Edith Grey Wheelwright (1868 – 24 September 1949) was a British writer and botanist. She served as Secretary to the Bath Branch of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) from 1909 through 1913.

Biography

Suffragettes Edith Wheelwright and Lilias Ashworth Hallett 1911

Wheelwright was born in 1868 in

Crowhurst, Surrey Crowhurst is a civil parish and dispersed village in a rural part of the Tandridge district of Surrey, England. The nearest town is Oxted, north. Rated two architectural categories higher than the medieval church is the Renaissance manor, C ...

. She studied botany and geology at Oxford. She was the author of three novels; ''The Vengeance of Medea'' (1894), ''Anthony Graeme'' (1895), and ''A Slow Awakening'' (1902). Additionally she wrote for the publications ''Girl’s Own Paper'' and ''Great Thoughts''. In her later years she wrote five books on the subject of medicinal plants and gardening. She began a friendship with

Beatrix Potter Helen Beatrix Potter (, 28 July 186622 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as ''The Tale of Peter Rabbit'', which was he ...

because of their mutual interest in plants. Wheelwright initially became involved with the British suffragette movement through the Women’s Social and Political Union WSPU, but left because she preferred the non-militant stance of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies. She was secretary of the Bath Branch of the NUWSS 1909 through 1913. Wheelwright died on 24 September 1949 in

Clevedon Clevedon (, ) is an English seaside town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. It recorded a parish population of 21,281 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, estimated at 21,442 i ...

from accidental coal gas poisoning.

Biography

References

Further reading