Person    | Female  Born 31/12/1828  Died 11/8/1921

Mary Elizabeth Sumner

Founded the Mothers’ Union in 1876. Born as Mary Elizabeth Heywood in Lancashire. 1848 she married George Henry Sumner, son of C. R. Sumner, Bishop of Winchester, and a second cousin of William Wilberforce. The birth of her first grand-child inspired her to gather the mothers in the parish to provide mutual support. This Mothers Union rapidly grew and in 1896 when it required a President she was unanimously elected, and held the post into her nineties.

Her three children were Margaret, Louisa Gore-Browne and George who became a successful artist. (Though the photo we found, on Louisa's page, suggests Mary and George had another child, Effie, born 1849, who married a Heywood.)

Wikipedia notes that other sources incorrectly give her date of death as the 9th.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Mary Elizabeth Sumner

Commemorated ati

Mothers' Union - left

To the glory of God and in grateful remembrance of Mary Elizabeth Sumner who ...

Read More

Other Subjects

Jessie Craigen

Jessie Craigen

Jessie Hannah Craigen was a working-class suffrage speaker. She was also a freelance (or 'paid agent') speaker in the campaigns for Irish Home Rule and the cooperative movement and against vivisect...

Person, Animals, Gender Issues, Medicine, Ireland

1 memorial
Christabel Pankhurst

Christabel Pankhurst

Suffragette. Born Manchester, daughter of Emmeline, her eldest child and her favourite. Moved to America in 1939 and died in California.

Person, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration, USA

6 memorials
Lord Alfred Douglas

Lord Alfred Douglas

Journalist and poet. Son of the Marquess of Queensbury and lover of Oscar Wilde. Known as Bosie (a nickname given to him by his mother as a derivation of 'boysie'). After Wilde's release from priso...

Person, Gender Issues, Journalism / Publishing, Poetry

1 memorial
Norah Lyle-Smyth, Norah Smyth

Norah Lyle-Smyth, Norah Smyth

Painter, sculptor, photographer and suffragette. Born Norah Veronica Lyle-Smyth in Cheshire. She was befriended by Sylvia Pankhurst and accompanied her on a speaking tour around Europe. She finance...

Person, Art, Gender Issues, Photography, Politics & Administration, Sculpture, Ireland

2 memorials
Rev. Claude Hinscliff

Rev. Claude Hinscliff

Member of Men’s League for Women’s Suffrage, founded the Church League for Women’s Suffrage in 1909 with his wife Gertrude. He officiated at Emily Wilding Davison’s funeral. Later he worked in Serb...

Person, Gender Issues, Religion, Romania, Serbia

1 memorial