Caroline Eliza Derecourt Martyn (3 May 1867 – 23 July 1896), sometimes known as Carrie Martyn, was an English Christian socialist and an early organiser of trade unions in the

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Early life

Martyn was born in Lincoln, the eldest child of Superintendent James William Martyn, who later became Deputy Chief Constable of

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

, and his wife Kate Eleanor (née Hewitt). Her parents were devout high Anglicans and active in the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

. She was educated at Beaumont House School in the city and at the age of eighteen began work as a

governess A governess is a largely obsolete term for a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching. In contrast to a nanny, th ...

. Keir Hardie wrote that she was the leading socialist of her day.

Political development

Martyn first joined the Conservative Primrose League, but while working in

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

she lodged with her maternal aunt, Mrs Bailey, who held pronounced left-wing views. She briefly became a

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

and then a

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

. In 1891, she was appointed a governess at the Royal Orphanage Asylum in

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Gre ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and joined the London Fabian Society. The following year, ill-health forced her to give up work and she began to devote herself full-time to the socialist cause. However, this was tempered by the devout religious views she had inherited from her parents, and she strongly disagreed with the

Marxist Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

principles of many of her contemporaries. For a while, in 1893, she was a

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on the ''Christian Weekly''.

Suffrage and women's rights

In August 1894 the suffragist newspaper ''

The Woman's Signal ''The Woman's Signal'' was a weekly British feminist magazine published by Marshall & Son, London, from 4 January 1894 to 23 March 1899. It was edited by Lady Henry Somerset, Annie Holdsworth and Florence Fenwick-Miller. Although primarily a tem ...

'' reported Martyn as having given an address on "'The Position of Women,'" in which she "advocated the rearing and education of children of both sexes on equal terms, and said that while girls and women were bound to domestic duties ... there was little hope for their intellectual advancement and their being placed on an equal footing with man." Although she had many articles published in journals, Martyn was predominantly known as a lecturer. She became nationally recognised and large crowds turned up to hear her speak as she travelled round the country. In 1896, she was elected to the National Administrative Council of the Independent Labour Party and became editor of ''Fraternity'', the journal of the International Society for the Brotherhood of Man, and ILP trades union organiser for the north of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Martyn worked as a socialist education leader with Archie McArthur which led to Tom Anderson's initiative to start, what became a national organisation of

Socialist Sunday School Socialist Sunday Schools (SSS) were set up to replace or augment Christian Sunday Schools in the United Kingdom, and later the United States. They arose in response to the perceived inadequacy of orthodox Sunday schools as a training ground fo ...

s, modelled on Christian church Sunday schools for children, but where they taught instead the principles of socialism, and offered formal educational material and lesson plans for teachers to use. They had ten commandments, 'hymns' or songs, an ethical 'lesson' and aspirational poetry.

Personal life

Martyn did not marry, and noted that, "I count my escape from marriage as one of my greatest blessings, but for that I could never have done my work; probably could never have opened my eyes to see that it needed to be done." Although she habitually dressed plainly, she cut a distinctive figure in the long black cloak which she wore while travelling, which was apt to draw "many curious eyes".

Death and memorial

In July 1896, Martyn travelled to

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

to speak to female workers, to encourage them to join the Dundee Textile Workers Union. Her work and travel, however, had undermined her already-fragile health, and she contracted

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

while in Dundee. She died on 23 July 1896 at the age of 29. Her mother had travelled from Lincoln to be at her bedside, and her family purchased a plot in Balgay Cemetery in the city, where she was buried 24 hours later. Ceremonies were held at St Paul's Episcopal Church and at the graveside, and wreaths were placed at her grave by Emily Thomson and

Ethel Moorhead Ethel Agnes Mary Moorhead (28 August 18694 March 1955) was a British suffragette and painter and was the first suffragette in Scotland to be forcibly-fed. Early life Moorhead was born on 28 August 1869 in Fisher Street, Maidstone, Kent. She wa ...

Edwin Scrymgeour Edwin Scrymgeour (28 July 1866 – 1 February 1947) was a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Dundee in Scotland. He is the only person ever elected to the House of Commons on a prohibitionist ticket, as the ca ...

and the local branch of the Independent Labour Party. Clarion Van number One

The Dundee branch of the Independent Labour Party and the Dundee Textile Workers' Union collected subscriptions for a memorial to be placed at her grave. The inscription reads: "A token of esteem to the memory of Caroline E D Martyn, born at Lincoln 3rd May 1867, died at Dundee 23rd July 1896. A devoted worker in the cause of humanity. Erected by Socialist comrades and Dundee Textile Workers Union."

Julia Dawson Dora Julia Myddleton Worrall (née Dawson; 9 July 1866 – 3 October 1946), known by her pen name Julia Dawson was a British journalist, socialist, and editor of the women's section of '' The Clarion''. As an editor, she has been highlighted as ...

, a journalist based in Manchester, created Clarion Vans to travel around the country carrying the socialist message to women. The first van was named after Martyn who had died earlier that year. By 2010, the memorial had fallen into disrepair. At the instigation of Dundee Trades Council, the grave was tidied and the granite column restored. A service of commemoration was held at the graveside, followed by a civic reception in Dundee City Chambers. Among the guests were Dundee Provost

John Letford John Ross Letford MBE (born 5 March 1935) is a Scottish politician who served as the Lord Provost of Dundee, as well as a councillor in his local ward of Lochee, until May 2012. His eleven years as Lord Provost made him the longest serving civic ...

and Martyn's great niece, Vivienne Flowers. The ceremony closed with a rendition of the Jute Mill Song by

Mary Brooksbank Mary Brooksbank (born Soutar; 15 December 1897 – 16 March 1978) was a Scottish mill worker, socialist, trade unionist and songwriter. She was an active member of the Communist Party of Great Britain between 1920 and 1933, and spent thr ...

Footnotes

References

*Biography, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martyn, Caroline 1867 births 1896 deaths 19th-century Anglicans Anglican socialists English Anglicans English Christian socialists English governesses English trade unionists Female Christian socialists Independent Labour Party politicians Deaths from pneumonia in Scotland People from Lincoln, England English women trade unionists