Sophia Duleep Singh
Encyclopedia
Princess Sophia Alexandra Duleep Singh (b. Elveden Hall
, 8 August 1876; d. Hilden Hall, Tylers Green
, 22 August 1948) was a prominent suffragette
in the United Kingdom. She is best remembered for her leading role in the Women's Tax Resistance League
, but she also participated in other women's suffrage
groups including the Women's Social and Political Union
.
Sophia Duleep Singh was the daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh and his first wife Bamba Müller
, and Sophia combined Indian, European and African ancestry with an upbringing among the British aristocracy. Duleep Singh had been the last Maharaja
of the Sikh Empire in Punjab
and was exiled from India by the British at the age of fifteen, while Müller was of mixed German and Ethiopian descent. Sophia's four brothers included Frederick Duleep Singh
, while among her four sisters was the suffragette Catherine Duleep Singh. Sophia inherited substantial private wealth from her father upon his death in 1893, and in 1898 her godmother, Queen Victoria, granted Sophia a grace and favour
apartment in Faraday House, Hampton Court
.
Sophia marched at the head of the Black Friday
deputation to parliament in 1910, alongside Emmeline Pankhurst
, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
and Dorinda Neligan. Sophia obtained particular prominence through the Women's Tax Resistance League, appearing in court several times due to her refusal to pay taxes, and remarking, "When the women of England are enfranchised I shall pay my taxes willingly. If I am not a person for the purposes of representation, why should I be a fit person for taxation?"
Sophia's public life was mostly spent campaigning for women's rights, although she also supported the interests of lascars
.
Elveden Hall
Elveden Hall is a large privately owned house overlooking the large Elveden Estate in Elveden, Suffolk, England. It is located centrally to the village and is close to the A11 and the Parish Church....
, 8 August 1876; d. Hilden Hall, Tylers Green
Tylers Green
Tylers Green is a village in Buckinghamshire, England, situated in the parish of Chepping Wycombe.The name is derived from the large tiling industry that used to exist here. In ancient times, the village was known as Garrett or Gerrard Green...
, 22 August 1948) was a prominent suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
in the United Kingdom. She is best remembered for her leading role in the Women's Tax Resistance League
Women's Tax Resistance League
The Women’s Tax Resistance League was a direct action group associated with the Women's Freedom League that used tax resistance to protest the disenfranchisement of women during the British women’s suffrage movement....
, but she also participated in other women's suffrage
Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom
Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom as a national movement began in 1872. Women were not prohibited from voting in the United Kingdom until the 1832 Reform Act and the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act...
groups including the 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...
.
Sophia Duleep Singh was the daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh and his first wife Bamba Müller
Bamba Müller
Maharani Bamba Duleep Singh born Bamba Müller was the wife of Maharaja Duleep Singh. Brought up by Christian missionaries, she married Duleep Singh and became Maharani Bamba, wife of the last Maharaja of Lahore...
, and Sophia combined Indian, European and African ancestry with an upbringing among the British aristocracy. Duleep Singh had been the last Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
of the Sikh Empire in Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
and was exiled from India by the British at the age of fifteen, while Müller was of mixed German and Ethiopian descent. Sophia's four brothers included Frederick Duleep Singh
Frederick Duleep Singh
Prince Frederick Victor Duleep Singh MVO, TD, FSA , also known as Prince Freddy, was a younger son of Duleep Singh, the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Life and education:...
, while among her four sisters was the suffragette Catherine Duleep Singh. Sophia inherited substantial private wealth from her father upon his death in 1893, and in 1898 her godmother, Queen Victoria, granted Sophia a grace and favour
Grace and favour
A grace and favour home is a residential property owned by a monarch by virtue of their position as head of state and leased rent-free to persons as part of an employment package or in gratitude for past services rendered....
apartment in Faraday House, Hampton Court
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London; it has not been inhabited by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames...
.
Sophia marched at the head of the Black Friday
Black Friday (1910)
Black Friday was a women's suffrage event in the United Kingdom on 18 November 1910.Although the Conciliation Bill, which would extend the right of women to vote in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to around 1,000,000 wealthy, property-owning women, got to its second reading, British...
deputation to parliament in 1910, alongside Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst was a British political activist and leader of the British suffragette movement which helped women win the right to vote...
, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, LSA, MD , was an English physician and feminist, the first woman to gain a medical qualification in Britain and the first female mayor in England.-Early life:...
and Dorinda Neligan. Sophia obtained particular prominence through the Women's Tax Resistance League, appearing in court several times due to her refusal to pay taxes, and remarking, "When the women of England are enfranchised I shall pay my taxes willingly. If I am not a person for the purposes of representation, why should I be a fit person for taxation?"
Sophia's public life was mostly spent campaigning for women's rights, although she also supported the interests of lascars
Lascars
See also Lashkar, LaskarA lascar and was a sailor or militiaman from the Indian Subcontinent or other countries east of the Cape of Good Hope, employed on European ships from the 16th century until the beginning of the 20th century...
.