WomenstatuesUK

Mary Barbour

(1875 – 1958)

Community activist and leader, Mary was pivotal in leading Glasgow’s rent strike of 1915 which saw as many as 20,000 tenants taking action. She rallied residents to protest against unscrupulous landlords hiking up rent and evicting tenants no longer able to pay for their homes. The campaign was so successful it led to the Rent Restriction Act in the same year.

Mary went on to be elected as one of Glasgow’s first women councillors in 1920, championing issues such as maternity benefit, education and equal voting rights as well as establishing Glasgow’s first family planning clinic.

In 1924 she became Glasgow Corporation’s first Bailie (civic officer in Scotland’s local government). She was also appointed as one of the first female magistrates in the city. Mary was also one of the founders of the Women’s Peace Crusade, which became one of the fastest growing and largest peace movements in the UK during the war.

Unveiled on International Women’s Day in 2018, the statue has Mary leading ‘Mrs Barbour’s Army’ (as they were called) into action against rent hikes.

Isabella Elder

(1828 – 1905)

Born in the Gorbals district of Glasgow, Isabella married John Elder in 1857. Upon his death in 1869 she inherited his thriving shipyard, Randolph, Elder & Co, regarded at the time as one of the world’s leading shipbuilding companies. Isabella became the sole owner and ran it successfully for the next nine months until it was transferred to a partnership led by her brother.

Isabella put her wealth to good use, becoming a major philanthropist in Glasgow with a particular interest in education, especially of women, and in the welfare of the people of Govan where her husband’s shipyard was located. She donated to the University of Glasgow and the Technical College (now Strathclyde University. She was particularly passionate about higher education for women and gifted Queen Margaret College a large sum for this purpose, later meeting the cost for the inclusion of female medical students at the school. She also bequeathed North Park House to the College on the provision that teaching provided to women was equal to that of men, leading to the first women in medicine graduating in 1894.

In Govan alone, Isabella was responsible for creating Elder Park (opened in 1885) and the Elder Park Library, with the insistence that it should be open on Sunday so that ordinary working people could access it. She also funded a School for Domestic Economy, a Cottage Hospital (which trained women in nursing and midwifery) and the Cottage Nurses Training Home.

Isabella died at home in 1905. The physician that facilitated her death certificate was Dr Marion Gilchrist – the first woman to graduate from the University of Glasgow and the first woman in Scotland to graduate in medicine.

Giving to the last, her will left more than £125,000 for charitable purposes including the Ure Elder Fund for Indigent Widows of Govan and Glasgow.

The statue was unveiled in Elder Park in 1906 making it the first non-royal statue of a woman in the city. The £2,000 cost was raised by public subscription, much of it from the ordinary people of Govan. She is depicted wearing the academic robes of the University of Glasgow which had awarded her an honorary degree in 1901.

Dolores Ibarruri

(1895-1989)

Let’s get you up to speed on the Spanish Civil War so you don’t feel as foolish as I did standing at the foot of ‘La Pasionaria’. Europe in the 1930’s saw a rise in fascism while Spain appeared to be moving in the opposite direction. A democratic republic was peacefully elected in 1931 but by 1934, politics in the country had become increasingly polarized leading to a breakout of civil war in 1936 with most democrats, left wing voters, liberals, socialists and communists as the Republic and more fascist leaning supporters as the rebels, led by General Franco. Some 40,000 volunteers went to Spain to fight, mainly in the International Brigades but the Republic was vastly outnumbered by more foreign soldiers who fought on Franco’s side, leading to Franco’s victory and subsequent dictatorship for 36 years until his death in 1975.

Known as La Pasionaria’, (the Passionflower) Dolores was a Republican activist, who fought hard against Franco’s regime. She is most famous for her “No pasaran” (they shall not pass”) speech in 1936. Other rallying cries were, ‘You fight and make sacrifices for the freedom and independence of Spain. But Spain is sacrificing herself for the whole world. To fight for Spain is to fight for freedom and peace in the whole world.’ Throughout the civil war she tirelessly campaigned, not only giving rousing speeches, but by supporting soldiers on the frontline and their families at a time of food scarcity, insecurity and massive political upheaval.

The plinth bears Ibarruri’s slogan, ‘Better to die on your feet than live forever on your knees’. It was first used in a speech in Paris in 1936 and gained her international attention.

The 1979 statue was commissioned by the International Brigade Association of Scotland as a memorial to the 2,100 British volunteers who fought for the Republican cause in the Spanish Civil War. Of these, 534 Scottish men and women were killed, 65 of whom were from Glasgow.

Ursula Southeil ‘Mother Shipton’

(c.1488—1561 )

It’s both exhilarating and terrifying when I stumble across a statue not on my list. Today is one of those days and whilst there I vaguely recall a friend at the start of my journey telling me there was one of Mother Shipton in Knaresborough which I flatly refused to believe at the time. Sorry Nic.

