Nellie Martel
Encyclopedia
Ellen Alma "Nellie" Martel, née Charleston (30 September 1855 – 11 August 1940) was an English-Australian suffragist and elocutionist.
to hammer-man John Charleston and Elizabeth, née Williams (one of her siblings was future Australian Senator David Charleston
), she migrated to Australia in 1879, arriving in Sydney
in January 1880. She married a Guernsey
widower, photographer Charles Martel, at Christ Church Cathedral in Newcastle
on 4 April 1885; the couple returned to Britain in 1889. While in England she witnessed her sister's marriage to the engineer Alfred Goninan.
After touring France
and Italy
, Martel and her husband returned to Sydney in 1891 and both joined the Womanhood Suffrage League (WSL); she was elected to its council and organising committee in 1894 and to the finance committee in 1895.
Her husband had been declared bankrupt in September 1893, after an unwise business venture; although he was granted a certificate of discharge in March 1894, Martel worked as an elocution teacher from their home in Paddington
and paid off the mortgage
by 1900, by which time she was teaching from George Street
.
During this time she was active in the campaign for female suffrage, particularly in New South Wales. Martel also became known for her "rich contralto
" voice and gave recitations and musical performances, at the monthly "At Homes" she and her husband held at the Hotel Arcadia.
In September 1901, she became founding president of the Women's Progressive Association of New South Wales, formed party in response to Rose Scott
's domination of the WSL,
along with Annie Golding, Belle Golding, and Kate Dwyer
.
In April 1903, she was elected president of the Women's Liberal and Reform Association, and she was also elected to the finance committee of the Australian Free Trade League in October.
Although she sought the endorsement of the Women's Social Political League, this was denied after the Free Trade Party
instead endorsed three men, and the league declared that "the time is not yet ripe for women candidates".
Martel stood for the Senate
regardless as an independent candidate and campaigned strongly in Newcastle, Tamworth
, Lambton
and Maitland
.
Despite standing as a women's candidate she expressed opposition to women standing for parliament if they would be neglecting their domestic responsibilities; by this time her husband was in a nursing home. She opposed the Political Labour League
, particularly its caucus structure and support for the minimum wage
, and advocated equal pay for women as a method of maintaining a male dominance in the workplace.
Other causes she supported included free trade
, private industry, irrigation, foreign language teaching and the White Australia policy
; ultimately she received 18,502 votes (6%).
's Dawn. In London she became notorious as a woman who had stood for parliament, and joined Emmeline Pankhurst
's Women's Social and Political Union
(WSPU) in May 1905. Martel read a petition of protest at a meeting following the delay of a women's enfranchisement bill, and became a member of the WSPU's central committee in 1906, publicising the democratic rights enjoyed by Australian women.
On 3 October 1906, she was arrested, with Anne Cobden Sanderson, and Minnie Baldock at Parliament
, and sentenced to 2 months in prison.
She and Pankhurst successfully campaigned against an anti-enfranchisement candidate in Devon
in January 1908, but Martel left the WSPU later that year.
Martel's "strenuous advocacy" of a Unionist candidate in Sunderland
in 1918 was credited with assisting his re-election. Charles died in 1935, and Nellie at her home in Notting Hill
on 11 August 1940.
Life
Born at Beacon in CornwallCornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
to hammer-man John Charleston and Elizabeth, née Williams (one of her siblings was future Australian Senator David Charleston
David Charleston
David Morley Charleston was an Cornish-born Australian politician. Born in Cornwall, he received a primary education before becoming an apprentice engineer, and later an engineering unionist and marine engineer...
), she migrated to Australia in 1879, arriving in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in January 1880. She married a Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
widower, photographer Charles Martel, at Christ Church Cathedral in Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
on 4 April 1885; the couple returned to Britain in 1889. While in England she witnessed her sister's marriage to the engineer Alfred Goninan.
After touring France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Martel and her husband returned to Sydney in 1891 and both joined the Womanhood Suffrage League (WSL); she was elected to its council and organising committee in 1894 and to the finance committee in 1895.
