Catherine Hogg Blair (''née'' Shields; 8 January 1872 – 18 November 1946)
was a Scottish
suffragette
A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
,
magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
, founder of the
Scottish Women's Rural Institute
The Scottish Women's Institutes (SWI), informally called ''"the Rural"'', is a registered charity which promotes the preservation of Scotland's traditions and rural heritage, particularly in the sphere of household activities. It does so by means ...
(SWRI), and member of the
Women's Social and Political Union
The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1918. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and ...
(WSPU). Blair was a passionate campaigner and spokeswoman for rural women, dedicated to doing 'all in her power to further the interests of women'. In 1940, Blair's history of the
Scottish Women's Rural Institute
The Scottish Women's Institutes (SWI), informally called ''"the Rural"'', is a registered charity which promotes the preservation of Scotland's traditions and rural heritage, particularly in the sphere of household activities. It does so by means ...
''
Rural Journey: A History of the S.W.R.I. From Cradle to Majority'' was published, summarising the achievements and goals of the organisation since its inception in 1917. Blair was also a skilled potter, founding Mak'Merry pottery studio in the town of MacMerry, East Lothian.
Early life and family
Catherine Blair was born in Byres Farm,
Bathgate
Bathgate ( sco, Bathket or , gd, Both Chèit) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, west of Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Armadale, Blackburn, Linlithgow, Livingston, West Calder and Whitburn. Situated sout ...
to Susan Jemima Hogg and James Shields. One of six children, Catherine attended
Bathgate Academy
Bathgate Academy is a mixed secondary school in Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland, also serving the nearby town of Blackburn.
History
Established by the will of John Newland (a Jamaican-plantation slave owner) in 1799, the school was originally ...
The Shields family moved to Dolphingstone Farm, near Tranent. Catherine met and married Thomas Blair, a farmer, in 1894. The couple moved to Hoprig Mains Farm, near
Gladsmuir
Gladsmuir is a village and parish in East Lothian, Scotland, situated on the A199 and near Tranent and Prestonpans.
Description
Gladsmuir's principal "claim to fame" relates to its role as the site of the Battle of Prestonpans (1745). Some sou ...
,
East Lothian
East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.
In 1975, the histo ...
and had four children.
Support of suffrage
Blair was an active member of the
Women's Social and Political Union
The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1918. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and ...
(WSPU), chaired local meetings and wrote to the press. Although an ardent defender of
militancy
The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Latin " ...
, she did not participate in militant protests because of her young family. Blair established her farm as a clandestine refuge for Scottish suffragettes who had been released from prison under licence as a result of the
Cat and Mouse Act
The Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill Health) Act, commonly referred to as the Cat and Mouse Act, was an Act of Parliament passed in Britain under H. H. Asquith's Liberal government in 1913. Some members of the Women's Social and Political Un ...
. Her husband, Thomas Blair, was supportive, resigning his vice-presidency of the local
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
party because of the government's treatment of the suffrage question. Blair was a friend of a fellow suffragette,
Nannie Brown, who also worked on the
Scottish Women's Rural Institutes
The Scottish Women's Institutes (SWI), informally called ''"the Rural"'', is a registered charity which promotes the preservation of Scotland's traditions and rural heritage, particularly in the sphere of household activities. It does so by means ...
.
During the 1911
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
, to protest that she would only be recorded as the "wife" of Thomas Blair, she moved herself and her children to a nearby barn so that the census form would need to show her as a person in her own right. Blair's actions were part of a wider boycott of the
1911 census
The United Kingdom Census 1911 of 2 April 1911 was the 12th nationwide census conducted in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The total population of the United Kingdom was approximately 45,221,000, with 36,070,000 recorded in England ...
, enacted by suffragette organisations.
Scottish Women's Rural Institute
In 1917, Blair identified the need for a Scottish example of the emerging
Women's Institutes
The Women's Institute (WI) is a community-based organisation for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. The movement was founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Erland and Janet Lee with Adelaide Hoodless being th ...
movement and consequently founded the
Scottish Women's Rural Institute
The Scottish Women's Institutes (SWI), informally called ''"the Rural"'', is a registered charity which promotes the preservation of Scotland's traditions and rural heritage, particularly in the sphere of household activities. It does so by means ...
. The first SWRI meeting was held in
Longniddry
Longniddry ( sco, Langniddry, gd, Nuadh-Treabh Fada)
...
,
East Lothian
East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.
In 1975, the histo ...
, and
Madge Watt was there from Canada – 37 women became members. The SWRI created the chance for rural women to forge new social networks and share skills with one another; something Blair was passionate about understanding the obligatory ties women had to their home lives.
Blair had suggested from its inception that the
Scottish Women's Rural Institute
The Scottish Women's Institutes (SWI), informally called ''"the Rural"'', is a registered charity which promotes the preservation of Scotland's traditions and rural heritage, particularly in the sphere of household activities. It does so by means ...
should not ‘confine themselves to matters of a purely domestic character’.
Instead, she envisaged that the organisation would provide countrywomen with an opportunity to voice their concerns over life in rural areas, with housing being a ‘prominent talking point’.
Moreover, she suggested that the ‘future life of their country depended on agricultural development’ and in turn, this depended ‘very largely’ on better housing and social conditions.
Although the SWRI claimed to maintain a non-political stance, Blair channelled her belief in female equality into the organisation, agitating members to challenge the status quo regarding the poor rural housing conditions.
Catherine Blair was involved in the 1919 Memorandum on Rural Housing, commissioned by the
Scottish Board of Agriculture, which sought to gather women’s housing experiences throughout rural Scotland. The Board encouraged ordinary members of the Scottish Women's Rural Institute to work out and express what their housing requirements and priorities were.
Blair was also appointed by
Secretary of State for Scotland
The secretary of state for Scotland ( gd, Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba; sco, Secretar o State fir Scotland), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the Unit ...
Robert Munro to the Local Government Board's 1918 Women's Committee on planning houses for the working classes chaired by
Helen Kerr.
Blair's Mak'Merry pottery studio was affiliated with the
Scottish Women's Rural Institutes
The Scottish Women's Institutes (SWI), informally called ''"the Rural"'', is a registered charity which promotes the preservation of Scotland's traditions and rural heritage, particularly in the sphere of household activities. It does so by means ...
. The appeal of Mak'Merry pottery was far-reaching becoming ‘a feature of many a rural show'. Upon Catherine Blair's death in 1946, it was noted in her obituary that there was an established market for her pottery in America. She also helped set up the Lothian Home Arts Guild of Craftswomen.
Later life and legacy
In 1921 she became a magistrate.
Blair died in
North Berwick
North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town
A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on th ...
on 18 November 1946.
In 2021, Blair was one of a collection of Scottish suffragists celebrated in a deck of cards distributed as part of an education pack to 100 schools around the country.
See also
*
Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom
A movement to fight for women's right to vote in the United Kingdom finally succeeded through acts of Parliament in 1918 and 1928. It became a national movement in the Victorian era. Women were not explicitly banned from voting in Great Britai ...
*
Scottish Women's Rural Institutes
The Scottish Women's Institutes (SWI), informally called ''"the Rural"'', is a registered charity which promotes the preservation of Scotland's traditions and rural heritage, particularly in the sphere of household activities. It does so by means ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, Catherine Hogg
1872 births
1946 deaths
Scottish suffragists
British women's rights activists
People from North Berwick
People educated at Bathgate Academy
People from Bathgate
Scottish suffragettes