and statistician; another married into the Bonham Carter family
Bonham Carter family
The Bonham Carter family are descendants of John Bonham-Carter , a British Member of Parliament and barrister. The son of Sir John Carter, he assumed the name Bonham by Royal Licence when he inherited the estates of his cousin Thomas Bonham...
. Ben's father wanted him to marry Mary Shore, the sister of William Nightingale, now a relative by marriage.
Ben Smith's home was in Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
, London, but from 1816 he inherited and purchased property near Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
: Brown's Farm near Robertsbridge, with a house built around 1700 (extant), and Crowham Manor, Westfield, which included 200 acre (0.809372 km²). Although a member of the landed gentry
Landed gentry
Landed gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
, Smith held radical views. He was a Dissenter, a Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
, a supporter of free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
, and a benefactor to the poor. In 1826 he bore the cost of building a school for the inner city poor at Vincent Square
Vincent Square
Vincent Square is a large grass-covered square in Westminster, London, England, covering 13 acres. It provides playing fields for Westminster School, which privately owns it....
, Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
, and paid a penny a week towards the fees for each child, the same amount as paid by their parents. http://www.hastingspress.co.uk/history/19/bodichon.htm
On a visit to his sister in Derbyshire in 1826, Smith met Anne Longden, a 25-year-old milliner from Alfreton. She became pregnant and Smith took her to a rented lodge at Whatlington, a small village near Battle, East Sussex
Battle, East Sussex
Battle is a small town and civil parish in the local government district of Rother in East Sussex, England. It lies south southeast of London, east of Brighton and east of the county town of Lewes...
. There she lived as 'Mrs Leigh', the surname of Ben Smith's relations on the nearby Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. Barbara's birth created a scandal because the couple did not marry. Smith rode from Brown's Farm to visit them daily, and within eight weeks Anne was pregnant again. When little Ben was born the four of them went to America for two years, during which time another child was conceived. On their return to Sussex they lived openly together at Brown's, and had two more children. After their last child was born, in 1833, Anne became ill with tuberculosis and Smith leased 9 Pelham Crescent, which faced the sea at Hastings; the healthy properties of sea air
Sea air
The air at or by the sea is traditionally thought to be healthy. This was variously attributed to iodine or ozone but its cleanliness or salt may be more significant....
were highly regarded at the time. A local woman, Hannah Walker, was employed to look after the children. Anne did not recover so Smith took her to Ryde, Isle of Wight, where she died in 1834 when Barbara was only seven years old.
Later life
Early on, she showed a force of character and catholicity of sympathy that later won her a prominent place among philanthropists and social workers. She and a group of friends began to meet regularly during the 1850s in Langham Place in London to discuss women's rights, and became known as "The Ladies of Langham Place". This became one of the first organised women’s movements in Britain. They pursued many causes vigorously, including their Married Women’s Property Committee. In 1854 she published her Brief Summary of the Laws of England concerning Women, which had a useful effect in helping forward the passage of the Married Women's Property Act 1882Married Women's Property Act 1882
The Married Women's Property Act 1882 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that significantly altered English law regarding the property rights granted to married women, allowing them to own and control their own property....
. During this period she became close friends with the artist Anna Mary Howitt
Anna Mary Howitt
Anna Mary Howitt was an English painter, writer and feminist.-Artist and feminist:...
, for whom she sat on several occasions.
In 1857 she married an eminent French physician, Dr Eugene Bodichon, and, although wintering many years in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, continued to lead the movements she had initiated in behalf of Englishwomen.
In 1858, she set up the English Women's Journal as an organ for discussing employment and equality issues directly concerning women, in particular manual or intellectual industrial employment, expansion of employment opportunities, and the reform of laws pertaining to the sexes.
In 1866, co-operating with Emily Davies
Emily Davies
Sarah Emily Davies was an English feminist, suffragist and a pioneering campaigners fore women's rights to university access. She was born in Southampton, England to an evangelical clergyman and a teacher in 1830, although she spent most of her youth in Gateshead...
