Leigh & District

Women in History Archive

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Our APRIL 2019 meeting will take place on Monday 15th April and repeated on Tuesday 16th. The topic is 'Women on (and in) television'. There will be lots of material on presenters, actresses, producers, directors etc. Please feel free to join us and to bring research or just come along and join in.

Our meetings in March saw a fascinating presentation by Kath Graham - one of our members - on Charlotte Blears. Charlotte was a local woman who was transported to Tasmania for what we would now consider to be minor offences. Kath told us about her research on Charlotte which revealed the unusual story that she returned to Leigh following her incarceration. She went on to commit more offences and was last heard of serving a sentence at Brixton. Kath has spent many hours researching the case and is keen to talk to any Blears/Blares/Blairs who may have the honour of having Charlotte as an ancestor. Who knows what could be out there?

I am always on the look out for presentations and please don't be shy if you have a suitable topic. I am happy to provide the technology (screen and projector and powerpoint)
Thanks again to Kath for a well researched and interesting presentation

and ....Thanks again to Jo for the cake - lovely as always

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Om March 18th and repeated on March 19th 2019 - both at 1pm - one of our members, Kath, will be giving us a presentation. This will look at a local female who was transported to Tasmania in the 19th Century and, amazingly, made her way back to Leigh following the completion of her sentence. I won't spill the beans by giving much more of the story - which is fascinating. This will be of interest to anybody who enjoys history, genealogy or crime and punishment. No need to book - just turn up and you will be made welcome.

The February meetings looked at servants and we had some excellent and varied findings brought in by our members. This included Chris's contribution on the early servants (18th Century) and how some of them were not living in penury. Jill gave us information from a biography of a lady called Mollie Moran - 'Aprons and Silver Spoons' which gave details of her (Mollie's not Jill's) life as a servant. Great stuff. Evelyn told us about the job of an ostler - not strictly women's work but very interesting. Bron looked at the relationship between servant and master and how strange it can be. Sue had brought a copy of Mrs Beaton's advice to servants which was fascinating but a bit scary if you were the poor servant. Mary told us about 'Crawfie' the present Queen's governess and her treatment by the royal family. Shirley looked at Hannah Cullwick - a servant who kept a diary of her working life.Hannah had some strange habits - which gave us laugh. Shirley also read out the rules for servant. Eileen told us about a woman who was transported (another one!) but who made good after working as a servant in Tasmania. Brian looked at a book called 'Useful Toil' which contained writing by working people describing their jobs. This included that of a housemaid. Finally I read some information about servants from Bill Brysons book - 'At Home'.

Thanks to everybody who brought information and presented it. It is not always easy to do this and whilst not compulsory it is much appreciated as it brings variety and new knowledge to our friendly group.

Just a reminder of the rest of the year - topics and dates

Charlotte Blears – presentation on local woman transported to Tasmania and back! March 18/19th
Women on TV - 50s to date April 15/16th
Female Criminals May 20/21st
Mistresses and courtesans June 17/18th
Female philanthropists July 15/16th
NO MEETING IN AUGUST 2019
Beatles WAGs September 16/17th
Women of the 40s October 14/15th
Presentation by Brian Joyce - topic to be announced November 18/19th
Christmas meetings December 16/17th 2019

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Our February meetings will take place on MONDAY 18th FEB 2019 and repeated on TUESDAY 20th - both meetings start at 1pm. The topic is servants. You may have an ancestor who was in service and be willing to tell her story. Or perhaps look at the story of one servant - many of them kept diaries detailing their work. Please join us for what promises to be an interesting afternoon - no need to book and you are welcome on either day, or even both!

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The January 2019 meetings will be held on MONDAY 14TH JANUARY 2019 and repeated on the next day TUESDAY 15TH JANUARY. The topic is Lancashire Actresses. Long standing members will recall that we covered this topic a while ago but thought that is deserved a second outing. There are lots of great actresses from our area
- both from the present and the past.

In February the topic will be servants

Our December 2018 meeting took the form of a quiz. This was good fun - completely noncompetitive and all the better for that

As I write this Christmas is just round the corner. Its a mixed blessing for women. On the one hand a chance to celebrate and enjoy gift giving, eating and drinking and all the other things that make the holiday great. On the other hand a lot of the work and stress falls to women. So I hope that all our members (men and women) have a relaxed and enjoyable holiday and get as much help as you can to make the day go well! See you next year for another full programme of Women in History.

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Our next meetings are on MONDAY 17th DECEMBER and repeated on Tuesday 18th December 2018. Both meetings start at 1pm. All members welcome to either group and no need to book. We will be having a very light hearted and non competitive quiz. Our quiz topic will be women - some famous and some infamous. Members are also welcome to bring some Christmas snacks - forget the diet and get eating the stollen.

Our November meeting produced some very interesting research. The topic was 'pioneers' and we heard about women as diverse as Ida Lupino, Ada Lovelace and Annie Kenney - along with many more. Thanks to all members who brought information.

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These are the dates for next year - meanwhile don't forget we have meetings this year (2018) in November and December - see below for details
DATES FOR NEXT YEAR
Lancashire Actresses 2 January 14/15
Servants February 18/19th
Charlotte Blears – presentation on local woman transported to Tasmania and back! March 18/19th
Women on TV - 50s to date April 15/16th
Female Criminals May 20/21st
Mistresses and courtesans June 17/18th
Female philanthropists July 15/16th
NO MEETING IN AUGUST 2019
Beatles WAGs September 16/17th
Women of the 40s October 14/15th
Presentation by Brian Joyce - Unwanted pregnancies in Victorian times November 18/19th
Christmas meetings December 16/17th 2019

Our meetings on 19th November and repeated on 20th November will be about 'Pioneers'.Please bring your research on women who were the first to do things. You do not only need to bring details of famous women. The pioneer could be your own mother or a friend or yourself. However if you want to look at a famous woman there are many suggestions on the internet.

The next meeting after that will be our Christmas get together. These will take place on 17th or 18th December. I have made up a very light hearted quiz with 'women' as the theme. Only a bit of fun but there will be a prize for the winning team and a wooden spoon for the losers. Please bring food or drink - with a festive theme if possible.

We had fun at our October meetings looking at the clothes we wore in the 70s, 80s and 90s - it seems almost unbelievable that we wore some of that stuff. But we did and our own grandchildren/children will look back and appreciate that their latest gear will be tomorrow's fashion faux pas!

