Catharine Dowman (; 25 May 1878 – 19 September 1972) was an English
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
associated with
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
.
and the restoration of the
Cutty Sark
Family
Catharine was a member of the wealthy English
Courtauld Courtauld is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Adam Courtauld Butler or Adam Butler (British politician), DL (1931–2008), British Conservative Party politician and MP
*Augustine Courtauld (1904–1959), often called August Cour ...
textile family. She was born in
Bocking, Essex
Bocking is an area of Braintree, Essex, England, which was a former village and civil parish. In 1934 it became part of the civil parish of Braintree and Bocking, which is now within Braintree District.
It forms an electoral division for Essex Co ...
,
[''1911 England Census''] the daughter of
Sydney Courtauld
Sydney Courtauld Justice of the Peace, JP (1840–1899) was a Crêpe_(textile), Crêpe and Silk manufacturer, and part of the Courtauld family empire in Great Britain
Personal life
He was born on 10 March 1840 in Bocking, Essex, Bocking, Braintr ...
(10 March 1840 – 20 October 1899) and Sarah Lucy Sharpe (1844-1906) and elder sister of
Samuel Courtauld, founder of the
Courtauld Institute of Art.
In 1912, she met her future husband, Wilfred Harry Dowman, whilst a passenger sailing from London to Sydney on the Port Jackson
which was a cadet training ship. Wilfred was already married so they had to wait for his divorce before finally marrying in 1920.
Philanthropic work
In January 1922 Wilfred saw the then Ferreira when she put into Falmouth to repair storm damage.
Recognising her as the clipper ship
Cutty Sark he and Catherine strived to purchase her.
They sold off parts of their estate, along with other vessels including the brigantine, the Lady of Avenal.
Their vision for the
Cutty Sark was she be used as a cadet training vessel
Over the next two years, the Dowman's funded the restoration of the ship and by 1924
Cutty Sark was proudly displayed as the flagship at the Fowey Regatta.
For 16 years,
Cutty Sark was moored in Falmouth and was used to train cadets until Wilfred's death in 1936 which prompted the sale in 1938 to the Thames Nautical Training College.
Catharine continued to follow the
Cutty Sark, last visiting the ship in 1968 at the age of 90.
In 1934 the Dowman's moved to Wyke Regis, near
Weymouth, Dorset
Weymouth is a seaside town in Dorset, on the English Channel coast of England. Situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey, south of the county town of Dorchester, Weymouth had a population of 53,427 in 2021. It is the third l ...
.
Catherine supported the local scouts donating the land for the 3rd Wyke Regis \ Weymouth South Scout Group (WSSG) HQ and being President of the Group until her death in 1972.
Women’s Suffrage
Catharine was a founder member of the
Suffrage Atelier and the
Artists' Suffrage League and used her art for the cause. Her
Suffrage Atelier posters were often witty, such as the ‘Prehistoric Argument’.
and the ‘Anti-Suffrage Ostrich’
and were widely distributed as postcards
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowman, Catharine
1878 births
1972 deaths
Catharine Catharine may refer to:
* Catharine (given name)
In geography:
* Catharine, New York
* St. Catharine, Missouri
* Saint Catharine, Kentucky
* Catharine, Illinois
* Catharine, Kansas
* St. Catharines, Ontario
See also
*Catherina (and similar spe ...
People from Bocking, Essex
English people of French descent