Edith Grace Mackie
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, through their work in the community, counted the Gissings and the Fennells among their many friends. The list of notable causes Edith was involved in includes raising money for St John’s Church, to which she also donated large sums of money, and gifting funds and resources to Wakefield’s schools. Edith lived a long life dedicated to helping those most in need. She died aged 88 on February 19, 1941 with an estate worth over £84,859. Edith left strict instructions for her money to be donated to good causes, as well as that no one should seek to recover assets from people to whom she had lent money. Edith’s philanthropy is literally part of the foundations of Wakefield as we know it today.
Edith Mackie is Blue Plaque Number 7 in our quest for #BluePlaqueParity.
We unveiled Edith’s blue plaque in a ceremony as part of a ‘back by popular demand’ theatre production of “Difficult Women?” at The Mechanics’ Theatre in June 2019.
Edith Grace Mackie Broadsheets
Edith lived an incredible life of generosity. Read about her many passions and philanthropy below:
Artistic Response: Shannon S. Wishon
As part of our project we are delighted to cultivate artistic expression and response. DTC’s own Shannon S. Wishon is a skilled painter and has contributed her beautiful watercolour art to the project. Below is Shannon’s incredible watercolour portrait of Edith:
