Dora Julia Myddleton Worrall (née Dawson; 9 July 1866 – 3 October 1946), known by her

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Julia Dawson was a British journalist, socialist, and editor of the women's section of '' The Clarion''. As an editor, she has been highlighted as an important example of women journalists turning the traditionally domestic 'Woman's Page' to feminist ends. She is notable for pioneering the use of the Clarion Van for spreading the ideas of socialism around Britain.

Early life and marriage

Dora Julia Dawson was born in

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in 1866. She married Harry Myddleton Worrall, an export merchant, in 1885 and they had one daughter, Dorothy Mary Myddleton, born that year. Dawson began her career as a journalist, writing for

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publications and she was a seasoned socialist activist before she was chosen to be the editor of ''The'' ''Clarion''s women's column.

Socialism

Dawson was editor of the women's section (called 'Our Woman's Letter') of socialist newspaper ''The Clarion'' between 1895 and 1911. From its early days, the paper had included a women's column written by Eleanor Keeling and subsequently by Dawson. As editor, Dawson's concerns have been described as "immediate and practical", including "hints about more efficient housekeeping, propaganda for rational dress, appeals to women to join their nearest

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branch, and contacts for isolated readers". Dawson also supported the provision of information on birth control, distributing Malthusian tracts to Clarion readers. Barbara Green has argued that 'Our Woman's Letter' "not only recognized the significance of domestic routine, but also argued that socialism could enliven the private arena as well as the public sphere". Green notes that alongside other contributors to socialist papers, such as

Rebecca West Dame Cicily Isabel Fairfield (21 December 1892 – 15 March 1983), known as Rebecca West, or Dame Rebecca West, was a British author, journalist, literary critic and travel writer. An author who wrote in many genres, West reviewed books ...

, in carving out a space for the voice of women in the political arena, Dawson helped make "the form of the woman's column anew". Other notable women contributors to the pages of the Clarion were

Margaret McMillan Margaret McMillan (20 July 1860 – 27 March 1931) was a nursery school pioneer and lobbied for the 1906 Provision of School Meals Act. Working in deprived districts of London, notably Deptford, and Bradford, she agitated for reforms to i ...

and Enid Stacy. It was in ''The Clarion''s pages that, in February 1896, Dawson announced her idea to organise a Clarion Van tour and appealed for donations. The van would be horse-drawn and, manned by women, travel the country to distribute socialist literature. Open-air meetings would be held and addressed by socialist speakers. Following a good response to the appeal, the van set off on 18 June 1896, travelling from Chester through Shropshire, Cheshire, Manchester, Stockport, Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumberland. Among the speakers invited to the first tour were trade unionist Caroline Martyn (after whom the first Clarion Van was named), suffragist Ada Nield, and suffragette and trade unionist

Sarah Reddish Sarah Reddish (3 October 1849 – 19 February 1928) was a British trade unionist and suffragette, who was active in the co-operative movement. A supporter of women running for local elections as a springboard to gaining national voting rights, s ...

. Over the course of a fifteen-week tour, the women addressed thousands of people, and it was judged a resounding success—repeated annually. In later years, donors would include

Alfred Russel Wallace Alfred Russel Wallace (8 January 1823 – 7 November 1913) was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, biologist and illustrator. He is best known for independently conceiving the theory of evolution through natural se ...

. By 1907, there were six vans. In 1901, ''Clarion'' editor

Robert Blatchford Robert Peel Glanville Blatchford (17 March 1851 – 17 December 1943) was an English socialist campaigner, journalist, and author in the United Kingdom. He was also noted as a prominent atheist, nationalist and opponent of eugenics. In the early ...

wrote: In the same editorial, Blatchford highlighted Dawson's significant role in managing the Cinderella Clubs (of which she was the first National Secretary), which aimed to provide food and entertainment to children in poverty. She was also pioneering in the Clarion Handicraft Guild, which she established in 1902. Dawson had been inspired by a letter from Godfrey Blount who enthused about the ideas of

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

. Blount had himself founded The Peasant Arts Society. The handicraft clubs were very successful although the quality varied considerably. The members would discuss their work via the newspaper and in 1904 there was an exhibition where 30 clubs exhibited. In 1908, Dawson published her pamphlet ''Why Women Want Socialism''. Hannam argued that "under socialism every woman and child would be looked after by the State. The removal of poverty would alter relationships within the family and transform the quality of domestic life".

Death and legacy

Julia Dawson died at her home in Shoreham, Sussex on 3 October 1946. The ''Daily Herald'' described her as "one of the bright spirits of the earlier days of Socialism in Britain".

References

External links

* '' Why Women Want Socialism'' by Julia Dawson (1908) at the

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Julia 1866 births 1946 deaths 19th-century British women writers 19th-century British writers 20th-century British women writers British socialist feminists British socialists British women editors British women journalists People from Kent