Meredith Jemima Brown (25 October 1846 – 5 November 1908) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

social reformer A reform movement or reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary move ...

from

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

who founded the Shaftesbury Institute in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, which offered a safe space for young women arriving in the British capital.

Early life

Brown was born in Glasgow in 1846. Her mother was Catherine Dyce, sister of painter

William Dyce William Dyce (; 19 September 1806 in Aberdeen14 February 1864) was a Scottish painter, who played a part in the formation of public art education in the United Kingdom, and the South Kensington Schools system. Dyce was associated with the Pre-R ...

, and her father was Free Church minister Reverend David Brown. She was raised in

and lived on Dee Street, and studied music and singing. After the death of her mother in the 1880s, Brown moved to London where she became concerned about conditions for young women working in factories and living in slums across the city.

Career

After moving to London, Brown developed an interest in the harsh working conditions and poverty suffered by factory girls in the

East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

and also in the West End of the city. Brown and a friend disguised themselves as factory girls to visit slums in the West End, and Brown documented their experiences in the book ''Only a Factory Girl'', which raised £2,000 () that she used to purchase a property in

Lisson Grove Lisson Grove is a street and district in Marylebone, City of Westminster, London. The neighbourhood contains a few important cultural landmarks, including Lisson Gallery, Alfies Antique Market, Red Bus Recording Studios, the former Christ Churc ...

, where she founded the Shaftesbury Institute.

The Shaftesbury Institute

The Institute initially provided a safe night shelter for women and a crèche, which Brown expanded to provide Bible classes throughout the West End, a training home for girls and a men's labour home. Brown served as the superintendent and honorary president of the Institute, which was funded by charitable donations. Brown was described as:

"A very remarkable woman, full of faith and of consequent zeal, in the noble cause of benefiting her poor and degraded sisters," (''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'', 10 November 1908)

She continued to work on developing the Institute, including fundraising for new premises, until her death at the Shaftesbury Institute on 5 November 1908.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Meredith Jemima 1908 deaths Scottish social justice activists Year of birth uncertain 1846 births British women activists People from Glasgow People from Aberdeen