Please join us for pioneers and our Christmas parties. No need to book - just turn up and a warm welcome awaits

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15th October 2018 repeated on the 16th - our meeting will be part 3 of our examination of clothes and the way that dress reflects social change. This is a presentation so no need to do any preparation. However if you do happen to still have a pair of 70s loon pants, platform heels, kipper tie or other gear that was all the go it would be great to see them. This presentation looks at male and female clothing and is a great opportunity to reminisce about the fashion faux pas of the 70s, 80s and 90s. Did we really wear those 80s shoulder pads?

Our September meeting was about sports and women who excelled in this area. We looked at lady cricketers from the 1890s, footballers in the inter war period, Ellie Simmonds, Mary Peters and Marie Marghin. The latter French women was a skier, pilot, swimmer, cyclist and all round super women. We also looked at reasons why women are less likely to join in team sports and prefer undertaking more individualised sports. We blamed teachers for a lot of our lack of enthusiasm in the 50s and 60s. Things seem to be better now - as with many things.

All members welcome and hope to see you on October 15th or 16th at 1pm.

NO WOMEN'S HISTORY MEETINGS IN AUGUST 2018. We had to cancel our Cotton Queens talk and so we are taking a break for August only

In September Monday 17th and repeated on the Tuesday 18th September 2018 the topic is sportswomen. Please bring your research on any sports women - any nationality and any sport.

Advance notice of October's meeting which is part 3 of the clothes we wore and how they reflect social change. This will look at the last 3 decades of the 20th Century - from the 70s to the end of the millennium. If anybody has any photos they are prepared to share please contact me.

The Princess Margaret presentation was very well attended and provoked a lot of interest and gave rise to some discussion about the role of the Princess and why she went somewhat off the rails. Thanks to Brian for a fascinating presentation. Brian mentioned two books which are Dominic Sandbrook, Never Had It So Good and David Kynaston, Family Britain

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NEXT MONTH (JULY) is a presentation on both days 16th and 17th July. This is on Princess Margaret.

My apologies for the advance notice of the August meeting (one meeting only on Tuesday 21st August 2018) as I got my 'Queens' wrong. Not coal queens but COTTON QUEENS.

This month (June 2018) we looked at women journalists - mainly those who work in radio and television. We came to a few conclusions. First that the days of the 'auto cutie' may not yet be over. Women may still be chosen to appear on television for their looks. This may not apply to male presenters or newsreaders. Secondly that the pay gap is alive and kicking. Mishall Husain receives two thirds less remuneration than John Humphrey's for undertaking the same work on Radio 4.

An interesting two sessions with varied research and thanks again to all members who bring information. Especially the Monday members as I often cite it at the Tuesday group

Next month (July 2018) is a PRESENTATION

Brian Joyce will be giving a presentation on MONDAY 16th July and repeated on TUESDAY 17th July entitled 'Princess Margaret and the Men in Her Life'. Please feel free to invite people who do not normally attend the group s we can deal with a large audience for presentations.

Then in August 2018 there is ONE MEETING ONLY. Tuessay 21st August only and the Topic is Coal Queens.

Hope to see you all for the Princess Margaret topic.

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In May 2018 our topic will be Women of the Sixties. Think of a woman who you would associate with the 6os and we will look at her life. Some examples are
Jackie Kennedy
Julie Christie
Twiggy
Barbara Castle and many more.

Please bring your research (not compulsory) and your own reminiscences of the era. The group will meet on Monday 14th May and is repeated on Tuesday 15th May and there is no need to book. I know the 14th is the second Monday but the group is based on the Third Tuesday and repeated the day previous. Complicated I know.

Our April meeting was about actors (female) who were born in Lancashire. We had a lot of material and some excellent contributions. It may be worth repeating this topic in the future as we only scratched the surface this time. Thanks for all members who brought information. Also thanks to Jo who - even though she is currently in Australia - contributed some delicious wedding cake. Superb.

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Our April meeting will be about actresses.

What do actresses Alison Steadman. Amanda Barry, Dora Bryan and Miranda Richardson have in common? Answer – they were all born in Lancashire. Our topic is Lancashire born actresses – there are loads of them and your research on one or more would be most welcome.

Monday April 16th repeated on Tuesday 17th – both at 1pm. All members welcome and no need to book

The March meetings were different from usual as we had 2 different topics on the Monday and Tuesday. The Monday meeting looked at a female ancestor or relative. This gave the group a chance to reflect on women’s life in the past. Two members looked at their mother’s life and the challenges involved in entering training or education. A good session with much food for thought – talking of which - thanks as ever to Jo for the lovely tea bread – it was delicious.

On Tuesday we had a speaker. Shirley – one of our members – has a son who works as an environmental officer which involves liaison with structural engineers who are building new roads in order to preserve habitats etc . The Project Manager for the M56/Bowdon by pass agreed to talk to us and was recommended by Shirley’s son. Rachel works for Costains and is responsible for hundreds of staff and millions of pounds. She began her engineering career as an officer in The Royal Engineers. She then moved to Costains and has worked on large constructions schemes throughout the country. She combines this with being the mother of two small children. She is inspirational and gave a fascinating presentation about some of the engineering problems she has had to solve and on how it is to be a woman in what is still a male dominated career.

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Our meetings next month will be different from the normal pattern.

We have a presentation on TUESDAY MARCH 20th. The presentation is by Rachel – a female working in a man’s world and the challenges this presents. Rachel will talk for about 45 minutes then take questions from the members. All members are welcome

On MONDAY 19th March 2018 our meeting will look at a female relative or ancestor and you are welcome to bring any information on your current or past family members. This could be an ancestor who you know about or just some reminiscences about one of your recently deceased or living relative. This does not have to be an extraordinary story and the day to day life of our mothers, for instance, could form an interesting story. Many of our mothers lived through the war and you may want to consider how she coped with that. Photos, letters, diaries are welcome. All members (including men) are welcome to attend one or both meetings.

