Charlotte Despard
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Despard (June 15, 1844 – November 10, 1939) was a British-born, later Irish-based suffragist, novel
ist and Sinn Féin
activist.
She was born in Ripple, Kent
. Her brother, John French
, become both a leading military commander during World War I
and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
. Despard regretted her lack of education, although she did attend a finishing school in London. Despard married businessman Maximilian Carden Despard, but was widowed when he died in 1890; they had no children. Her romantic novels included Chaste as Ice, Pure as Snow.
. She lived above one of her welfare shops in one of poorest areas of Nine Elms
during the week and converted to Roman Catholicism. She was elected as a Poor Law Guardian for Lambeth poor-law union.
Labour Party
during the early decades of the 20th century. She was selected as the Labour candidate for Battersea North in the 1918 General Election
receiving 33% of the vote.
At the time Despard was a vocal supporter of the Social Democratic Federation
and the Independent Labour Party
. In 1906 she joined the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
and was imprisoned twice in Holloway gaol
. She became frustrated with the lack of progress the organisation was making she joined the more radical Women's Social and Political Union
(WPSU).
Eventually, Despard was one of three women who formed the Women's Freedom League
after disagreements over the autocratic way in which the WSPU was run. She was joined by Teresa Billington-Greig
and Edith How-Martyn
. She was closely identified with new passive resistance strategies including women chaining themselves to the gate of the Ladies' Gallery in the Palace of Westminster
; and also a "No taxation without representation
" campaign which saw her household furniture repeatedly seized in lieu.
She became good friends with Eleanor Marx
and was a delegate to the Second International
. She campaigned against the waging of the Boer War
as a "wicked war of this Capitalistic government" and she toured the country speaking against the usage of conscription in the First World War, forming a pacifist organisation called the Women's Peace Crusade to oppose all war. She remained actively political well into her 90s, addressing several anti-fascist rallies in the 1930s.
, County Roscommon
, where her father was born. In 1908 she joined with Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington
and Margaret Cousins to form the Irish Women’s Franchise League. She urged members to boycott the 1911 Census and withhold taxes and provided financial support to workers during the Dublin labour disputes.
In 1909 Despard met Mahatma Gandhi
and was influenced by his theory of passive resistance. She settled in Dublin after World War I and was bitterly critical of her brother, Field Marshal Sir John French.
During the Irish War of Independence
, together with Maud Gonne
, she formed the Women's Prisoners' Defence League to support republican prisoners. As a member of Cumann na mBan
she opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty
, and was imprisoned by the government during the Irish Civil War
.
In 1930 Despard toured the Soviet Union. Impressed with what she saw she joined the Communist Party of Great Britain and became secretary of the Friends of Soviet Russia organization.
She was buried in the Republican Plot at Glasnevin Cemetery
in Dublin.
, ref 7CFD
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist and Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
activist.
She was born in Ripple, Kent
Ripple, Kent
Ripple is a village in Kent, England. It is also known as Ripple Vale. John French, 1st Earl of Ypres, the commander of the first British Expeditionary Force was born there in 1852, and is buried at the village church...
. Her brother, John French
John French, 1st Earl of Ypres
Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, ADC, PC , known as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922, was a British and Anglo-Irish officer...
, become both a leading military commander during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
. Despard regretted her lack of education, although she did attend a finishing school in London. Despard married businessman Maximilian Carden Despard, but was widowed when he died in 1890; they had no children. Her romantic novels included Chaste as Ice, Pure as Snow.
Charity
Following her husband's death, when she was 46, Despard was encouraged by friends to take up charitable work. She was shocked and radicalised by the levels of poverty in London and devoted her time and money to helping the poor in BatterseaBattersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
. She lived above one of her welfare shops in one of poorest areas of Nine Elms
Nine Elms
Nine Elms is a suburb of London, situated in the far north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Wandsworth between Battersea and Vauxhall.It is primarily an industrial area, dominated by Battersea Power Station, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, railway lines, a major Royal Mail sorting office and...
during the week and converted to Roman Catholicism. She was elected as a Poor Law Guardian for Lambeth poor-law union.
Politics
Despard was a very active member of the BatterseaBattersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
during the early decades of the 20th century. She was selected as the Labour candidate for Battersea North in the 1918 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
receiving 33% of the vote.
At the time Despard was a vocal supporter of the Social Democratic Federation
Social Democratic Federation
The Social Democratic Federation was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on June 7, 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury and Eleanor Marx. However, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx's long-term...
and the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
. In 1906 she joined the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies , also known as the Suffragists was an organisation of women's suffrage societies in the United Kingdom.-Formation and campaigning:...
and was imprisoned twice in Holloway gaol
Holloway (HM Prison)
HM Prison Holloway is a closed category prison for adult women and Young Offenders, located in the Holloway area of the London Borough of Islington, in north and Inner London, England...
