Edith Gittins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edith Gittins
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| Born | 1845 |
| Died | 1910 |
Edith Gittins (1845 – 7 August 1910) was an English artist and a person who worked to improve society. She was very involved in helping women gain more rights. Edith helped start the Leicester Women’s Liberal Association in 1886. She also supported the Leicester Women’s Suffrage Society, which worked for women's right to vote. She was a talented watercolour artist who learned from William Morris. She was also a member of the Leicester Society of Artists.
About Edith Gittins
Edith Gittins was born in Leicester, England, in 1845. Her father, Edward Gittins, sold corn and flour. Edith was the third of five children. She went to school with Miss Drayton, and many of her classmates became important women in Leicester.
Edith was a very active member of the Unitarian Great Meeting Chapel. She taught Sunday School there for more than 40 years. She was a watercolour artist and also taught drawing. Some of her landscape paintings were shown at the Royal Academy. The New Walk Museum and Art Gallery in Leicester still has several of her watercolour artworks.
Helping Her Community
Edith helped create a local group of the Kyrle Society. This was a national group started in 1877. Its goal was to bring art, books, and green spaces to people who were not wealthy. Their motto was 'Bring beauty home to the people'.
Edith strongly believed that women should have the right to vote. This movement was called women's suffrage. In 1886, she helped start the Leicester Women's Liberal Association. She was also on the committee for the Leicester Women's Suffrage Society, which began in 1887. She was a member of the Leicester branch of the National Union of Women Workers and the Leicester Secular Society.
Marching for Women's Rights
In February 1907, Edith Gittins joined a large protest called The Joint Women's Franchise Demonstration. This event happened when the Houses of Parliament opened. The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) organized it. More than 3,000 women took part in this march, which became known as the Mud March.
In June 1908, Edith joined another parade in London with 10,000 women. She later wrote about it in a newspaper called the Leicester Pioneer. She said that women gave their "brains, character, indispensable service" but still could not vote. She felt they were "governed and taxed without their consent." She described seeing the Leicester banner, purple and crimson, floating between banners from other cities. She felt hopeful that they were "nearing the goal at last, after so many weary years of struggle."
Edith was also on the leadership team of the Leicester branch of the National Union of Women Workers. In 1908, this group protested against unfair court sentences. They pointed out that men who harmed women often received lighter sentences than those who committed crimes against property.
Edith's Legacy
Edith Gittins passed away in 1910. She left a large amount of money to her nieces and nephews. She also gave money to local causes. For example, the Leicester Domestic Mission received £200. This money was to help or train girls from her former Sunday School who were sick or recovering.
She also gave £500 to the city of Leicester to build a public drinking fountain. It was to be called 'Ethelfloeda's Fountain'. It was meant to be placed where High Street and Silver Street meet. However, it was later put in Victoria Park, Leicester in 1922. A bronze statue of Ethelfloeda was on top of the fountain. This statue was stolen in 1978. After more damage, the replacement statue and the top part of the fountain were moved. They are now in the courtyard of Leicester Guildhall.
