Evelina Haverfield
Encyclopedia
Evelina Haverfield was a British suffragette
and aid worker. In the early part of the 20th century, she was involved in Emmeline Pankhurst
's militant women's suffrage
organisation the Women's Social and Political Union
. During World War I
she worked as a nurse in Serbia
.
, Kingussie
in Scotland
. She was the third daughter of William Scarlett, 3rd Baron Abinger
and his wife Helen, who was the daughter of a United States Navy
Commodore. Her childhood was divided between London and the Inverlochy estate. In 1880 she went to school in Düsseldorf
, Germany
. On 10 February 1887, at the age of 19, she married a Royal Artillery
officer, Major Henry Wykeham Brooke Tunstall Haverfield, in Kensington
, London, and the couple went to live in Dorset
. Her husband was 20 years her senior The marriage was a happy one and produced two sons, John Campbell Haverfield (born 1887) and Brook Tunstall Haverfield (born 1889) but Henry Haverfield died eight years later.
Haverfield enjoyed a lifestyle not yet commonplace for women, for example, she rode a bicycle she called Pegasus. On 19 July 1899, she married John Henry Balguy, another Royal Artillery major, and a friend of her late husband. The ceremony took place in a Dorset hamlet
called Caundle Marsh
. The bride soon reverted to the name Haverfield and kept her home in Sherborne
. During the Second Boer War
, she travelled to South Africa
for two years to act as assistant to her husband who was stationed there. She enjoyed being involved in the military zone and even took part in rifle
practice. While there she formed a retirement camp for horses.
groups. She joined the Sherborne branch of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
. In 1908 she attended a rally at the Royal Albert Hall
and started supporting the militant suffragettes, joining the Women's Social and Political Union
(WSPU). She took part in numerous protests and was arrested several times for obstructing and assaulting the police.
In 1909 Haverfield took part in the Bill of Rights March. Members of the WSPU, led by Emmeline Pankhurst
, attempted to enter the House of Commons. They were blocked by the police and over 100 women were arrested, including Haverfield. Following a WSPU demonstration in 1910 she was arrested for assaulting a police officer after hitting him in the mouth. According to the charges brought against her, she had also said "It was not hard enough. Next time I will bring a revolver." In 1911 she was among 200 women arrested in London for breaking windows and damaging government buildings during a protest against the Manhood Suffrage bill. Haverfield's part in this particular protest had been to attempt to disrupt a police cordon by leading police horses
out of their rank.
broke out in 1914, Haverfield became concerned with how women could help in the event of an invasion of the UK and founded the Women's Emergency Corps. In 1915 she volunteered to go abroad with the Scottish Women's Hospitals, joining Elsie Inglis
in Serbia
. In early 1916, they were forced to leave Serbia following the German invasion. Haverfield returned to England and gave press interviews about the situation in Serbia. In August, she travelled at Inglis' request to Dobrudja in Romania
. With Flora Sandes she founded the Hon. Evelina Haverfield's and Sert-Major Flora Sandes' Fund for Promoting Comforts for Serbian Soldiers and Prisoners. Following the end of the war, she turned her attention to the orphaned Serbian children. She died in 1920 of pneumonia
in Serbia having gone there the previous September to work in an orphanage.
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
and aid worker. In the early part of the 20th century, she was involved in 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...
's militant women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
organisation the Women's Social and Political Union
Women's Social and Political Union
The Women's Social and Political Union was the leading militant organisation campaigning for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom...
. During World War I
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...
she worked as a nurse in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.
Early life
Haverfield was born Evelina Scarlett in 1867 at Inverlochy CastleInverlochy Castle
Inverlochy Castle is a ruined, 13th-century castle near Fort William, Scotland. The site of two battles, the castle remains largely unchanged since its construction. It is now in the care of Historic Scotland.-History:...
