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

Ada Nield Chew

Ada Nield Chew

Working-class, factory worker, promoter of women’s trade unions. Born on a farm in North Staffordshire as Ada Nield. 1897 married George Chew ​(d.1940) who was also an organiser​ with the Independe...

Person, Gender Issues

1 memorial
Christine Murrell

Christine Murrell

Doctor and psychologist. Born 1 Jeffrey's Road, Clapham Road. Set up a private practice in Bayswater with her lifelong partner and friend Dr Elizabeth Honor Bone. First woman to be elected to the C...

Person, Gender Issues, Medicine

1 memorial
Agnes Pochin

Agnes Pochin

First woman to speak about women’s suffrage on a public platform. An early campaigner for women's rights. She funded campaigns, wrote one of the first tracts and was one of the three speakers at t...

Person, Gender Issues

1 memorial
Margaret Ashton

Margaret Ashton

Chairperson of the North of England Society for Women’s Suffrage. Manchester’s first woman councillor. Active in women’s peace campaigns during First World War. The photograph shows her at the Manc...

Person, Gender Issues

1 memorial
Julia Scurr

Julia Scurr

Born Julia Sullivan in Limehouse, married John Scurr in 1900. Politically active, campaigning for working women, the unemployed, women's suffrage. 1919 elected to Poplar Borough Council and was imp...

Person, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration

2 memorials