Researching the lives of the women in our book has been so rewarding and has been a project we have been so proud of, as we have recovered these women’s lives from obscurity. Whilst our book focuses on a huge selection of important women in Brighton & Hove, we have included a snap-shot of some of these women on our website who achieved above and beyond for their time – such as Mercedes Glietze who was the first woman to swim the channel, Helena Normanton who was the first woman to have a passport in her name or Dorothy Stringer who had a school named after her. All of these women have fascinating stories to tell, which we hope you will enjoy reading!
The last 50 years has been a golden age for Women’s History research but there is still work to do. If you know of other women we should be researching we welcome your ideas.
Content contributors for our website: Susy Baird, Marianne Tingay, Sue Delafons, Maria Hogg, Clare Hughes, Gerry Holloway, Jenny Stroud, Miranda Spiers.
A selection of our notable women can be found here:
Maud Streatfield Bond (1866-1959)
Margaret Bondfield (1873-1953)
Alice Ann Cornwell (1852-1932)
Mary Elizabeth Cozens (1857-1920)
Hariette Edith Grace (1860-1932)
Margaret Jane Hardy MBE (1874-1954)
Muriel Margaret Hart MBE (1924-2023)
Pauline Henriques (Crabbe) OBE (1914-1998)
Dr Lilias Blackett Jeffries (1881-1970)
Edith ‘Biddy’ Lanchester (1871-1966)
Faith Matyszak-Gander (1931-2015)
Louisa Martindale (née Spicer) (1839-1914)
Dr Louisa Martindale (1872-1966)
Lilian Decima Moore (1871-1964)
Lieutenant Jacqueline Nearne (1916-1982)
Blue Plaque for Ellen Nye Chart unveiled on 26th June 2026 at the Theatre Royal Brighton!
Ellen Nye ChartEllen Nye Chart (1839-1892)
Helena Florence Normanton (1882-1957)
Mary (Molly) Attfield Paley (1893-1974)
Hilda Elsie Marguerite Patten (1915-2015)
Catherine Ricketts (1841-1907)
Dame Jean Rivett-Drake (1909-1999)
Ada Kate Schofield, née Hands (1859-1937)
Princess Sophia Duleep Singh (1876-1948)
Dorothy Stringer OBE (1894-1977)