In February we looked at A List celebrities. Members brought information on

• Paulette Goddard
• Jean Simmonds
• Ethel Merman
• Emma Thompson
• Olivia de Haviland (3 members looked at her)
• Lauren Bacall
• Jodie Foster
• Nell Gwynne
• Gloria Grahame
• Cher

So it was a mixed bag to say the least

Thanks to all for your research and just a note that a few books and a DVD were mentioned. The books by Emma Thompson’s mother – actor Phyllida Law – about her mother’s dementia were called

Three Mothers and a Camel
How Many Camels in Holland
Notes to My Mother in Law

The book about Gloria Grahame mentioned in the Tuesday meeting is Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool. This was released as a film last year, and is probably now available as a DVD.

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Our FEBRUARY 2018 meeting will take place on MONDAY 19th February repeated on Tuesday 20th. The topic will be A Listers. This is a follow on from our session last year when we looked at Screen Goddesses. A Listers could include singers or film stars and please feel free to bring research on any famous performer. Last time I recall that we had contributions on Jean Harlow, Ava Gardner, Lauren Bacall, Doris Day, Rita Hayworth, Debbie Reynolds and Yvonne De Carlo amongst others. Please feel free to repeat or add new names and your research is always most welcome.

All members welcome and we had 7 men attending this month which is probably our highest male number yet! So just a reminder that all male U3A members are very welcome to attend. Thanks also to Jo who made a birthday cake for one of our members, Steve.

The January Meetings looked at 20th Century female authors and we had some interesting subjects including Margaret Atwood, Ruth Rendell, Enid Blyton, Virginia Woolfe, Angela Brazil, Richmal Crompton and Georgette Hayer. Thanks to everyone who brought some research.
There is a change to the programme for March. On MARCH 19th – Monday – the topic is as advertised ‘A female relative or ancestor of mine’. On the TUESDAY MARCH 20th we are having a presentation entitled ‘The First Girl Scout’. This is delivered by Rachel who is a motivational speaker who often works with businesses. Members are more than welcome to attend one or both days.

Finally in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the extension of the Women’s Franchise in 1918 there will be a showing of the film ‘Suffragette’ at the Leigh Parish Church on Friday 9th February at 7.30 with doors opening at 6.30. Tickets £3 from www.leighfilmsociety.com or phone 07969647466.

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Happy New Year to all our members

Our next meetings are on Monday 15th January 2018 and repeated on Tuesday 16th. Our topic is female authors of the 20th Century.

All members are welcome and your research is always appreciated. But if research and delivering your findings is not your thing please feel free just to listen and join in as and when.

Our Christmas meeting was a lot of fun and we enjoyed looking at old photographs of our members in their pomp and dressed in their finery. I have had a request to repeat this next year so will start asking for your fashion triumphs or faux pas later in the year.

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Our next meeting is on TUESDAY ONLY on 19th December 2018.

We will be snacking on a few Christmas treats – and please feel free to bring some food or drinks.

In advance of this meeting I have collected up a number of photographs of our group members in their pomp. Wedding pictures have proved very popular and the grooms and guests give a real insight into what we thought was acceptable costume in the past! Interestingly the brides look classically lovely and the outfits are gorgeous and we are all very slim and without a trace of grey. I have really enjoyed scanning these pictures in order to show them on the large projector screen. Some people are immediately recognisable – others have changed quite a lot. But it should all be good fun. If anybody else has a picture for me could you let me have it/them at one of the Friday meetings or at the Crime and Punishment, Armchair Critics or Family History Group.

Just advanced notice that one of our members, Marlene, will be giving a presentation on TUESDAY JANUARY 2nd and the topic includes the life of a local female weaver called Ellen Hindley. Marlene does a really good presentation and this is a U3A first as we have advertised the special meeting to the Local History, Women’s History and Crime and Punishment Group.

The usual January meeting is on January 15th and repeated on the 16th and is on 20th Century Female authors.

Calendar for the rest of the year is below

Women in History Calendar for 2018
January 15th repeat on January 16th 20th Century Female Authors
February 19th repeated on February 20th A listers
March 19th A female relative or ancestor of mine
March 20th Presentation 'The First Girl Scout'
April 16th repeated on April 17th Lancashire Actresses
May 14th repeated May 15th Women of the 1960s
June 18th repeated June 19th Women television journalists and newsreaders
July 16th repeated July 17th Presentation – Princess Margaret
August 20th repeated August 21st Mistresses and courtesans
September 17th repeated September 18th Sportswomen
October 15th repeated October 16th Fashion and Social Change from the 60’s to the end of the millennium
November 19th repeated November 20th Pioneers
December 17th repeated December 18th Christmas meetings

Our November 2017 meeting was very well attended and was a talk by Brian Joyce about women who lived as men. Brian looked at women entertainers who impersonated men, women who lived as men in order to pursue careers, women who were probably in lesbian relationships and some women who just appeared to enjoy being transgressive! Two really interesting afternoons that provoked some good debate and gave much food for thought on both days.
Anybody willing to give a talk please contact me as it is always good to take a break from bringing group research and listening to one person.

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Our November meeting will be a presentation. Brian Joyce will look at women who,for various reasons, lived their lives as men. Some women earned a living by impersonating men on stage, some obtained jobs that were only available to men. The presentation includes examples of local women who lived as males. The presentation will be on Monday 20th November 2017 repeated Tuesday 21st November. No need to book - just turn up

In October we looked a costume for men and women from 1900 to 1969. The pictures of the 50s and 60s were particularly interesting as we could recall some of the more outlandish outfits!

Many of our members have handed photographs of themselves or family members in some of the very fashions which made us smile - mini skirts, boots and neon colours for the women and brown suits and kipper ties for the men! I have scanned the pictures and at our Christmas meeting will show them on the projector and ask you to explain your fashion faux pas! Please hand any pictures to me - please label them or put in a labelled envelope so that I can keep them safe and hand them back to the correct person. One meeting only in December - TUESDAY 19th and Christams food would be great if you could bring something. All welcome- men included.

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The October Women in History meetings will take the form of a presentation on 20th Century costume and how this reflects the society we were living in. The presentation looks at both female and male costume. All members are welcome. No need to book – just turn up on MONDAY 16th or TUESDAY 17th OCTOBER at the Miners at 1pm. The board in the foyer will tell you which room the meetings are to take place in.

September saw us looking at Flappers. Many thanks to the members who brought information with them. As usual the research was varied and the topic were as diverse as fashion in the 20s, Clara Bow, Tallulah Bankhead and Zelda Fitzgerald amongst others

A plea for members to bring in photographs of themselves in your favourite fashions. I will scan these and we can have a slide show at the Christmas meeting. So dig out those pictures of yourself or your friends/partner in a maxi or mini skirt, hot pants, dungarees, flares and (for our brave male members) brown suits and kipper ties.

