Violet Rosa Markham (October 1872 – 2 February 1959) was a writer, social reformer, campaigner against women's suffrage and administrator. She grew up near
Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Actively involved in community and welfare work, she held a number of public positions, including in educational administration, and social assistance and poverty relief bodies. Despite her opposition to
women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
, she stood for election as a
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
candidate in the
1918 General Election, without success, and later served as town councillor and the first female mayor of Chesterfield. Her writings on her travels and an autobiographical work, among others, were published during her lifetime. Markham married James Carruthers in 1915; he died in 1936.
Background and early life
Violet Markham was the daughter of
Charles Markham, part owner of the profitable Markham Collieries and
Markham & Co. Engineering of Chesterfield.
[ Her mother was a daughter of Sir Joseph Paxton, designer of ]the Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibitors from around th ...
, the centrepiece of the Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition which took p ...
of 1851. When a friend of her late father died in 1901, Violet inherited enough money to live an independent life and devote her wealth to causes she supported, as well as to buy her own house in London.
Politics and activism
Community work
Her first interest was education. Markham was a member of the Chesterfield Education Authority from 1899 to 1934, and in 1902 she was the founder President of the Chesterfield Settlement, an educational foundation for the local community which existed until 1958. While travelling to South Africa in the summer of 1899, Markham met Lady Edward Cecil. The two became good friends, and together created the Victoria League
The Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship (1901–present) is a voluntary charitable organisation that connects people from Commonwealth countries. There are currently branches in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand with affiliated organisatio ...
in 1901.
Later she became involved in public service
A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...
in different sectors. At the outbreak of the First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, she became a member of the Executive Committee of the National Relief Fund, established to alleviate distress caused by the war. The fund dispensed aid to service families and dependents, as well as civilians. The experience of this organisation left her with a lifelong interest in reducing the effects of poverty and unemployment, especially with regard to women. In 1914 she became a member and later chairman of the Central Committee of Women's Training and Employment, which in 25 years trained nearly 100,000 women, mainly for domestic service. In 1917 she was made deputy director of the women's section of the National Service League
The National Service League (NSL) was a British pressure group founded in February 1902 to campaign for the introduction of compulsory military training in Great Britain, in order to protect the country against invasion, particularly from Germany ...
, and was one of the first recipients of the Companionship of Honour. In 1920 she began a long period as a member of the Industrial Court, and became a member of the Lord Chancellor
The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. Th ...
's Advisory Committee for Women Justices.
In 1934, she became a member of the Unemployment Assistance Board
The Unemployment Assistance Board was a body created in Britain by the Unemployment Act 1934 due to the high levels of inter-war poverty in Britain. The Board kept a system of means-tested benefit
A means test is a determination of whether an in ...
, becoming Deputy chairman in 1937 – "probably the most important administrative post up to that time that had been held by a woman", according to her obituary in ''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'' (f ...
''. When the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
began, it was inevitable that her talents would be called on. She organised an all-night canteen for the poor of South London. She was on the appeal tribunal of the Defence of the Realm Regulations, and in 1942, she was asked to produce a report on allegations of immorality in the women's services. In 1945 she produced a report with Florence Hancock on the postwar organisation of domestic service.
Electoral politics
Markham was also active politically. In the 1918 General Election, she stood as the official Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
candidate for the Mansfield Division of Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...
. (The Coalition Coupon
The Coalition Coupon was a letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory ...
went to Jarrett);
She was elected as a town councillor for Chesterfield in 1924, and served as the first female Mayor of Chesterfield in 1927. It would be 39 years before Chesterfield had another female Mayor.[ Violet Markham]
British Library, accessed 23 August 2008
Views
Despite being a social reformer, Violet Markham was strongly opposed to women being given the vote. She addressed an anti-suffrage meeting at the Royal Albert Hall on 28 February 1912 (publicised in a letter to ''The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world.
It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...