Ursula was a soothsayer and prophet. Believed to have been the child of an unmarried young teenager, she was born and raised in a cave in the woods for the first few years of her life before the abbot of Beverley intervened and sent her mother to a convent, while Ursula went to live with a local family. As the story goes, she had a crooked back and needed to use a stick, her nose was hooked and she had a very prominent chin. Typical that the woman was judged on her looks eh? Still, as a result, she kept mostly her own company and spent time alone learning about plants and their healing properties. She married a carpenter called Tom Shipton in 1512 but when he died 9 years later she moved back to the woods. Locals would go to her for spells, potions and remedies.

In later life, she claimed she could see the future and began to make prophesies such as the invention of iron ships, the Great Fire of London in 1666, and the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Whether she saw her own death coming at the age of 73 is anyone’s guess.

Funds for the statue were raised through public donations, with the sculptor giving her a younger more sympathetic appearance than the one she is often portrayed as in her later years.

Concerned I somehow missed Ursula off my original list, I go back to my source of the Public Statues and Sculptures Association website which originally listed 128 women statues. It has now been increased to 144, with Ursula sneaking in there. Damn you feminism.

Scottish Poets

Jackie Kay (1961 – )

Naomi Michison (1897 – 1999)

Liz Lochead (1947 – )

In the early 2000’s, a set of 12 busts were created and unveiled along the Lochside Walkway in Edinburgh, 3 of which are female poets.

Jackie is a poet, playwright and novelist and Scotland’s Makar (Poet Laureate) between 2016-2021. She was adopted by a Glaswegian couple and grew up in Bishopbriggs, with her autobiographical account of her upbringing and search for her birth parents laid out in her 2010 publication Red Dust Road. Other books include the award winning, The Trumpet, a biography on the blues singer Bessie Smith and several children’s books and short story collections.

Naomi was born to a well-off, well-connected family. Her student years were destined to be in science at Oxford, although the war took her into nursing. She was an ardent campaigner in politics, feminism and socialist issues. She was a prolific writer, with she herself not knowing how many books she had written, guessing at around 70 (it’s 90). Her work covers many genres – historical and science fiction, travel writing and autobiography as well as poetry. She was also JRR Tolkien’s proof-reader for Lord of the Rings. Her final book was published at the age of 100 and she died a year later.

Liz is a poet, playwright, translator and broadcaster. She was Scotland’s Maker between 2011 and 2016, having previously served as Makor for Glasgow between 2005 and 2011. Her career began in art, but she had a flair for poetry. Whilst studying Art in 1971 she won a BBC Scotland Poetry Competition. Her first poetry collection was published a year later. Since then she has published several collections alongside her playwright work, with her first performance, Blood and Ice in 1982.

The 12 busts of Scottish poets were created by 7 artists, none of them women. Just sayin’…

Elizabeth Chrichton

(1779 – 1862)

A statue of a person in a park

AI-generated content may be incorrect. In 1810, Elizabeth married Dr James Crichton, a doctor who was said to have made his fortune both as a physician and as a trader in the East India Company, with the odd speculation about his dealings in the opium trade. Naturally Elizabeth has always denied this, insisting his riches originated from an honest trade. Regardless, upon his death in 1823, he left £100,000 to her for charitable purposes, and, once the courts deemed her the rightful benefactor after the will was contested by her brother in law, she set about trying to establish a college in Dumfries. This too ran into opposition, largely from the four established Scottish universities, but, with a change of government also not keen, the plan was thwarted and she turned all her efforts in establishing a ‘lunatic asylum’ a term in those days being perfectly acceptable.

Elizabeth didn’t do things by halves. Once the education plan was dead in the water she threw all her weight to making the hospital a reality and despite opposition from local newspaper the Dumfries Times in 1834 (who knows what the Daily Mail would have made of it) she head hunted Dr William Browne to run the place. Browne came from a stance of ‘moral treatment’ for patients, advocating kindness and care. His aim for patients to have extensive hospital grounds and rooms for music, arts and activities was at the time pioneering and probably absurd when normal mental health institutions of the day ran a prison like system.

The Crichton Hospital opened its doors in 1839 and ran for some 150 years, renowned for its enlightened treatment and upmost care of its patients. Elizabeth remained closely involved with the running of the hospital throughout her life.

By the 1980’s, the ‘value’ of the institution was questioned (let’s not get too political here) and in 1995 the local authority bought the site from the Health Board to protect the buildings and grounds as an important public asset to be protected. From there, the proposal for a University Campus was devised and in 1999 the first cohort of students started their courses as part of the University of the West of Scotland, thus fulfilling Elizabeth’s dream, some 170 years later. Careful what you wish for. The following year Elizabeth had her statue unveiled on the campus.

