17th Century
Bathsua Makin, c 1608-1675
By Claire Jones Scholar, writer, educator and early feminist Overview Bathsua Makin was one of a group of women, including Christine de Pizan, Margaret Cavendish and Mary Astell, who can be described as ‘early feminists’ (although the term ‘feminist’ only
The trouble with Women Pirates…
Jo Stanley reflects on image, reality and the process of writing ‘outsider’ history What could be sassier, you might think, than a bold, sexy buccaneer? Slightly dykey and into a light-hearted touch of woman-led bondage. Brandishing—but with a beautiful smile—a
Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, c 1623-1674
by Claire Jones Playwright; poet; natural philosopher. It was famously said of Margaret Cavendish that she was different to the rest ‘of her frail sex’ who, unlike her, ‘have Fruitful Wombs but Barren Brains’. Gender in the seventeenth century The
Jane Whorwood, 1612-1684
Secret Agent and confidante of Charles I who played a key role in the English Civil War By John Fox Early life No portrait of Jane Whorwood has been found. She was born in 1612 to a Scots official of
