Dorothy Helen Cornish (1 October 1870 – 7 October 1945) was an English Montessori educator,

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

, translator, writer and editor of the feminist

gender studies Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women's studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. The field ...

journal ''

Urania Urania ( ; grc, , Ouranía; modern Greek shortened name ''Ránia''; meaning "heavenly" or "of heaven") was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy, and in later times, of Christian poetry. Urania is the goddess of astronomy and stars, he ...

''.

Biography

Cornish was born in

Sixhills Sixhills is a village in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, about south-east from Market Rasen. It lies just south of the A631 between Market Rasen and Ludford. It is in the civil parish of North Willingham. The Church of A ...

, Lincolnshire on 1 October 1870. Her father was Rev. Frank Fortescue Cornish, who was H.M. Inspector of Schools. She moved with her family to Manchester at the age of six for her father's work. Cornish worked as a Montessori educator and acted as interpreter for

Maria Montessori Maria Tecla Artemisia Montessori ( , ; August 31, 1870 – May 6, 1952) was an Italian physician and educator best known for the philosophy of education that bears her name, and her writing on scientific pedagogy. At an early age, Montessori e ...

for many of her English courses. Cornish was a member of the Aëthnic Union, along with

Eva Gore-Booth Eva Selina Laura Gore-Booth (22 May 1870 – 30 June 1926) was an Irish poet, theologian, and dramatist, and a committed suffragist, social worker and labour activist. She was born at Lissadell House, County Sligo, the younger sister of C ...

Esther Roper Esther Roper (4 August 1868 – 28 April 1938) was an Irish-English suffragist and social justice campaigner who fought for equal employment and voting rights for working-class women. Early life and education Esther Roper was born near Chorley ...

Thomas Baty Thomas Baty (8 February 1869 – 9 February 1954), also known by the name Irene Clyde, was an English writer, lawyer and expert on international law who spent much of his career working for the Imperial Japanese government. Baty was also an act ...

and

Jessey Wade Jessey Wade (2 December 1859 – 1952) was an English suffragist and campaigner for animal welfare, known for founding the Cats Protection League (now known as Cats Protection). She co-founded a number of other animal welfare organisations and he ...

. In 1916, they co-founded the feminist journal ''

'' and she contributed as editor. Cornish opposed children being indoctrinated into

gender role A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cent ...

s. She moved to Siena in around 1895 and spent most of her life in Italy, where she continued her work as co-editor of ''Urania''. In 1914, she signed the

Open Christmas Letter The Open Christmas Letter was a public message for peace addressed "To the Women of Germany and Austria",Oldfield, 2003, p. 46. signed by a group of 101 British suffragists at the end of 1914 as the first Christmas of the First World War approa ...

along with 100 other suffragists, including Gore-Booth and Roper. Cornish was a member of the Brontë Society, and in 1940, she published a novel about the Brontë sisters; she also translated two French essays by

Emily Brontë Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, ''Wuthering Heights'', now considered a classic of English literature. She also published a book of poet ...

.{{Cite journal, date=1950-01-01, title=Museum Attendances: Some Comparisons, journal=Brontë Society Transactions, volume=11, issue=5, pages=336–341, doi=10.1179/030977650796550074, issn=0309-7765 Cornish died in

Sidmouth Sidmouth () is a town on the English Channel in Devon, South West England, southeast of Exeter. With a population of 12,569 in 2011, it is a tourist resort and a gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. A large part of the town has ...

, Devon, on 7 October 1945.

Bibliography

* ''Verses'' (San Bernardino: Pontifical Printing-Office, 1904) * ''Sealed Poetry'' by

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

(editor and translator; Firenze: Landi, 1908) *
These Were the Brontes: A Novel
' (New York: Macmillan Co., 1940)

References

1870 births 1945 deaths 20th-century English women writers English feminist writers English suffragists English translators Montessori teachers People from West Lindsey District Women of the Victorian era