Gertrude McPherson née Briggs
2026-08-10
Gertrude McPherson née Briggs was a Wakefield-born artist, missionary, architect & author. Discover her life from Wakefield to Hong Kong.Read More →
Hannah Pickard: Ossett Philanthropist
2023-12-15
Hannah Pickard: Ossett philanthropist who funded a memorial fountain, supported local charities, and left a lasting legacy in her community.Read More →
How to Nominate a Woman for a Blue Plaque
2025-07-07
Help celebrate women’s history: nominate a woman for a Wakefield blue plaque. Support blue plaque parity across the district.Read More →
Lady Catherine Milnes Gaskell: Wakefield Philanthropist & Writer
2021-05-12
Lady Catherine Milnes Gaskell: Wakefield philanthropist, writer & pioneering magistrate who supported women, children & wartime medical care.Read More →
Louisa Fennell: Wakefield Watercolour Artist
2021-05-12
Louisa Fennell, the Wakefield watercolour artist whose paintings inspired a city walking trail. Explore her life, artwork and blue plaque.Read More →
Mabel Norton: Wakefield Community Campaigner
2024-09-23
Mabel Norton, a Wakefield community campaigner who supported evacuees, disabled war veterans and young women through the Mothers’ Union.Read More →
Margaret & Ellen Gissing: Pioneering Wakefield Schoolteachers
2021-05-26
Margaret ‘Madge’ Emily Gissing (1863) and her younger sister Ellen ‘Nellie’ Sophia Gissing (1867) were pioneering Wakefield teachers who founded a boys’ preparatory school and challenged expectations of women’s roles in education. While their brother, the novelist George Gissing, became well known for his writing, the sisters made their ownRead More →
Mary Frances Heaton: A Forgotten Woman of Wakefield
2021-05-12
Mary Frances Heaton, a Victorian music teacher confined to an asylum after challenging authority, and the creative work preserving her story.Read More →
Phyllis Lett: Wakefield’s Internationally Acclaimed Contralto
2021-06-07
Phyllis Lett, an Edwardian contralto who performed with Elgar and became a pioneer among Britain’s early female recording artists.Read More →
Professor Dame Marjory Williamson: Wakefield Physicist
2021-06-04
Dame Marjorie Williamson, Wakefield-educated physicist whose career spanned quantum mechanics, relativity, and leadership in higher education.Read More →