, Kingussie
Kingussie
Kingussie is a small town in the Highland region of Scotland. It is one settlement in the Highland Council ward of Badenoch and Strathspey, and is the capital of the district of Badenoch. It lies beside the A9 road, although the old route of the A9 serves as the town's main street...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. She was the third daughter of William Scarlett, 3rd Baron Abinger
William Scarlett, 3rd Baron Abinger
Lieutenant-General William Frederick Scarlett, 3rd Baron Abinger CB , was a British peer.Scarlett succeeded his father Robert Scarlett, 2nd Baron Abinger, in 1861. Educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, the 3rd Baron became an officer of the Scots Fusilier Guards regiment of the...
and his wife Helen, who was the daughter of a United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Commodore. Her childhood was divided between London and the Inverlochy estate. In 1880 she went to school in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. On 10 February 1887, at the age of 19, she married a Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
officer, Major Henry Wykeham Brooke Tunstall Haverfield, in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, London, and the couple went to live in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. Her husband was 20 years her senior The marriage was a happy one and produced two sons, John Campbell Haverfield (born 1887) and Brook Tunstall Haverfield (born 1889) but Henry Haverfield died eight years later.
Haverfield enjoyed a lifestyle not yet commonplace for women, for example, she rode a bicycle she called Pegasus. On 19 July 1899, she married John Henry Balguy, another Royal Artillery major, and a friend of her late husband. The ceremony took place in a Dorset hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
called Caundle Marsh
Caundle Marsh
Caundle Marsh is a hamlet in north west Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale, four miles south east of Sherborne. The village has a population of 58 .- External links :*...
. The bride soon reverted to the name Haverfield and kept her home in Sherborne
Sherborne
Sherborne is a market town in northwest Dorset, England. It is sited on the River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The A30 road, which connects London to Penzance, runs through the town. The population of the town is 9,350 . 27.1% of the population is aged 65 or...
. During the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, she travelled to 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...
for two years to act as assistant to her husband who was stationed there. She enjoyed being involved in the military zone and even took part in rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
practice. While there she formed a retirement camp for horses.
Women's suffrage
Haverfield began to take an interest in politics and aligned herself with the moderate women's suffrageSuffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
groups. She joined the Sherborne branch 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:...
. In 1908 she attended a rally at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
and started supporting the militant suffragettes, joining the Women's Social and Political Union
Women's Social and Political Union
The Women's Social and Political Union was the leading militant organisation campaigning for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom...
(WSPU). She took part in numerous protests and was arrested several times for obstructing and assaulting the police.
In 1909 Haverfield took part in the Bill of Rights March. Members of the WSPU, led by 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...
, attempted to enter the House of Commons. They were blocked by the police and over 100 women were arrested, including Haverfield. Following a WSPU demonstration in 1910 she was arrested for assaulting a police officer after hitting him in the mouth. According to the charges brought against her, she had also said "It was not hard enough. Next time I will bring a revolver." In 1911 she was among 200 women arrested in London for breaking windows and damaging government buildings during a protest against the Manhood Suffrage bill. Haverfield's part in this particular protest had been to attempt to disrupt a police cordon by leading police horses
Mounted police
Mounted police are police who patrol on horseback or camelback. They continue to serve in remote areas and in metropolitan areas where their day-to-day function may be picturesque or ceremonial, but they are also employed in crowd control because of their mobile mass and height advantage and...
out of their rank.
War
When World War IWorld 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...
broke out in 1914, Haverfield became concerned with how women could help in the event of an invasion of the UK and founded the Women's Emergency Corps. In 1915 she volunteered to go abroad with the Scottish Women's Hospitals, joining Elsie Inglis
Elsie Inglis
Elsie Inglis was an innovative Scottish doctor and suffragist.-Education:She was born in the hill station town of Naini Tal, India, to John Forbes David Inglis who worked in the Indian civil service as Chief Commissioner of Oudh...
in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. In early 1916, they were forced to leave Serbia following the German invasion. Haverfield returned to England and gave press interviews about the situation in Serbia. In August, she travelled at Inglis' request to Dobrudja in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. With Flora Sandes she founded the Hon. Evelina Haverfield's and Sert-Major Flora Sandes' Fund for Promoting Comforts for Serbian Soldiers and Prisoners. Following the end of the war, she turned her attention to the orphaned Serbian children. She died in 1920 of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in Serbia having gone there the previous September to work in an orphanage.