Emily Sturge (20 April 1847 – 3 June 1892) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

campaigner for women's education. She was secretary of the west of England branch of the National Society for Women's Suffrage.

Life

Sturge was born in 1847 in

Cotham, Bristol Cotham is an area of Bristol, England, about 1 mile north of the city centre. It is an affluent, leafy, inner city suburb situated north of the neighbourhoods of Kingsdown and St Paul’s and sandwiched between Gloucester Road (A38) to the eas ...

. She was the first of eleven children born to Charlotte Allen and William Sturge. The Sturge family were prominent amongst British Quakers and related by marriage to many of the other leading Quaker families. Her siblings were Margaret, Elizabeth, William, Mary, John, Charles, Guli, Helen Maria, Clement and Caroline. Five of the Sturge daughters, including Emily, would be involved in improving the prospects for women to gain a higher education, but Emily and Elizabeth were the leading lights. Emily's own education ceased at the age of fourteen but her younger sisters were able to go on to higher education. She was a leader in the Bristol Women's Liberal Association where she campaigned for women's rights including by electoral reform. University College in Bristol was founded in 1876, although it was not recognised as a university until 1909. The University College arranged lectures that women including the Sturge sisters could attend. She and Elizabeth were involved in the creation of

Redland High School for Girls Redland High School for Girls was a selective and independent, non-denominational girls' school in the suburb of Redland, Bristol, England. The school merged with The Red Maids' School in May 2016, with the new merged school named Redmaids' H ...

which opened in 1882. They both served as governors. She was a suffragist and became secretary of the west of England branch of the National Society for Women's Suffrage in 1878 after being a member since 1872 and the society members were regular visitors at her home. The society had been formed only a few years before at

Matthew Davenport Hill Matthew Davenport Hill (6 August 1792 – 7 June 1872) was an English lawyer and prison reform campaigner and MP. Life Hill was born at Birmingham, where his father, Thomas Wright Hill, for long conducted the private schools Hazelwood and Bruce ...

's house. Sturge died in Cotham in 1892 after falling from a horse. An obituary was written by her aunt

Matilda Sturge Matilda Sturge (29 May 1829 – 13 June 1903) was a British Quaker minister, poet and essayist from Bristol. She wrote about the lives of four Quaker women who had achieved because they were allowed the freedom to do so. Sturge is considered to ha ...

. In 2018 blue plaques were unveiled commemorating Emily, her sister

Elizabeth Sturge Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sc ...

and

Agnes Beddoe Agnes or Agness may refer to: People * Agnes (name), the given name, and a list of people named Agnes or Agness * Wilfrid Marcel Agnès (1920–2008), Canadian diplomat Places *Agnes, Georgia, United States, a ghost town * Agnes, Missouri, Unite ...

. The plaques would be on

Redmaids' High School Redmaids' High School is an independent school for girls in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, England. The school is a member of the Girls' Schools Association and the Head is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC). The scho ...

and on Redland High School even though that building is no longer a school.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sturge, Emily 1847 births 1892 deaths Politicians from Bristol British suffragists Deaths by horse-riding accident in England National Society for Women's Suffrage