Enid Stacy (10 June 1868 – 4 September 1903) was an English

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

activist. Stacy was born on 10 June 1868 in Westbury,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, the eldest of the Irish painter Henry Stacy and his wife Rose Deeley's four children. The family moved to

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

in 1881. She was raised in a

Christian socialist Christian socialism is a religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing left-wing politics and socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe capi ...

household; her brother helped found the Bristol and Clifton Christian Socialist Society and her father later became involved with the

Bristol Socialist Society The Bristol Socialist Society was a political organisation in South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the ...

. She studied at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

, where she won the Whitworth Scholarship, and she then became a tutor at the

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 ...

. There, she met Katharine St John Conway, with whom she shared an interest in

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and politi ...

and

Anglo-Catholicism Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglica ...

. In 1889, there was a wave of strikes in Bristol and Stacy was convinced by a speech of

Tom Mann Thomas Mann (15 April 1856 – 13 March 1941), was an English trade unionist and is widely recognised as a leading, pioneering figure for the early labour movement in Britain. Largely self-educated, Mann became a successful organiser and a ...

to become involved, but after she spoke at a meeting which had been banned, she lost her job. Instead, she joined the

National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers The National Union of General Workers (NUGW) was an early general union in the United Kingdom, the most important general union of its era. History The union was founded in 1889 as the National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers by Will ...

as an organiser, leading strikes among cotton workers and confectionery workers, and becoming honorary secretary of the Association for the Promotion of Trade Unionism Among Women. Over time, Stacy came to focus more on lecturing, initially for the

Fabian Society The Fabian Society is a British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in democracies, rather than by revolutionary overthrow. The Fa ...

and the

Labour Church The Labour Church was an organization intended to give expression to the religion of the labour movement. It had a Christian socialist outlook, specifically called theological socialism. History The first Labour Church was founded at Manchester in ...

, then from 1893 for the new

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

(ILP). That year, she spent some time living in the Starnthwaite colony for the unemployed, but they were soon evicted. From 1895, she worked full-time for the ILP, serving on its national administrative council from 1896 to 1899. She challenged

Keir Hardie James Keir Hardie (15 August 185626 September 1915) was a Scottish trade unionist and politician. He was a founder of the Labour Party, and served as its first parliamentary leader from 1906 to 1908. Hardie was born in Newhouse, Lanarkshire. ...

for the chairship of the ILP in 1898. Stacy also wrote frequently for '' The Clarion'' and joined the

National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies The National Union of Women Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), also known as the ''suffragists'' (not to be confused with the suffragettes) was an organisation founded in 1897 of women's suffrage societies around the United Kingdom. In 1919 it was ren ...

. In 1896, she met the Anglo-Catholic vicar Percy Widdrington at the International Congress of Socialists. They married the following May, initially living in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, then later in

Calderbrook Calderbrook ( ) is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It was originally part of the township of ''Blatchinworth and Calderbrook'' within the ancient parish of Rochdale, becoming a separate ci ...

. Even after having a child, Stacy spent six months of the year travelling and lecturing on socialist and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

topics, until she died suddenly on 4 September 1903.

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* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stacey, Enid 1868 births 1903 deaths Alumni of the University of Bristol Anglo-Catholic socialists British women activists English Anglo-Catholics English Christian socialists English feminists English suffragists Female Christian socialists Independent Labour Party National Administrative Committee members Members of the Fabian Society People from Westbury-on-Severn Socialist feminists Trade unionists from Bristol Women trade unionists