A Quaker woman

A contribution towards International Women's Day about a person whose diaries are treasured possessions.

Maria and her sister Hannah were birthright Quakers born in Northamptonshire in the 1790's, orphaned in their late teens. Somehow they found themselves setting up house in Southampton where the Quaker community welcomed them. Maria was fragile, suffering frequently from migraine headaches, toothaches and what you will. She and her sister would have dressed plainly in grey with the coalscuttle bonnet as shown in the picture.

Before she married Samuel and moved to the West Country she and her sister travelled to Pyrmont and Minden, visiting Holland and Germany giving support to other Friends in those countries and visiting their philanthropic projects.

Back in Southampton in 1826 one of Maria's main interests was the House of Refuge for women:

"Visited the Refuge. Read to and conversed with the women who discovered some feeling. I was glad I went. The matron complained of the conduct of some of them and I thought it right to speak to them on the subject in a gentle but serious manner. Great patience, forbearance and a kindness is indeed necessary in any degree to soften these poor creatures."

She and her husband Samuel went on to do other things including their involvement with many others in the abolition of slavery:

"An interesting correspondence between the meeting for sufferings in Philadelphia and London was also read on the subject of slavery and the oppressed state and cruel treatment of the Blacks in the United States. Also an account of endeavours used to civilize the native Indians in North Carolina, etc."

Maria and Samuel eventually settled in Tottenham, London, where she died in 1843. Her one daily luxury she always looked forward to was "a nice refreshing cup of tea".

Today is also Pancake Day and as is our custom, Tim cooked us a good number of pancakes we ate with sugar and lemon juice - Delicous! I also saw two Greater Spotted Woodpeckers on the crab apple tree in the garden.