Alice Martha Bacon was born on September 10, 1909, in Normanton. Her father was active as both a councillor and a miner, and so Alice was brought up immersed in local politics and community. Alice delivered her first speech aged 16 at Normanton Railwaymen’s Club. By 1945, she was electedRead More →
Henry Moore is an artist most people know about, or at least have heard of. Lesser known but still acknowledged in arts circles is his contemporary and school chum Albert Wainwright. But where was the woman who helped educate them and who, in no small way, made sure that HenryRead More →
Ann Clarkson (1800-1888) was the cousin of Clara Maria Clarkson and has several mentions in Clara’s journals. Ann was a frequent member of the Unitarian chapel congregation and was active in its social and political causes. As well as being a passionate supporter of suffrage for women, Ann established Wakefield’sRead More →
Ann Hurst was a woman of great tenacity who ran numerous businesses across Wakefield. In 1823, after the death of her husband Rowland, she inherited the printing press and publishing house that produced The Wakefield and Halifax Journal. She soon set to work using the press to educate the publicRead More →
Watch Clara’s Pilot TV Episode Below! Clara Maria Clarkson and her friends defied social convention, living openly as part of a nurturing Queer community localised around the Wakefield Unitarian Chapel. Wakefield’s ‘great and good’, fearing scandal if secrets came to light, petitioned to have Clara’s journals destroyed. Out of aRead More →
An only child, Elsie Marjorie (July 30 1913-August 12 2002) was born in Burton on Trent, but her family moved to Wakefield in the year of her birth. She was educated at Wakefield Girls’ High School and graduated from Royal Holloway College in 1936 with degrees in both mathematics andRead More →
Denise Castle (nee Ramsden) was born on the 11 February 1952 in Wakefield. While attending Stanley St Peter’s Primary School, Denise’s talent for athletics was spotted by her teachers who advocated on her behalf to her parents. As a result, at the age of just nine, Denise began training with gold medallist DorothyRead More →
Edith Grace Mackie was born in Wakefield in 1853. In 1864, Edith’s father moved the family to live in St John’s Square. At age 19, Edith attended the annual charity ball for Clayton Hospital, and this highlights a life-long pattern of hosting and attending charitable functions. Edith and her father,Read More →
The Edmonstone Sisters Anne, Helen and Eliza, were a key part of famed naturalist Charles Waterton’s life. Though it was their inheritance that helped fund Waterton’s pursuits in the natural sciences, and that it was Helen and Eliza who ensured that, after Waterton’s death, his legacy was preserved in theRead More →
Born 27th June 1928, Edna lived most of her life in Middlestown, Wakefield, where she raised her family and dedicated all her spare time to raising funds for local charities. Edna sometimes used unconventional means to raise money for the things she believed in. A diabetic herself who was passionateRead More →