06th March 2023

Women's History Month: local history stories from our area

This month is Women's History Month and we're keen to highlight the contribution of women in the local history stories about our area, by looking back at our web archive. 

Firstly, we featured stories from the medieval period about the nuns at Clementhorpe Nunnery. We also heard an account of a particular woman in the community at the Bar Convent.

Moving on to the 19th century we heard a tragic story about Sarah Ann Hill, about to be hanged at York Castle. Our Poverty Research Group have been looking at how women survived in tough times around Nunnery Lane in the mid 19th century, for example the story of Eliza Seymour. Other women adopted different strategies, such as Annie Caspar.

Much of our work has focused on World War I and the part that women played locally, in nursing and munitions work for example, as well as supporting travelling soldiers. We heard how sphagnum moss was used to care for wounds, and about work carried out at Nunthorpe Hall by nurses. There were women munitions workers at Cooke's in Bishophill, and we heard the tragic story of driver Betty Stevenson.

Driver Betty Stevenson.

Moving forward in time, we found out about the role played by our women in the railways in World War II, and the tragedy of a local bombing on the 'unluckiest street in York'.

Emma Reagan

Many of our local women were forging their own livelihoods in business and industry, such as Mary Wood in the 19th century, and newsagent Emma Reagan in the 20th century We also heard about some historical business women in Yorkshire.

An important resource for finding about the role of women in York history generally is Herstory York, a community history project celebrating all their inspirational stories.