I have almost finished drawing up the topics for 2018 and would welcome any further suggestions or if anybody wishes to run a session or do a presentation you would be very welcome.

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Our SEPTEMBER 2017 MEETINGS will take place on MONDAY 18th or TUESDAY 19th SEPTEMBER. Get your flapper dress ready as the topic will be WOMEN IN THE 1920s.

Please feel free to bring wide ranging contributions – or no research at all, All members welcome – including men.

The Women’s History meetings in August 2017 were well attended and there were some excellent member contributions. Out topic was ‘Women in Wartime’.

Amongst other things we looked at

The role of women in the ambulance service during the Second World War. This research was based on a novel called Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave. This fictional account encouraged our member Mary to look at the BBC Archive of World War Two Memories, A recommended site.

Louisa Gould was researched by Lillian. Louisa lived on occupied Jersey during the war. She was denounced for her part in harbouring a Russian slave worker and was sent to Ravensbruck where she was gassed. The novel The Potato Peel Pie Literary Society is set in wartime Jersey and is a group recommendation.

Eileen looked at Soviet female soldiers during the Second World War. A recent BBC Radio 4 Morning Story examined the stories of female snipers and is worth a listen.

Norma looked at the role of American women during the Second World War. She looked at the National Women’s History Museum website for this information.

Barbara had researched women and their response to the Vietnam War – and particularly ‘Hanoi Jane’ (Fonda). The Graham Greene novel The Quiet American was recommended as a portrayal of the Americans in Vietnam.

Bron and Kath both told us about the Bletchley Girls. Tessa Dunlop has written a book called The Bletchley Girls which looks at the work of these women and the way in which the women were not as highly rewarded or subsequently recognised as their male counterparts.

Wendy introduced a book by Kate Adie about ‘Fighting on the Home Front’ – another recommended read.

Jill spoke about the Land Army and a girl called Mary Snowden, Mary appeared to have thoroughly enjoyed herself working in Kent on the flax harvest.

Yvonne looked at the American Civil War and women who followed their husbands to war and had to dress as men.

By coincidence Shirley spoke about Dorothy Lawrence a war correspondent, who disguised herself as a man in the First World War in order to get to the front line.

Beatrice Shilling was an aeronautical engineer who invented a special washer which prevented fuel from flooding the engines of Spitfires and Hurricanes. This washer was known affectionately as Miss Shilling’s orifice. An example of another unsung female who made a fantastic contribution to the war effort.

Evelyn presented a piece on women and why they volunteered for war work from munitions to the armed services.

Brian presented a short biography of Gracie Fields and the way in which her marriage to an Italian provoked a move to the US during the Second World War and the subsequent plummet in what had been a meteoric career.

Finally special mention goes to Mary who presented work on three nurses who were at the Battle of Passchendaele. Mary had gained some of her information from a book called ‘Unknown Warriors – the letters of Kate Luard’. We are all grateful to these brave and selfless women who undertook such dangerous and unpleasant work.

Our August meetings are on MONDAY 14th AUGUST and TUESDAY 15th AUGUST. Both meetings begin at 1pm at The Miners.
No need to book, just turn with your research – not compulsory
Our topic for AUGUST is WOMEN IN WARTIME.

This could refer to any war and any female role.

Topics that come to mind include
Women on the Home Front – taking men’s role in heavy industry etc.
Land army
Amy Johnson and the Women’s Auxiliary Air Service
Nursing – Mary Seacole, Florence Nightingale etc.
Women in the Civil War etc. etc

Our July meeting examined female gardeners.

One member related her own personal experience of her mother’s excessive garden tidiness and compared this to Margery Fish – the advocate for cottage gardens and informality
Several members researched Gertrude Jekyll who is known as one of the foremost 2oth century garden designers with over 400 gardens to her credit
Carol Klein – a local girl – is well known for her TV appearances and for her fashion sense which strongly appeals to us third age females
Kim Wilde – famous popular singer is also an advocate for the benefits of gardening for mental and physical well being
Pippa Greenwood is also a Gardeners World regular and is a world expert on plant diseases
Australian gardener Edna Margaret Walling is famous in Australia for her garden design and books
Waterpenny was a horticultural school which was established by Beatrix Havergal and Avice Sanders in the 1930s. They were pioneers in horticultural education
Elizabeth Blackwell was an 18th century botanical illustrator. In addition she led a most interesting life due mainly to her husband’s risky behaviour
One member looked at a recently published book which celebrates famous women landscape gardeners. The book is by Christina Taylor ‘Women Garden Designers – 1900 to the present’
Lester Gertrude Ellen Rowntree was a botanist and horticulturalist in California. She was an advocate of wild flower planting. She lived in the mountains and was at one with nature.
Frances Mary Perry was a gardener, broadcaster and administrator who was an advocate – amongst other things – for allotments
Thanks for all contributions and as always we enjoyed a lively and informative meeting

I am always on the lookout for topics and for folk who can give presentations on relevant subjects. I can provide a projector.

Our next meeting is on Monday 17th and repeated Tuesday 17th July when our topic will be Women Gardeners. So whether you like Charlie Dimmock or want to go further back in time with Vita Sackville West the choice is yours. Please bring information (not compulsory) on any female gardener or garden related topic that takes your fancy.

Our June meeting was very well attended and members looked at women who had tough jobs.

Members brought research on

The first female police officer
A female welder who works on high rise bridges in the USA
Women chain makers in the Black Country
Female miners underground in the early 19th Century
Fluffers - women who cleaned fluff and hair from the underground
Helen Sharman - the first UK astronaut
One member related her own experience of working as a 'back tenter' in a local cotton mill where her job was to clean the machines
The Herring Girls travelled the country to gut herring
Betsy White wrote a book about her experiences in a travelling family in the early 20th Century. Her book entitled 'The Yellow on the Broom' is highly recommended by our member who related the story of the hard life that the travellers faced

Thanks to all of you for bringing such interesting information and to everyone for making this group so interesting and enjoyable

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Our next meetings (Monday June 19th and repeated on Tuesday June 20th both at 1pm) will look at women who have tough jobs. This could include mining, herring girls, the military, fire service, munitions etc. Please feel free to bring your research or just come and join in without any specific information. All members are most welcome to attend

25TH MAY ON YESTERDAY – PROGRAMME ABOUT THE MITFORDS – ONE OF OUR PREVIOUS SUBJECTS. STARTS AT 8PM.

