Mary Anne Baikie facts for kids

Mary Anne Baikie (1861–1950) was a Scottish woman who worked hard for women's right to vote. She started the Orcadian Women's Suffrage Society (OWSS) in the Orkney Islands. She helped more people join the group and made the public more interested in the idea of "Votes for Women."

Leading the Fight for Votes

Mary Anne Baikie led the first public meeting in Orkney to create a group for women's voting rights. This happened on October 25, 1909. A month before, Chrystal Macmillan, who fought for women's right to go to university, had visited Orkney. She had a first meeting at the home of James and Bina Cursiter.

Baikie's Powerful Speech

At the launch event in Kirkwall Town Hall, Baikie gave a speech. She said she was there as a friend of women's rights. She truly believed that getting the vote would improve the lives of all women, especially those who worked.

Baikie explained that old laws like the Magna Carta and the 'British Constitution' didn't stop women from voting. But new laws in 1832 had taken these rights away. She pointed out that Parliament had debated women's votes many times. Even election candidates had promised to help. But nothing had changed. Baikie believed this was because women couldn't vote. So, politicians could make promises and then break them easily.

She thought that the smart people of Orkney would see that women deserved political recognition. She hoped they would support the cause. Baikie also argued against people who said women couldn't fight or that giving women the vote would change how men saw them. She felt it took courage for her to speak in public. It also took bravery to support the more active suffragettes, as it could mean losing friends. Not everyone at the meeting agreed on this. But they heard that women in New Zealand already had the right to vote. Mr. Cursiter praised Baikie's speech, calling it the best he had ever heard on the topic.

Growing Support in Orkney

The Orcadian Women's Suffrage Society quickly gained many members. By March 1910, 116 people signed a petition supporting women's right to vote. This included half of the town councillors. The petition was sent to the local Member of Parliament. In 1911, the Stromness branch of the WSPU joined forces with the OWSS.

Connecting with the National Movement

Under Baikie's leadership, the society could hold debates where both sides of the argument were heard peacefully. By June 1910, Baikie was also setting up a local group in Tankerness.

Spreading the Word Across Orkney

Wilhemina Hay Lamond (later known as Elizabeth Abbott) from the Edinburgh National Society for Women's Suffrage visited Orkney for ten days. She held meetings with fishermen at the pier and in people's homes. She visited many islands like Holm, Westray, Stronsay, Sanday, North Ronaldsay, Kirkwall, Shapinsay, Rousay, Deerness, and Stromness. Lamond also planned to visit remote Fair Isle.

Orkney Map showing transport routes (modern)

In December 1911, Baikie held another public meeting. It included a social gathering. She explained the Conciliation Bill and the suffragist view. People said her speech was "brilliant" and "convincing."

Orkney's Impact on the National Stage

The number of Orcadian members grew to 100 by 1916. In 1912, there were already 60 members on four of the Orkney islands. They held regular public meetings and hosted important speakers. Dr. Elsie Inglis from the Edinburgh leadership visited on April 24, 1912. She said the Orkney society had "the most enthusiastic officers."

A special "Orcadian Banner" was designed by local artist Stanley Cursiter and Shetlander Christina Jamieson. Baikie's niece, Miss Courtenay, carried this banner in the Women's Coronation Procession in London. It marched with other groups from the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies. The Orkney group was the only Scottish group that also joined the Women's March from Edinburgh to London.

Debating New Laws

In November 1912, the local newspaper The Orcadian wrote a lot about Baikie's speech. She spoke to a large crowd in Kirkwall. She explained how the government was discussing a new Reform Bill. This bill would give more men the right to vote but not women.

Baikie believed this was because some government leaders thought women were "unstable" and shouldn't vote. Yet, they were giving the vote to "every irresponsible boy of 21." She explained that some Members of Parliament wanted to change the bill. They wanted to simply remove the word 'male' from the part that said "every male person." This would give women equal voting rights. These MPs included Grey, Lyttleton, Runciman, Cecil, Dickinson, Henderson, and Snowden. The Labour Party also wanted to add "of either sex" after the word "person."

Baikie also talked about different ideas for voting age and property rules. These rules would affect how many women could vote in England, Scotland, and Ireland differently. She concluded that this new law would not calm the anger of women who had been fighting for years.

A Call for Justice

However, Baikie also said that "Sex antagonism and bitterness won't win our cause for us, and we will win it." She added, "in the name of common sense it is time to put an end to this unfair and unseemly struggle in a country world famous for its justice." Other speakers mentioned that Orkney people had Scandinavian roots. In countries like Denmark and Norway, women already had the vote. They could even run for public office like men. Convinced by these arguments, everyone at the meeting agreed with Baikie. They voted that women's suffrage should be part of the new law.

In 1914, the Orkney group asked the Kirkwall Burgh council to send a senior representative to a national suffrage event. This event was at the Albert Hall in London. Other Scottish cities were sending their leaders to meet the Prime Minister, H.H. Asquith.

Legacy

In 1911, an artist named Robert Gallon painted a portrait of Baikie. It was called Mary Anne Baikie (Milanne), née Traill. This painting is now in The Orkney Museum. The museum is in Tankerness House, which used to be the home of the Baikie family from Tankerness.

In 2018, to celebrate International Women's Day and 100 years since some women got the right to vote, the Northlight Gallery in Stromness showed a short animated film. It was called A Gude Cause Maks a Strong Erm. Fiona Grahame, an Orkney journalist, wrote the film. Martin Laird painted and animated it. James Watson created the music, and Kim Foden narrated it. The film's poster was a Cubist style picture of Baikie's portrait, also painted by Laird. The film was shown at many festivals. It won the Most Creative/Original award at the Scottish Short Film Festival in Glasgow.