'' published on 10 February 1912) which had been organised by the National League for Opposing Woman Suffrage
The National League for Opposing Woman Suffrage was founded in London in December 1910 to oppose the extension of the voting franchise to women in the United Kingdom. It was formed as an amalgamation of the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League a ...
. Markham told the audience that the views of the women's suffrage movement "fly in the face of hard facts and natural law." She went on to say that, "We believe that men and women are different – not similar – beings, with talents that are complementary, not identical, and that they therefore ought to have different shares in the management of the State, that they severally compose. We do not depreciate by one jot or tittle women’s work and mission. We are concerned to find proper channels of expression for that work. We seek a fruitful diversity of political function, not a stultifying uniformity."
Although Markham opposed women's suffrage, Mary Stocks, herself a women's suffrage supporter, considered her to be "the best feminist I've ever known, a real feminist".
The idea that there should also be Girl Scouts, as counterpart to the new Boy Scout Movement, following their appearance at the 1909 Crystal Palace Rally
The Crystal Palace Rally was a gathering of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts at the Crystal Palace in London on Saturday, 4 September 1909. The rally demonstrated the rapid popularization of Scouting with an estimated 11,000 boys attending with the p ...
, met with Markham's strong disapproval, as expressed in ''The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world.
It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...
''.
Personal life
Markham travelled extensively abroad. Among her friends was the Canadian politician Mackenzie King, whom she met in 1905 and with whom she kept up an active correspondence for 45 years. King visited her when he was in England and she visited him on her occasional trips to Canada. She sent him money on a number of occasions, notably after his electoral defeat in 1911, and again to provide medical treatment for his brother who was suffering from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...
. In 1923, the Canadian government appointed her to represent them on the governing body of the International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...
in Geneva.
In 1915, Markham married Lieutenant-Colonel James Carruthers, but she continued to be known by her maiden name. She accompanied her husband to Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
, when he was stationed there as chief demobilisation officer for the British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located ...
, following the First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Her husband was subsequently a racehorse owner, who died suddenly at Ayr Racecourse
Ayr Racecourse at Whitletts Road, Ayr, Scotland,'' British Racing and Racecourses'' () by Marion Rose Halpenny – Page 71 was opened in 1907. There are courses for flat and for National Hunt racing.
History
Horse racing in Ayr dates back to 1 ...
in 1936. She wrote several books, includin
''Paxton and the Bachelor Duke''
a biography of her grandfather (1935)
''Return Passage''
(1953) an
(1956).
References
Sources
* Archive.org ttps://archive.org/ ''(sign in to view links and sources)''*Helen Jones (Editor): ''Duty and Citizenship – The Correspondence and Papers of Violet Markham, 1896–1953''
* ttps://www.thetimes.co.uk/imagine ''The Times (of London)'' ttps://www.thetimes.co.uk/archive/ ''Digital Archive''
Primary Sources
* Markham, Violet
''South Africa, Past and Present''
(1900)
* Markham, Violet
''The New Era in South Africa''
(1904)
*
* Markham, Violet
''The South Africa Scene''
(1913)
* Markham, Violet
''Watching on the Rhine''
(1921)
* Markham, Violet, "The Factory and shop acts of the British Dominions : a handbook" (1922)
* Markham, Violet
''Romanesque France''
(1929)
* Markham, Violet, "Paxton and the Bachelor Duke" (1935)
* Carruthers (formerly Markham), Violet, "May Tennant: a portrait" (1949)
* Markham, Violet
''Return Passage''
(1953) an autobiography
* Markham, Violet, "Friendship's Harvest" (1956)
* Markham, Violet, & Jones, Helen, "Duty and citizenship : the correspondence and political papers of Violet Markham, 1896-1953" (1994)
External links
Catalogue of the Markham papers
at th
of the London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...
.
''The Times (of London)''
''Links to Violet Markham news stories''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Markham, Violet Rosa
Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour
1872 births
1959 deaths
People from Chesterfield, Derbyshire
Mayors of Chesterfield
Women mayors of places in England
Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
Markham family
Anti-suffragists