I have been struggling to think of a theme for this year’s International Woman’s Day piece. That is not to say there is a lack of subject matter, far from it. There is so much to write about, it is problematic for me to sit and write a cohesive piece, which is enlightening and maybe something new for the reader, but at the same time does not fall into a gaping mansplaining hole.
After a few weeks of internal deliberation, I have therefore decided to hand some of this year’s piece over to you. Are there women in your life who have gone against “the norm” or social expectations? Have they smashed through a glass ceiling, stuck their head over the parapet or provided inspiration to you? If they are sadly no longer with us, leave a legacy you and your family look to?
History has given us the well known examples of this from Boudica, Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen Elizabeth I, Mary Seacole and Rosalind Franklin.
Indeed, revisionists may well look at some of the monarchs in the above list and conclude that actually they had to bow to the patriarchy in order to stake their claim to legitimacy. In the case of Matilda, who was the rightful heir to the English throne after the death of her father King Henry I, was actually denied the throne as the Barons revolted against Henry’s dying wish and instead proclaimed Stephen as King.
In the case of Franklin, her name was only added to the blue plaque outside The Eagle pub in Cambridge in 2023. This is despite the fact that it was Rosalind’s x-ray photo which led to Francis Crick and James Watson to work out the double helix structure of DNA and proclaim the discovery in the pub. Student life!
Rosalind Franklin (google images)
I am therefore writing this piece to celebrate women who have achieved something against the norm, but are not widely known outside their family or friendship circles. This is where you come in. I would like you to tell your stories. Use the comments below. Who do you know who needs their name shouting from the rooftops or a metaphorical blue plaque displayed?
I will put forward someone who I am distantly related to, Margaret Deakin. Unless you are closely connected to the world of travelling fairs and showmen, Margaret is someone you have never heard of, but allow me to shine a light for her.
A cousin of my Great Grandfather, she was the matriarch of the Deakin family and took over running the family fair after her husband, Alf died. She was able to bring up her six children and manage and expand the fair so that by the 1950’s it become one of, if not the largest, travelling fairs in Wales. A mini biography of Margaret can be read here If running the fair and raising the family was not enough to keep Margaret busy, she took it upon herself to break into the realms of the showmen’s (emphasis on the men, here) guild. Between 1938 and 1955, she was a member of the committee and for 11 of those years held the position of treasurer. Then, in 1944, she was elected as delegate to the central committee of the showmen’s guild. To quote Thomas Murphy, the general secretary at the time “The honour of being the first woman to attend the Central Council as a delegate falls to Mrs M. Deakin Studts.”
Indeed the level of prominence Margaret reached in the showmen’s guild has not yet been equaled by another woman. A fact, as remarkable as it is, also highlights that even the showmen’s guild have some way to go to create equal opportunities within the community. Hopefully one day soon, someone will take Margaret as an inspiration and reach as far as she did and then beyond.
My great grandfather also played a part in the fair. He and Margaret were close and being the qualified accountant he was, managed the books for the fair as it travelled from town to town in Wales and border counties of England. In fact, he kept the books so well, that even years after his and Margaret’s death, when we and the fair were in the same town, we would get a free night on all the rides. It didn’t matter who they belonged to. We would be handed bags of tokens and off we went. If we ran out, it was back to the caravan for more.
As I understand listening to the stories of my Dad and my aunts, Margaret was a formidable woman who ran a very tight ship. Bit given how much she achieved against all societal expectations at the time, this cannot be surprising.
So this is to Margaret Deakin, a distant cousin (if anyone wants to work out how distant you are more than welcome to). I hope her story can inspire my own daughter to achieve all she can in life. It may not be a story as grand as the other names in this blog, or indeed the many many other women out there who stories are known. Maybe it can be a new story to join those ones.
So over to you. What stories do you have to share of women in your lives or family? Maybe you have been researching women in history and want to share their stories
I hope you had a successful International Women’s Day in 2024.