, she matured a scheme for the extension of university education to women, and the first small experiment at Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
developed into Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. It was England's first residential women's college, established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon. The full college status was only received in 1948 and marked the official admittance of women to the...
, to which Mme Bodichon gave liberally of her time and money.
With all her public interests she found time for society and her favorite art of painting. She studied under William Holman Hunt
William Holman Hunt
William Holman Hunt OM was an English painter, and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Biography:...
, and her water-colors, exhibited at the Salon, the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
and elsewhere, showed great originality and talent, and were admired by Corot
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot was a French landscape painter and printmaker in etching. Corot was the leading painter of the Barbizon school of France in the mid-nineteenth century...
and Daubigny
Charles-François Daubigny
Charles-François Daubigny was one of the painters of the Barbizon school, and is considered an important precursor of Impressionism....
. Her London salon included many of the literary and artistic celebrities of her day; she was George Eliot
George Eliot
Mary Anne Evans , better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, journalist and translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era...
's most intimate friend, and, according to her, the first to recognize the authorship of Adam Bede
Adam Bede
Adam Bede, the first novel written by George Eliot , was published in 1859. It was published pseudonymously, even though Evans was a well-published and highly respected scholar of her time...
. Her personal appearance is said to be described in that of Romola
Romola
Romola is a historical novel by George Eliot set in the fifteenth century, and is "a deep study of life in the city of Florence from an intellectual, artistic, religious, and social point of view". It first appeared in fourteen parts published in Cornhill Magazine from July 1862 to August 1863...
. Mme Bodichon died at Robertsbridge
Robertsbridge
Robertsbridge is a village in East Sussex, England within the civil parish of Salehurst and Robertsbridge. It is approximately 10 miles north of Hastings and 13 miles south-east of Tunbridge Wells...
, 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...
, on the 11th of June 1891.
She was a Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
who wrote of Theodore Parker
Theodore Parker
Theodore Parker was an American Transcendentalist and reforming minister of the Unitarian church...
: He prayed to the Creator, the infinite Mother of us all (always using Mother instead of Father in this prayer). It was the prayer of all I ever heard in my life which was the truest to my individual soul. (Lingwood, 2008)
Refurbishment of her grave
In 2007 the British equal rights campaigner and feminist Lesley AbdelaLesley Abdela
Lesley Julia Abdela MBE at the London Gazette. "For services to the advancement of Women in Politics and Local Government." Hon D.Litt)...
came across the grave of Barbara Bodichon. The grave lay in the tiny churchyard in Brightling
Brightling
Brightling is a village and civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex, England. It is located on the Weald eight miles north-west of Battle and four miles west of Robertsbridge....
, East Sussex, about 50 miles (80.5 km) from London, in a state of disrepair, its railings rusted and breaking away and the inscription on the tomb almost illegible. The historian Dr Judith Rowbotham at Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University is a public teaching and research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as a new university in 1992 from the existing Trent Polytechnic , however it can trace its roots back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham Government School of Design...
issued an appeal for funds to restore the grave and its surrounds. About £1,000 was raised and under the eye of Mrs Irene Baker, Secretary, Brightling Parochial Church Council this has now been used to sand-blast the railings and repaint them, and clean the granite tomb. The grave and its surrounds are now in very good, attractive order, as they must have been over a century ago.
See also
- History of feminismHistory of feminismThe history of feminism involves the story of feminist movements and of feminist thinkers. Depending on time, culture and country, feminists around the world have sometimes had different causes and goals...
- Women's suffrage in the United KingdomWomen's suffrage in the United KingdomWomen's suffrage in the United Kingdom as a national movement began in 1872. Women were not prohibited from voting in the United Kingdom until the 1832 Reform Act and the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act...
- List of Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists
Further reading
- Matthews, Jacquie. Barbara Bodichon: Integrity in diversity (1827-1891) in Spender, Dale (ed.) Feminist theorists: Three centuries of key women thinkers, Pantheon 1983, pp. 90-123 ISBN 0-394-53438-7