Our meetings in May focused on First Ladies. Thanks to Brian for facilitating the groups in my absence on holiday in Italy. About half a dozen members had prepared something. The First ladies included Dorothy Macmillan, Lady Bird Johnson and the wives of Pres Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, FD Roosevelt, LB Johnson, Ronald Reagan and Pres Marcos of Philippines.

TOPICS FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2018

June 19th & 20th Women doing tough jobs – eg herring girls, munitions workers
July 17th & 18th Female gardeners
August 14th & 15th Women and war – serving in the armed forces and on the home front
September 18th & 19th Flappers – women in the 1920s
October 16th & 17th Presentation about how fashion in the 20th century reflects social change
November 20th & 21st Women as men – presentation on women who lived as men
December 18th & 19th Christmas meeting

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The May 2017 meeting is on Monday 15th repeated Tuesday 16th and the topic is First Ladies.

This could be any woman- recent or from years ago and from any country. Some of the possibilities include

Rosalynn Carter
Margot Asquith
Hilary Clinton
Imelda Marcos
Cherie Blair
Michelle Obama
Jackie Onassis
Norma Major
Margaret Trudeau or even Princess Diana

Please bring your research if you have any. This does not have to be extensive.

The two April groups were very well attended and as always there does appear to be a good demand for a Bank Holiday meeting.

The group were given a presentation about Women on RMS Titanic. Brian, who kindly gave the presentation, focused on two First Class passengers: Margaret (Molly) Brown and Lady Lucy Duff Gordon. Kate Buss was a Second Class passenger who was migrating to the US from Sittingbourne. Finally, there was the Goldsmith family from Strood, who were travelling on a family ticket to join other family members in the US. They were Third Class passengers and Frederick perished although his wife and young son survived.

It was fascinating to learn about the later lives of these women and how they survived such a traumatic experience. Thanks again to Brian.

APRIL MEETINGS 2017

The APRIL meetings are on 17th April and repeated 18th April. 17th April is Easter Monday but previous meetings held on bank holidays have been well attended so we decided to go ahead with this one.

There will be a presentation by one of our members, Brian, on women who were on Titanic. The presentation focuses on four women who were passengers. two were from First Class, one Second Class and one Third Cllss. There will be a look at their lives prior to boarding Titanic, their accommodation on board and their experiences during the disaster. This will be of interest to many members and you will be most welcome even if you do not usually attend the group.The presentation will start at 1pm on both days and promises to be fascinating.

March meeting

Only one meeting in March as we had an outside speaker. June Corner, who gave us a presentation which she calls ‘Naughty but Nice’.

June has collected various items of underwear from the period 1840 to date. She obtains them from antique fairs, car boots, vintage shops and from donations from the public. Proceeds from her presentation support various cancer charities. Some of the underwear was beautiful and much was handmade. Some was impractical and some was just plain silly. Needless to say the male undergarments were far more comfortable and sensible than the women’s.

It all made for a fun presentation which was greatly enjoyed by our members – including some brave men!

Please scroll below for the planned topics for the year – not set in stone although the dates are.

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MONDAY 20TH MARCH 2017.1PM at THE MINERS. June Comer will give a presentation called 'Naughty But Nice' which looks at underwear through the ages. June has a collection of smalls - both male and female and assures me that the presentation is a lot of fun. She comes recommended by people who have seen her presentation.

All members are welcome - even if you do not attend the group for our regular meetings. We will be asking for £1 room hire/refreshments and an additional £1 to pay for the presentation

NO TUESDAY MEETING IN MARCH - BACK TO NORMAL FOR APRIL

Women’s History

JUST A REMINDER THAT THE GROUP IS REPEATED SO THERE ARE TWO MEETINGS WITH THE SAME TOPIC PER MONTH

Our February meeting was well attended and our topic was Screen Goddesses. We looked at some famous movie stars including:

Yvonne de Carlo – introduced by Yvonne who owes her first name to this Goddess. Born in Canada in 1922 Yvonne de Carlo is probably best known for her roles in The Ten Commandments and in The Munsters on TV

Debbie Reynolds, who died last year, was famous for her roles in Singing in the Rain, How the West Was Won and Tammy and the Bachelor. We also liked her in the TV show Will and Grace and the recent film about Liberace - Behind the Candelabra. As with many Goddesses she was famous for her marriages and particularly her relationship with Eddie Fisher who left her for her best friend Elizabeth Taylor

Jean Harlow was born in 1911 and died in 1937. Often compared to Marilyn Monroe she was more of a wise cracker in addition to being a sex symbol and did much to subvert the Hollywood strict moral codes of the time. She was cast in her first film by Howard Hughes and starred in several films with Clark Gable. She fitted a lot into her very short life and had not fulfilled her full potential when she died in 1937.

Rita Hayworth was born in 1918. The studio system forced her to change her appearance in order to be less Latino looking. Another star that was famous for her marriages she was the partner of Orson Welles, Dick Haymes and, famously, Prince Aga Khan. She was a phenomenal dancer and greatly admired by Fred Astaire.

As a change we looked at the Indian film industry and in particular Priyanka Chopra. Priyanka managed to subvert the traditional role of the Indian female star and took control of her own career. She has also managed to break into mainstream US television

Doris Day was born in 1922 and is still alive. She is known as a singer in addition to her film work. She appeared with many famous leading men including Gordon MacRae, James Gardner, Cary Grant and Rock Hudson. Doris Day is the top ranking female box office star of all time.

Ava Gardner – also born in 1922 and also known for her choice of partner. She was married to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra in addition to being friends with Howard Hughes and Ernest Hemingway. A heavy drinker and smoker who died in London in 1990.

We may look again at this topic as there are far more goddesses which we did not have a chance to discuss.

MARCH – ONLY ONE MEETING ON MONDAY 20TH

This meeting will be a presentation by a lady called June Comer who will be talking about underwear and showing us some examples from history!

