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| Mary Wollstonecraft |
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–97) was one of the few women who spoke out during the
turbulent era of Regency Spies to demand greater rights, and better education,
for the female sex. Mary’s Vindication of
the Rights of Man (1790) was a fiery reply to Edmund Burke’s reactionary
response to the French Revolution’s ideals, Reflexions
on the Revolution in France. Two years later, her Vindication of the Rights of Woman made her famous at home and
abroad. But her untimely death following the birth of her daughter Mary,
followed by husband William Godwin’s no-holds-barred biography, led to her ideas disappearing from view for many years.
But what did
ordinary women think? Did they dream of a better society – or even of
revolution? Sadly I did not have the space (or time) to explore this topic in
Regency Spies, as noticed by Emma Jolly in her insightful review earlier this year.
We know from
newspaper reports that women like Hannah Smith (hanged at Lancaster Castle in
1812 for a Manchester food riot) sometimes took direct action during times of
hardship. And female reformers from Oldham and Manchester were part of the vast
crowd at Peterloo. (There’s more information on ‘Radical Women’, including
Chartists, in my recent article in the September issue of Your Family History).
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| Peterloo Massacre |
While
researching Regency Spies, I found that women were only rarely mentioned as
spies in the Home Office papers I studied (although as noted in my book, some
evidence from this period is missing).
One instance
of a female spy is ‘Mary Brown’, listed in a ‘Key to Agents’ Names in Hampden Clubs’ in 1817. Women were seemingly more likely to act as informants; landladies
sometimes had useful information for the authorities, as Radical meetings were
often held in their pubs. (If any readers know of the exploits of any female spies,
I would love to hear from you!).
Women were
only occasionally mentioned by spies like William Oliver in their reports to
the Home Office on rebel/revolutionary meetings. Oliver took great care to list
all the men present, but this does not necessarily mean that women were absent;
it could just mean that he thought that men were more of a threat to law and
order.
However, Henry
Sampson, the Nottingham spy who was providing local reports on the Pentrich rebels, does say that Jeremiah Brandreth’s wife Ann was present while they were
discussing ‘the Job’ (the rebellion) – although Sampson does not give her name.
After the ill-fated rising, Ann (then pregnant with her fourth child) walked
all the way from their home in Sutton-in-Ashfield to Derby to see Jeremiah while he was awaiting execution. |
| Mary Lee HO42/168 |
Also amongst the
Home Office papers is a statement made by Mary Lee of Holmfirth (HO42/168, 5
July 1817). She had to give evidence regarding the planned uprising in the
Huddersfield area that year; her husband Richard was knee-deep in the
preparations. She told the authorities that the first time’ she ‘heard anything
of a Revolution’ was on 19 May, when a man called and told Richard
that ‘the Revolution was put off’. But Richard claimed that he ‘did not know there
was to be a Revolution’.
It must have
been very difficult for women like Mary to give evidence on oath, knowing that
their evidence could have dire consequences for their menfolk.
Images:
Mary
Wollstonecraft.
Dr Syntax in
an inn listening to reformers’ talk. Courtesy Library of Congress LC-USZC4-3647.
The Peterloo
massacre. The Yeomanry slash men, women and children with their sabres at a
meeting to demand parliamentary reform at St Peter’s Field, Manchester as the
Riot Act is read from a window. J. L. Marks, No. 2 Sandy's Row Bishopsgate St.,
1819. Courtesy Library of Congress. LC-USZ62-138639
Deposition
of Mary Lee at the National Archives, Kew. HO42/168.