Jean Armour

(1765-1834)

Affectionately known as the, ‘Belle of Mauchline’, or simply, ‘Bonnie Jean’, she was the wife of the poet Robert Burns and believed to be the inspiration of many of his poems (although ultimately not his only female inspiration). She was said to have a beautiful voice which helped shape Burns’s verses and to be a ‘lightfooted’ dancer. Meeting Burns in her hometown of Mauchline in 1784, Burns was already an expectant father when Jean became pregnant with their first child. Born out of wedlock, Jean’s enraged father did not agree to a marriage, and it was only after her second set of twins to Burns in 1788 that they wedded. Jean went on to birth 9 of his children, three of which survived into adulthood. Jean also raised Betty, a daughter of Burns from a mistress. Betty stayed with Jean even after his death until Betty married 1808. Burns died in 1796 and was buried on the day that Jean gave birth to their final child. Widowed at thirty-one years old and with 5 existing children of her own, and now looking after two of Burn’s ‘other’ children, Jean was not left with much to live on. Through public donation, the family survived, and Jean herself outlived Burns by 38 years. She continued to live in the house in which he died and although young enough to re-marry and rejecting several marriage offers, she remained single for the rest of her life. Over the years, the house was visited by thousands of strangers wanting to see where the poet had lived and she never refused access, somehow believing that her house and memories were in some way public property. It is believed that in order to satisfy visitors, she had the bed he died in broken up into pieces as souvenirs for the poet’s admirers.

The statue in Dumfries stands opposite St Michael’s Church, where the Burns’ Mausoleum is situated and was raised by public donations, including a certain Mr Thomas Tunnock. Yep, the famous biscuit manufacturer and Tunnock’s Tea Cakes/Caramel Wafer celebrity himself. The Mauchline statue is of an even younger Jean and stands on Kilmarnock Road near the Burns House Museum.

Helen Crummy

(1920-2011)

On the outskirts of Edinburgh I take a bus ride out to the suburbs to visit Helen’s commemoration. Unveiled by Helen’s grandson in 2014, it captures the moment when Helen gave her son a violin after being refused lessons at school, as him, like so many local children, were essentially written off. Helen was the driving force behind the Craigmillar Festival, an event set up in 1962 to showcase local talent and the arts in an area that was generally poorly served. From there, the festival ran for 40 years. Articles point to it being an inspiration for the Notting Hill Carnival.

For such a renowned city, Edinburgh lacks, like many cities, female reps amongst its sculptures. Naturally, Queen Victoria gets a look in, but Helen has the only other named woman statue in Edinburgh. More recently, a set of poet busts unveiled along Lochside Walkway has gone a little way to address this…..

Alice Hawkins

(1863-1946)

In a nod to her prison days, the day I visit Alice she is ‘behind bars’; albeit Heras fencing as some renovation work is being done in the square. At least that’s my substandard excuse for dodgy photo angles….

Born in 1863, Alice left school at thirteen and began working life as a shoe machinist.

From a young age, Alice saw the inequality of pay in factories drawn on gender lines. She became involved in the trade union movement becoming president of the Leicester Independent Women’s Boot and Shoe Trade Union, fighting for fairer pay and working conditions but later became disillusioned as male rights as a family’s ‘breadwinner’ often overlooked that of women workers.

In 1907 Alice attended her first Women’s Social and Political Union meeting in London. The Votes for Women march that followed led to Alice’s arrest and subsequent imprisonment. In the following years she was to be arrested and jailed five times for her actions. Shortly after Alice formed the Leicester branch speak at factory gates and in the city centre urging women of all classes and social backgrounds to support the cause.

The statue of Alice sits in Leicester Market Square at the site where she often gave her speeches The 2018 unveiling coincided with the centenary of initial voting rights for some women.

Barbara Castle

(1910 – 2002)

Like buses, there’s none for ages then two Labour party MP’s arrive at once. And so, to number 2 of 2. Barbara served as a Member of Parliament for Blackburn from 1945-1979 making her one of the longest serving female MP’s in British history, keeping her seat for 34 years. Over that time she held five high-profile government posts.

Appointed Minister of Transport in 1965, she was responsible for the introduction of breathalysers, compulsory seat belts and 70mph national speed limits which remain to this day.

In 1968 she became Secretary of State for Employment, working on equal pay legislation. Barbara was celebrated for her successful intervention over the strike by Ford sewing machinists in Dagenham against gender pay discrimination, speaking out in support of the strikers.

As Secretary of State for Health and Social Services she introduced the Carer’s Allowance and oversaw the passing of the Child Benefit Act.

After her House of Commons career, she became a Euro-MP and later a member of the House of Lords, having been granted a life peerage in 1990. She remained active in politics until her death in 2002 at the age of 91.

The statue depicts her carrying the Equal Pay Act documentation, a tribute to the fact that she oversaw the passage of its implantation in 1970. Quite a hefty load to be carrying.