Her talk is called NAUGHTY BUT NICE.
There will be a small payment – probably £1 in addition to the £1 room hire/refreshment cost. All members are welcome even if you do not ordinarily attend the group

ADVANCE NOTICE OF APRIL MEETINGS
On Monday 17th April and repeated on Tuesday 18th U3A member Brian will give a presentation on Women on The Titanic.

Again all members are welcome and these promises to be a fascinating topic

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We saw in the New Year with a look at clothes and how fashion in the 19th Century reflected society. From the relaxed and (in the case of women’s dress - risqué ) fashion of the Georgian period at the beginning of the century to the heavily restrictive mid-century crinolines it appears that there was a step change when Victoria hit the throne.
Prosperous men wanted to exhibit their wealth and status via their wife and daughter’s elaborate and expensive clothes. Whilst there is no doubt that these clothes look, to our modern eyes, impractical in that they constrained any normal activity, there is no denying that many of them were beautifully made and the fact that they are still around today in museums demonstrates how well made and how valued they were.

Men’s clothes were much more sensible, although the relaxed and informal male Regency fashions gave way to the more staid and serious Victorian men’s costumes.

This session has been designed to provide a backcloth to the presentation about underwear in March.
There will also be a 20th Century look at fashion in October.

FEBRUARY MEETING

Next month on 20th February repeated the 21st we will be looking at A listers – female movie or TV stars. Also sometimes called screen goddesses these women should provide an interesting subject.

There are many to pick from and the list gives just a few of these –

Bette Davis
Elizabeth Taylor
Grace Kelly
Greta Garbo
Marilyn Monroe
Vivien Leigh
Ginger Rogers
Marlene Dietrich
Ava Gardner
Mae West
Hedy Lamar
Norma Shearer
Tallulah Bankhead
Mary Pickford
Cyd Charisse
Brigitte Bardot
Myrna Loy
Yvonne de Carlo
Jane Russell
Maureen O’Hara
Veronica Lake
Clara Bow
Lauren Bacall
Lillian Gish and many, many more – including some women who are still with us

Please bring any information you have found (not compulsory) and it should be a good session. All members welcome and once again this includes U3A males. Our group does include a small number of men – as we always say history was not just about the activities of the male – women played a significant if often over looked part .

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As a change and a way of reflecting the season, our December meeting looked at Christmas traditions and at ‘traditions’ that we are developing in this century such as Black Friday, Christmas jumpers, Secret Santa’s etc.

We looked at some freaky Victorian Christmas cards (they liked nothing better than to send a picture of a dead robin or a polar bear eating an explorer) and crackers.

As an exercise in nostalgia we looked at the kind of toys we craved when we were children. If we are the ‘blessed generation’ this was not reflected in our very modest toys or decorations.

We enjoyed some Christmas food – thanks to all who contributed and finally we went away with an article to read entitled ‘Why Does Christmas turn us Into 1950s Housewives’. This was an amusing reflection on all the extra work undertaken by women to make an unforgettable Christmas! It had hints on how to teach your male offspring to take part in the preparations – wishful thinking?

Our January 2017 meeting is on Monday 16th repeated on the day following – Tuesday 17th. Both meetings at 1pm.

For a change this is a presentation, so members do not have to bring research unless they wish to do some reading in advance. The subject is fashion – both male and female and how this reflected social attitudes in the 19th Century.

This should prepare us for our March meeting when we have a presentation about underwear (male and female). Looking at those Victorian crinolines it makes one worried about what those poor women had to wear underneath them. Although when one considers the Georgian pantaloons for men one wonders if they presented an underwear challenge too!

All members welcome – we do have a relatively large number of male attendees so please men in U3A do not feel that the subject matter excludes you.

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Please note we will meet on December 19th & 20th as usual.

November meeting

Even with the nights drawing in and the shortest day on the horizon our November meetings were fun and well attended. We looked at women and their portrayal by male authors. As some members had difficulty in getting information on the topic we decided to expand the subject to look at the 'lot' of women.

Our members bravely read some 19th Century classics including Vanity Fair, the Mayor of Casterbridge and Far from the Madding Crowd. Thomas Hardy is a favourite with lots of people and we agreed that the books were interesting portrayals of strong women caught up in fateful events.

We looked at Wilbur Smith, a contemporary author who is thought of as a novelist appealing to men but who has a distinctly modern view of his female characters.

We looked at the Bronte sisters, Mrs Gaskell, George Eliott and, of course, Dickens. One member brought a list of quotes about women which gave a good idea of how the 'fairer sex' was viewed in the 19th century.

We covered the sale of wives in the past and the views of E P Thompson, a historian who attracted some controversy as he considered that the sales were not entirely what they may appear to have been, but possibly an unofficial but ritualised way of marriage separation. However there was an example from Leigh in the last century which was more likely to have been alcohol inspired, but which hit the local press in a big way.

Finally we looked at a book by Kate Summerscale ‘Mrs Robinson’s Disgrace’ – a true story which underlined the difficulties surrounding divorce in the 1850s.
Another book which was mentioned was the biography of Thomas Hardy by Claire Tomalin ‘The Time Torn Man’. On looking up the title for this book I notice that the same author has also written biographies of Dickens, Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft and I am sure that if she lived in Leigh she would greatly enjoy our group

DECEMBER MEETING

Deck the Miners Club with Boughs of Holly - tra la la la la

Our December meetings are on Monday 19th December repeated on Tuesday 20th December. There will be a presentation on Christmas traditions and a discussion on the subject of

'Why does Christmas turn modern women into 1950s housewives?'

If members are so inclined (and at the risk of being a 50s housewife) some festive snacks would be good. Not compulsory though.

All members welcome

Advance notice for January – presentation on how 19th century fashion for men and women reflected the society of that time.

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STOP PRESS - quite a few group members have informed me that they are struggling to find information on the November topic and that they have not had time to re read Dickens etc. Hence I thought we could widen the topic to also look at Women's status in Victorian times. Victorian women had little power within marriage, in the professions etc. We could look at the overall plight of these women and if you have already done research on the portrayal of women in the Victorian novel that would fit in with the topic.

The October groups were well attended and we were given a presentation by Terry Creaney (facilitator of the excellent U3A Family History Group) on the research undertaken on females who were transported to Tasmania in the 19th Century. Terry gave us a real insight into why these women committed crime, the court system, the life they pursued following transportation and the records that are available to assist research. The presentation also looked at a number of individual prisoners, which was fascinating. The feedback was very positive and our thanks to Terry for a great presentation.