Her husband had been declared bankrupt in September 1893, after an unwise business venture; although he was granted a certificate of discharge in March 1894, Martel worked as an elocution teacher from their home in Paddington
Paddington, New South Wales
Paddington is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Paddington is located 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and lies across the local government areas of the City of Sydney and the Municipality of Woollahra...
and paid off the mortgage
Mortgage
A mortgage is a security interest in real property held by a lender as a security for a debt, usually a loan of money. A mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is the lender's security for a debt...
by 1900, by which time she was teaching from George Street
George Street, Sydney
George Street is one of Sydney's most notable city streets. There are more high rise buildings and more ASX 100 companies located here than anywhere else in Australia, and is well known for being busy around-the-clock...
.
During this time she was active in the campaign for female suffrage, particularly in New South Wales. Martel also became known for her "rich contralto
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
" voice and gave recitations and musical performances, at the monthly "At Homes" she and her husband held at the Hotel Arcadia.
In September 1901, she became founding president of the Women's Progressive Association of New South Wales, formed party in response to Rose Scott
Rose Scott
Rose Scott was an Australian women's rights activist who protested for women's suffrage and universal suffrage in New South Wales at the turn-of-the twentieth century .-Early life:...
's domination of the WSL,
along with Annie Golding, Belle Golding, and Kate Dwyer
Kate Dwyer
Catherine Winifred Dwyer was an Australian educator, suffragist, and labour activist.Kate was born Tambaroora, New South Wales and educated at Hill End Public School...
.
In April 1903, she was elected president of the Women's Liberal and Reform Association, and she was also elected to the finance committee of the Australian Free Trade League in October.
Election
Martel was one of the four women who contested the 1903 federal election, the first at which women were eligible to stand.Although she sought the endorsement of the Women's Social Political League, this was denied after the Free Trade Party
Free Trade Party
The Free Trade Party which was officially known as the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association, also referred to as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states and renamed the Anti-Socialist Party in 1906, was an Australian political party, formally organised between 1889 and 1909...
instead endorsed three men, and the league declared that "the time is not yet ripe for women candidates".
Martel stood for the Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
regardless as an independent candidate and campaigned strongly in Newcastle, Tamworth
Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
, Lambton
Lambton, New South Wales
Lambton is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district.- Early days :Originally a coal-mining township, Lambton was incorporated as a Municipality , on 24 June 1871. The 1891 Census gave the population as 3,434...
and Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
.
Despite standing as a women's candidate she expressed opposition to women standing for parliament if they would be neglecting their domestic responsibilities; by this time her husband was in a nursing home. She opposed the Political Labour League
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, particularly its caucus structure and support for the minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
, and advocated equal pay for women as a method of maintaining a male dominance in the workplace.
Other causes she supported included 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...
, private industry, irrigation, foreign language teaching and the White Australia policy
White Australia policy
The White Australia policy comprises various historical policies that intentionally restricted "non-white" immigration to Australia. From origins at Federation in 1901, the polices were progressively dismantled between 1949-1973....
; ultimately she received 18,502 votes (6%).
Return to England
Charles returned to England in 1904 and Nellie later that year on 27 July; she remained a frequent subject of Louisa LawsonLouisa Lawson
Louisa Lawson was an Australian writer, publisher, suffragist, and feminist. She was the mother of the poet and author Henry Lawson.-Early life:...
's Dawn. In London she became notorious as a woman who had stood for parliament, and joined 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 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) in May 1905. Martel read a petition of protest at a meeting following the delay of a women's enfranchisement bill, and became a member of the WSPU's central committee in 1906, publicising the democratic rights enjoyed by Australian women.
On 3 October 1906, she was arrested, with Anne Cobden Sanderson, and Minnie Baldock at Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
, and sentenced to 2 months in prison.
She and Pankhurst successfully campaigned against an anti-enfranchisement candidate in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
in January 1908, but Martel left the WSPU later that year.
Martel's "strenuous advocacy" of a Unionist candidate in Sunderland
Sunderland (UK Parliament constituency)
Sunderland was a borough constituency of the House of Commons, created by the Reform Act 1832 for the 1832 general election. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election until it was split into single-member seats of Sunderland North and Sunderland South for the 1950...
in 1918 was credited with assisting his re-election. Charles died in 1935, and Nellie at her home in Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
on 11 August 1940.