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 own lasting contribution to Wakefield through their dedication to teaching.
The Gissing Sisters’ Early Lives
Margaret was born in 1863, followed by Ellen in 1867, at the family chemist’s shop at 60 Westgate, Wakefield.
While their brother George earned recognition as an author, the sisters were constrained by the conventions of their time and had far fewer opportunities.
Yet, despite these obstacles, the ‘Misses Gissing’ dedicated their lives to teaching and passing on the skills they had learned. Their legacy is one that can still be felt in Wakefield today.
Founding Wakefield’s Boys’ Preparatory School
In 1898, Margaret and Ellen founded Wakefield’s Boys’ Preparatory School.
Although small, the school provided a thorough education for almost fifteen years, until the sisters moved from Wakefield to Leeds in 1912.
Alongside reading and arithmetic, the Gissings ensured that their pupils received instruction in music, languages and sport.
The sisters were particularly enthusiastic about football. They loved being out in muddy fields and helped introduce the game into Wakefield’s school curriculum. They were also among the first women to referee football matches, doing so in long skirts, high-necked blouses, and chokers.
Accounts suggest that the sisters, although apparently formidable, were well thought of by their pupils. They even earned the affectionate nicknames ‘Big Gis’ (Ellen) and ‘Little Gis’ (Margaret), which referred to the ages of the children they taught.
George Gissing and the Family Connection
Their brother, the novelist George Gissing, was supportive of his sisters’ work and sent his sons, Walter and Alfred, to be educated at their school. Writing about Walter, George remarked:
‘I have no option but to leave him here to be tamed.’
Walter was later killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Alfred survived the war and maintained his connection with the family. He cared for Ellen during the final years of her life.
Religion was another important aspect of the sisters’ lives and appears to have been a source of strength, particularly in their later years.
Margaret and Ellen Gissing’s Wakefield Blue Plaque
Despite the fame of their writer brother, Clifford Brook, a prominent local historian from Wakefield, a dedicated literary scholar, and an expert on George Gissing said:
The two Gissings of that generation who made the most mark on the town were Margaret and Ellen.
The sisters are Blue Plaques Numbers 4 and 5 in our campaign for Blue Plaque Parity.
We unveiled the Gissing sisters’ blue plaque in June 2019 as part of a ‘back by popular demand’ performance of Difficult Women? at the Mechanics’ Theatre.
Gissing Sisters Broadsheets
Discover more about Margaret and Ellen Gissing, their pioneering approach to education and the lives they touched in our free downloadable broadsheets.