Two books were mentioned by members for further reading. Remember Me by Lesley Pearce is a novel but based on a real prisoner who was transported. The Floating Brothel is a non fiction account of some of the activities on board one of the early transportation ships. The author is Sian Rees.

In November we will meet on MONDAY 14th and repeated TUESDAY 15th (the dates seem odd but the group meetings are based on the 3rd Tuesday and the day previous – which means that the Tuesday the 15th is the third Tuesday – if you are still with me well done! Both meetings start at 1pm

Our topic is the portrayal of female characters by 19th century male novelists. So dust off your neglected copies of Dickens, Conan Doyle, Henry James, Disraeli, Hardy, Thackeray, Scott, HG Wells etc and bring your findings!

Advanced notice that the December meetings will be on 19th or 20th December and we will be having a presentation on Christmas past and present – and how the festivities impact on women who tend to be left with the hard work! It would be nice to have a few Christmas snacks and drinks to mark the occasion.

Below is next years programme - subject of course to change and sorry if your suggestion is not included - I had more suggestions than months in the year so picked the non presentation topics randomly.

Dates & Topics for 2017:

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Our September meeting was fascinating and it would be interesting to try the same format with another topic. Instead of bringing research members described some of their own experiences. The topic was the world of work in the past and our observations ranged from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Some of the things we discussed seem quaint now but some were appalling! This included the display of soft porn in a mixed age/gender office and a man who kept a ruler on his desk which he used to lift female colleague’s skirts. However we did conclude that the banter was not always offensive and countering work place innuendo was a skill that both men and women had to develop in our young days!

Next month promises to be good. Terry Creaney who is group leader for the U3A Family History meetings will be doing a presentation on 19th Century female criminals who were deported to Tasmania. The Monday meeting is OCTOBER 17th and is repeated on the Tuesday. Both meetings are at 1pm and all members are most welcome.

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The August Women’s History group looked at 19th Century women authors.

The September meetings are on Monday 19th and repeated Tuesday 20th at 1pm.

This meeting will be a little different from our usual format. We often refer to our own experiences in the group. One of our discussions arose following the revelations about the behaviour of Jimmy Savile and other famous people and we have noted that behaviour was accepted in our working past that would be deemed unacceptable now. As the saying goes – the past is a foreign country. We agreed that the treatment of women was not just about sexist behaviour from male colleagues but also in lower pay scales etc.

We thought it would be interesting to bring our recollections and to collect these anonymously and to offer them to the archive in Wigan. This would preserve information about the past from 3rd age women (and our male members). I will take notes and members will be able to check them before we approach the archive.
Please join us for what promises to be an entertaining session!

October will be a presentation by Terry Creaney (leader of the Family History Group). Terry undertakes research on women who were transported to Tasmania in the 19th Century and will give us information about these women.

Women’s History
Our July meeting was well attended on both days – Monday and Tuesday

The topic was women and health and the Monday group looked at Dr Virginia Apgar who introduced the Apgar Score which evaluated the new baby’s transition to life outside the womb. We looked at the history of health visiting which had a link to Salford and at puerperal fever in the 19th Century. Finally we discussed the ‘Indian sanitary pad revolution’ which looked at the story of an Indian man who took on the multi nationals by inventing a chap and simple machine to manufacture cheap sanitary pads

On Tuesday Yvonne gave us a presentation on Letters from Women in evidence to the Cooperative party who were looking at maternity provision 100 years ago. This collection of letters is edited by Margaret Llewelyn Davies and published by Virage in 1984. It provided the basis for a fascinating presentation.
Another book recommended by Yvonne is ‘Round About a Pound a Week’ by Maud Reeves published by Persephone books which examines how families managed on low budgets.

Finally Yvonne is soon to have her own book published. Yvonne Eckersly ‘Steady Progess.’ This is a look at Leigh’s history and will be available at the library, archives and local bookstores
Next month our meeting is on Monday 15th repeated Tuesday 16th and the topic is 19th Century female authors. So all Bronte, Gaskell, Eliot, Austen fans are in for a treat.

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In July we are looking at women and health, which could be issues specific to women (childbirth etc) or women’s role in medicine – which we touched on in our witches presentation. It’s a wide topic and should result in some diverse topics. Please bring any research on the topic – or simply turn up if researching is not your thing. The July dates are MONDAY 18th repeated on TUESDAY 19th. Both meeting start at 1pm at the Miners.

Three brave men attended this month’s meetings and if I could reiterate that this is not a group of history for women but women’s role in history. It is precious to have a male point of view and if you are interested in history this group may fill some of the gaps, as women’s history gives and added perspective to an old subject

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Our June meeting looked at witchcraft and Eilish gave us a presentation on this topic. We looked at how witches were identified, what actions constituted witchcraft, the role of the church, how witches they were punished and what this said about society and beliefs at the time. After the break Eilish examined the Pendle witch trials. On both Monday and Tuesday the presentation was very well received and we give thanks to Eilish for her work and also to Jo for her cream and jam scones on Tuesday – delicious.

The May meeting (Monday 16th and repeated Tuesday 17th) took the form of a presentation by one of our members, Brian. He has written a book, which followed an MA dissertation , about prostitution in the Medway Towns in the 19th Century and the impact of the Contagious Diseases Acts. He had also examined local papers for evidence of the impact of the Act (there were plans to roll out the act to the entire country) in Leigh.

For whatever reason there was not a massive amount of evidence of prostitution in this area – the major reason probably being that employment opportunities were better for women in the North West which made prostitution a less desirable option than in those areas where reasonably paid women’s work was scarce. However he did tell us about one unfortunate woman who was referred to as ‘Charlotte the Harlot’ in the local paper! She clearly opted for the oldest profession in preference to factory work.

Thanks from all the group to Brian for a great presentation. In addition to his own book (The Chatham Scandal by Brian Joyce) mention was made of books by Judith Walkowitz (Prostitution and Victorian Society), Frances Finnegan (Poverty and Prostitution) and Paul McHugh (Prostitution and Victorian Social Reform).

Thanks also to Jo for her cake on Tuesday.

