Ethel Carnie Holdsworth
Encyclopedia
Ethel Carnie Holdsworth, British author (also published as Ethel Carnie and Ethel Holdsworth) lived from 1886 to 1962 .
, Lancashire
. She started part-time work at Delph Road mill in Great Harwood
at aged eleven and was in full-time employment at St. Lawrence mill from thirteen. In her later articles for The Woman Worker, she described her experience as "slavery".
Her first book of poems, Rhymes from the Factory, was published in 1907. Robert Blatchford
, proprietor of The Clarion
, interviewed Ethel Carnie at 76 Windsor Road, Great Harwood, in the summer of 1908 and offered her a job writing articles and poems for his weekly paper, The Woman Worker, in London. Carnie was dismissed after six months for reasons which remain obscure, according to Dr Roger Smalley, the author of a Ph.D thesis on Holdsworth.
A second book of poems, Songs of a Factory Girl, was published in 1911, and her third and final collection of poems, Voices of Womanhood, followed three years later. Holdsworth taught creative writing at Bebel House in London in 1913, but returned to Great Harwood before the end of the year. Her first novel, Miss Nobody, was published in the same year.
in World War I. During the
1920s she edited The Clear Light, an anti-fascist journal, with her husband Alfred Holdsworth. In this period she also published a series of sonnets in the anarchist journal Freedom, protesting at the imprisonment of anarchists in Soviet jails.
The children's story "The Blind Prince" (in The Lamp Girl and other stories, 1913) shows the influence of Oscar Wilde
. This Slavery (1925) is Holdsworth's best-known work. Holdsworth wrote poems and short stories until 1936 but there is no record of her writing after this date. Holdsworth's daughter Margaret told an interviewer that her mother stopped writing because she was worn out and depressed about the imminent outbreak of World War II
. Two of Holdsworth's novels, All On Her Own (1929) and This Slavery, are to be republished by Trent Editions.
set two of Holdsworth's poems in the song cycle Three Songs (1913). Smyth dedicated "Possession" to Emmeline Pankhurst
and "On the Road: a marching tune" to Christabel Pankhurst
. The latter song was premiered in 1913 at the Queen's Hall
, London.
The novel Helen of Four Gates (1917) was filmed in 1920. Prints exist in the Cinémathèque Québécoise
film archive [35mm positive], and in the International Museum of Photography and Film at George Eastman House
film archive [16mm reduction positive]. Holdsworth is buried at Blackley Cemetery, Manchester, in the non-conformists' section - Grave A 183.
Childhood
The British writer Ethel Carnie Holdsworth was born on 1 January 1886 into a radical weaving family in Great HarwoodGreat Harwood
Great Harwood is a small town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, England, north-east of Blackburn.-History:Great Harwood is a town with a industrial heritage. The Mercer Hall Leisure Centre in Queen Street and the town clock pay tribute to John Mercer , the 'father' of Great Harwood, who...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. She started part-time work at Delph Road mill in Great Harwood
Great Harwood
Great Harwood is a small town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, England, north-east of Blackburn.-History:Great Harwood is a town with a industrial heritage. The Mercer Hall Leisure Centre in Queen Street and the town clock pay tribute to John Mercer , the 'father' of Great Harwood, who...
at aged eleven and was in full-time employment at St. Lawrence mill from thirteen. In her later articles for The Woman Worker, she described her experience as "slavery".
Education
Holdsworth attended Great Harwood British School from 1892. According to Edmund and Ruth Frow, she showed promise in composition and often had her essays read out to the rest of the class, but otherwise showed no outstanding ability. Studied at Owens College (University of Manchester) during the 1911/12 academic session and matriculated on 11 January 1912.Early writing
Holdsworth started composing poetry while working as a winder at the St. Lawrence mill.Her first book of poems, Rhymes from the Factory, was published in 1907. Robert Blatchford
Robert Blatchford
Robert Peel Glanville Blatchford was a socialist campaigner, journalist and author in the United Kingdom. He was a prominent atheist and opponent of eugenics. He was also an English patriot...
, proprietor of The Clarion
The Clarion
The Clarion was a weekly newspaper published by Robert Blatchford, based in the United Kingdom. It was a socialist publication though adopting a British-focused rather than internationalist perspective on political affairs, as seen in its support of the British involvement in the Anglo-Boer Wars...
, interviewed Ethel Carnie at 76 Windsor Road, Great Harwood, in the summer of 1908 and offered her a job writing articles and poems for his weekly paper, The Woman Worker, in London. Carnie was dismissed after six months for reasons which remain obscure, according to Dr Roger Smalley, the author of a Ph.D thesis on Holdsworth.
A second book of poems, Songs of a Factory Girl, was published in 1911, and her third and final collection of poems, Voices of Womanhood, followed three years later. Holdsworth taught creative writing at Bebel House in London in 1913, but returned to Great Harwood before the end of the year. Her first novel, Miss Nobody, was published in the same year.
Political activities
Holdsworth protested against the introduction of conscriptionConscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
in World War I. During the
1920s she edited The Clear Light, an anti-fascist journal, with her husband Alfred Holdsworth. In this period she also published a series of sonnets in the anarchist journal Freedom, protesting at the imprisonment of anarchists in Soviet jails.
Literary significance
Dr Kathleen Bell is one of the leading figures in the campaign to introduce the work of this long-forgotten writer to a new generation. She writes that
"at its best, Holdsworth's poetry illuminates the gap between working-class people's desire for liberty, often evident in their imaginative capacity, and the constraints and suffering of their lives".
The children's story "The Blind Prince" (in The Lamp Girl and other stories, 1913) shows the influence of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
. This Slavery (1925) is Holdsworth's best-known work. Holdsworth wrote poems and short stories until 1936 but there is no record of her writing after this date. Holdsworth's daughter Margaret told an interviewer that her mother stopped writing because she was worn out and depressed about the imminent outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Two of Holdsworth's novels, All On Her Own (1929) and This Slavery, are to be republished by Trent Editions.
Miscellaneous
The composer Ethel SmythEthel Smyth
Dame Ethel Mary Smyth, DBE was an English composer and a leader of the women's suffrage movement.- Early career :...
set two of Holdsworth's poems in the song cycle Three Songs (1913). Smyth dedicated "Possession" to Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst was a British political activist and leader of the British suffragette movement which helped women win the right to vote...
and "On the Road: a marching tune" to Christabel Pankhurst
Christabel Pankhurst
Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst, DBE , was a suffragette born in Manchester, England. A co-founder of the Women's Social and Political Union , she directed its militant actions from exile in France from 1912 to 1913. In 1914 she became a fervent supporter of the war against Germany...
. The latter song was premiered in 1913 at the Queen's Hall
Queen's Hall
The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect T.E. Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. From 1895 until 1941, it was the home of the promenade concerts founded by Robert...
, London.
The novel Helen of Four Gates (1917) was filmed in 1920. Prints exist in the Cinémathèque Québécoise
Cinémathèque québécoise
The Cinémathèque québécoise is a film conservatory in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1963, its mission is to "preserve and document film and television heritage in order to make it available to an ever-growing and diversified public."...
film archive [35mm positive], and in the International Museum of Photography and Film at George Eastman House
George Eastman House
The George Eastman House is the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in Rochester, New York, USA. World-renowned for its photograph and motion picture archives, the museum is also a leader in film preservation and...
film archive [16mm reduction positive]. Holdsworth is buried at Blackley Cemetery, Manchester, in the non-conformists' section - Grave A 183.