Mary Neal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Neal
CBE |
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|---|---|
Mary Neal
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| Born |
Clara Sophia Neal
5 June 1860 Edgbaston, Birmingham, England
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| Died | 22 June 1944 (aged 84) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Social worker |
| Known for | Folk dance collection |
Mary Neal CBE JP (born Clara Sophia Neal; 5 June 1860 – 22 June 1944) was an English social worker. She also worked to help women gain the right to vote. Mary Neal is well known for collecting and sharing English folk dances.
Contents
Early Life and Helping Others
Mary Neal was born in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. Her family was well-off, and her father made buttons. In 1888, Mary started doing volunteer social work. She joined the West London Methodist Mission and helped people living in poor areas of London. She was known as "Sister Mary" during this time.
The Girls' Club
Mary Neal started a special "Club for Working Girls" at the mission's Cleveland Hall. She wanted to bring more beauty and opportunity into the lives of young women who worked hard. She believed these clubs could help working women improve their lives.
Mary Neal said about the club:
No words can express the passionate longing which I have to bring some of the beautiful things of life within easy reach of the girls who earn their living by the sweat of their brow... If these Clubs are up to the ideal which we have in view, they will be living schools for working women, who will be instrumental in the near future, in altering the conditions of the class they represent.
The Girls' Club was very successful. In 1895, Mary Neal and her colleague, Emmeline Pethick, left the mission. They wanted to create their own club, called the Espérance Club, for girls in Cumberland Market. This allowed them to try new ideas with dance and drama.
Bringing Back Folk Dances
In 1905, Mary Neal met Cecil Sharp, who was also interested in English folk music. They started working together to bring back traditional English folk music and dances. Mary felt that the working girls of London could connect with their history through these dances.
The girls from the Espérance Club became popular teachers of folk music and dance. They performed in London and other places, helping to spread the joy of traditional English dances.
A Holiday Home for Girls
In 1925, Mary Neal and Lily Montagu bought a house in Littlehampton, Sussex. They named it "Green Bushes." This house became a holiday home where girls could relax and enjoy themselves. Mary also traveled to the United States between 1910 and 1912 to promote folk dancing there.
Working for Change
Mary Neal believed in social change. She followed the ideas of leaders like Keir Hardie, who was a socialist. In 1906, Mary Neal joined a very important group called the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). This group worked hard to get women the right to vote, also known as suffrage. Later, she joined another group called the United Suffragists, which included both men and women, and people with different ideas on how to achieve women's voting rights.
Mary Neal was also a leader in the Kibbo Kift, a youth organization. In 1934, she became a justice of the peace in West Sussex. This meant she helped with legal matters, especially those involving young people. She also joined the Howard League for Penal Reform, which worked to improve the justice system.
In 1937, Mary Neal was honored for her important work in English folk song and dance. She was given the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
See also
In Spanish: Mary Neal para niños