Our June meetings are on Monday 20th and repeated Tuesday 21st. Both start at 1pm at the Miners. This will be an opportunity to get away from the final debates on leave or stay in the EU. Again one of our members will be giving a presentation and the subject will be witchcraft. All U3A members are welcome – you don’t need to be a regular and this topic may be of interest to a wide range of people.

Our April groups (Monday repeated Tuesday) looked at women spies. Most of the women who were mentioned by members were recruited to the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War. Many were captured by the Gestapo and held prisoner - most often at Ravensbruck. They were tortured and some were killed. We came to the conclusion that these women were not only immensely brave but also under appreciated.Amongst the many we looked at were

Odette Churchill
Mary O'Shaugnessy and Margery Booth who were both local women
Lisa de Baissec
Nancy Wake
Yolande Beekman
Virginia Hall
Esme Butt

One female spy was not driven by patriotism but by her belief in the communist system - Melita Norwood was passing secrets to the Soviet Union for more than 40 years. She escaped prosecution - which was an interesting fact and one which we examined.

Two books were recommended in relation to our spies topic
Marcus Binney 'The Women Who Lived For Danger' This is the story of the women who were working for the SOE

Nancy Wake - her autobiography 'The White Mouse'

All in all this was a very interesting topic and we felt humbled by the sacrifice and bravery of the SOE women. Lots of these women lived into very old age and we felt that - as even the oldest are now leaving us - it is our responsibility to remember them

NEXT MEETINGS

One of our members, Brian, will be presenting the sessions. His topic is Victorian Prostitution and the Contagious Diseases Acts. This is likely to be a well attended meeting and is open to all members - even those who don't normally attend our group and (shock horror) even men! MONDAY MAY 16th or TUESDAY MAY 17th. Both presentations (you can attend either day) are at the Miners and will start at 1pm.

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The Women’s History March meetings (Monday repeated Tuesday) looked at notable black and ethnic minority women.

As always our members trawled the internet for interesting facts and below are some women you may or may not know about. This is just a taste of some of the black women we heard about.
Thanks to all members who presented their findings and also to Jo who produced a lovely sponge cake at the Tuesday meeting.

• Madam C J Walker – born Sarah Breedlove in 1867 who created specialised hair products for African – American women and was one of the first American women to become a self-made millionaire

• Dr Patricia Bath - invented the laser tool used to correct cataracts in the 1980s

• Judge Constance Briscoe – who was one of the first female recorders (judges) in England and Wales. Unfortunately she later became famous for an act tending to pervert the course of justice in the R v Huhne and Pryce trial

• Lady Sarah Forbes Bonetta – a slave rescued by an officer in the Royal Navy and later‘gifted’ to Queen Victoria. She enjoyed a close relationship with the Queen

• Sislin Fay Allen – Britain’s first female black police officer who was appointed to the Metropolitan Police in 1968

• Mary Prince – a slave who was eventually freed and who wrote (1831) the first published account of the life of a black female slave

• Josephine Baker – American born French dancer, singer an actress and the first black women to star in a major motion picture

• Billie Holiday- international jazz singer.

• Halle Berry – A lister and first of many black contemporary female stars

• Elizabeth Jennings Graham - born 1830 – an American civil rights worker who insisted on her right to take up a place on a street car and in the 20th century Rosa Parkes who also claimed her right to ride of a segregated bus.

Next month our meetings are on MONDAY 18th APRIL and repeated on TUESDAY 19th APRIL. Both at 1pm at the Miners. Our topic is female spies. Please feel free to attend either session with or without research.

Our May meeting will take a different form and we are really pleased to have a presentation given by one of our members. It will be about prostitution in Victorian times and the attempted introduction of the Contagious Diseases Acts. This will be of interest to any member who is interested in Victorian history, women’s history, crime and punishment, military history and health issues. You are welcome to attend even if you do not come to the Women’s History Group on a regular basis. The dates are Monday 16th May repeated on Tuesday 17th both at 1pm.

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Women's history

Our two February meetings dealt with Women’s Suffrage. We looked at the two major women’s suffrage movements and the different tactics used by each to secure the vote. Mary Halliwell gave a presentation about the disruption of a meeting in Leigh attended by a Liberal Party Minister and the arrest of the protesting suffragettes. It was really interesting to have information about local action.
At our Tuesday meeting we were joined by Yvonne Eckersley who has produced several articles on local history, including women’s suffrage.

Our March meetings are on MONDAY 14th and repeated on TUESDAY 15th. Another ‘odd’ month as the date is calculated from the Tuesday and hence the Tuesday is the third Tuesday even if the Monday is not the third Monday. Clear as mud I know!
Our topic is Famous Black and Ethnic Minority Women. Please bring research if you would like to – it should be an interesting meeting.

April is Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th when we will look at female spies and May is Monday 16th and Tuesday the 17th when the topic is illegitimacy.

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Our October meetings looked at the Women's Institute and we were lucky to have members of the WI at both meetings who were able to explain how the organisation worked. We looked at the establishment of the WI in Canada and then in this country and some of the women who were pioneers. We also looked at the modern movement and how younger women are getting involved.

We had a good attendance at both our September meetings when the topic was female fashion designers. Group members brought information on Coco Chanel (including one Chanel bag!), Demyati (a fashion designer based in Gaza), Barbara Hulanicki who founded Biba, and Austrailian designer Beryl Jents. The Tuesday session looked at Coco Chanel again, film dress designer Edith Head, Emilia Bloomer, Diane Furstenberg, Nina Ricci, Rose Berlin who was designer to Marie Antoinette and we also looked briefly at Zandra Rhodes and some of the Downton Abbey costumes. Also at the Monday meeting we looked at the life story of one of our member's mother who was a model in her youth. We also had a genuine Biba handbag!

We had a fantastic meeting in August when Sandra ( who is a specialist in the work of Mass Observation) gave us a talk. Mass Observation was a programme of work in the 1930s that recorded the activities of everyday people for posterity. Bolton was one of the areas which was observed and it was given the name 'Work Town'. Sandra has carried out a specific piece of research on the observation of 'mill girls' from Bolton on their wakes week holidays in Blackpool. The presentation was excellent and gave rise to many questions and observations of our own. Some of our members had worked in cotton mills themselves or recall the work of mothers or aunts and gave a good insight into the lives that were being observed. Our thanks to Sandra who gave us such a great presentation.

The group met on Monday 15th June and was repeated on Tuesday 16th. Our topic was women and the mining industry. We looked at the