. She became frustrated with the lack of progress the organisation was making she joined the more radical Women's Social and Political Union
Women's Social and Political Union
The Women's Social and Political Union was the leading militant organisation campaigning for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom...
(WPSU).
Eventually, Despard was one of three women who formed the Women's Freedom League
Women's Freedom League
The Women's Freedom League was an organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigned for women's suffrage and sexual equality.The group was founded in 1907 by seventy members of the Women's Social and Political Union including Teresa Billington-Greig, Charlotte Despard, Elizabeth How-Martyn, and...
after disagreements over the autocratic way in which the WSPU was run. She was joined by Teresa Billington-Greig
Teresa Billington-Greig
Teresa Billington-Greig was a suffragette who created the Women's Freedom League. She left another suffrage organisation the WSPU as she considered the leadership too autocratic.-Life:...
and Edith How-Martyn
Edith How-Martyn
Edith How-Martyn, nee How was a British suffragette and a member of the Women's Social and Political Union . She was arrested in 1906 for attempting to make a speech in the House of Commons. This was one of the first acts of suffragette militancy.-Life:Edith How was born in London in 1875, an...
. She was closely identified with new passive resistance strategies including women chaining themselves to the gate of the Ladies' Gallery in the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
; and also a "No taxation without representation
No taxation without representation
"No taxation without representation" is a slogan originating during the 1750s and 1760s that summarized a primary grievance of the British colonists in the Thirteen Colonies, which was one of the major causes of the American Revolution...
" campaign which saw her household furniture repeatedly seized in lieu.
She became good friends with Eleanor Marx
Eleanor Marx
Jenny Julia Eleanor "Tussy" Marx , also known as Eleanor Marx Aveling, was the English-born youngest daughter of Karl Marx. She was herself a socialist activist, who sometimes worked as a literary translator...
and was a delegate to the Second International
Second International
The Second International , the original Socialist International, was an organization of socialist and labour parties formed in Paris on July 14, 1889. At the Paris meeting delegations from 20 countries participated...
. She campaigned against the waging of the Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
as a "wicked war of this Capitalistic government" and she toured the country speaking against the usage of conscription in the First World War, forming a pacifist organisation called the Women's Peace Crusade to oppose all war. She remained actively political well into her 90s, addressing several anti-fascist rallies in the 1930s.
Ireland
Despard spend a lot of time in FrenchparkFrenchpark
Frenchpark, historically known as Dungar , is a village in County Roscommon, Ireland on the N5 national primary road. It was the home of Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland....
, County Roscommon
County Roscommon
County Roscommon is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the town of Roscommon. Roscommon County Council is the local authority for the county...
, where her father was born. In 1908 she joined with Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington
Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington
Johanna Mary Sheehy-Skeffington, was a suffragette and Irish nationalist. Along with her husband and Margaret Cousins and James Cousins she founded the Irish Women's Franchise League in 1908 with the aim of obtaining women's voting rights...
and Margaret Cousins to form the Irish Women’s Franchise League. She urged members to boycott the 1911 Census and withhold taxes and provided financial support to workers during the Dublin labour disputes.
In 1909 Despard met Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
and was influenced by his theory of passive resistance. She settled in Dublin after World War I and was bitterly critical of her brother, Field Marshal Sir John French.
During the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
, together with Maud Gonne
Maud Gonne
Maud Gonne MacBride was an English-born Irish revolutionary, feminist and actress, best remembered for her turbulent relationship with William Butler Yeats. Of Anglo-Irish stock and birth, she was won over to Irish nationalism by the plight of evicted people in the Land Wars...
, she formed the Women's Prisoners' Defence League to support republican prisoners. As a member of Cumann na mBan
Cumann na mBan
Cumann na mBan is an Irish republican women's paramilitary organisation formed in Dublin on 2 April 1914 as an auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers...
she opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
, and was imprisoned by the government during the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
.
In 1930 Despard toured the Soviet Union. Impressed with what she saw she joined the Communist Party of Great Britain and became secretary of the Friends of Soviet Russia organization.
She was buried in the Republican Plot at Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery , officially known as Prospect Cemetery, is the largest non-denominational cemetery in Ireland with an estimated 1.5 million burials...
in Dublin.
Archives
The archives of Charlotte Despard are held at The Women's Library at London Metropolitan UniversityLondon Metropolitan University
London Metropolitan University , located in London, England, was formed on 1 August 2002 by the amalgamation of the University of North London and the London Guildhall University . The University has campuses in the City of London and in the London Borough of Islington.The University operates its...
, ref 7CFD