08 Mar Celebrating Inspirational Yorkshire Women – the 2 Annes of Yorkshire!

On International Women’s Day I’m remembering two famous Annes of Yorkshire who forged their own paths, valued their independence and stood up for their rights and beliefs in a time when women rarely had that choice.

First up – Lady Anne Clifford, 1590-1676.   She was born at Skipton Castle in Yorkshire and was a childhood favourite of Queen Elizabeth I.  She lived a privileged life in the royal court and was well educated by her mother.  When her father died, she was his only surviving heir but the estate passed instead to her uncle.   Anne spent 40 years arguing and fighting for her rightful inheritance – her claim was entirely justified – centuries before the Clifford Estates had decreed that they should descend to the eldest heir whether male or female.  However, it took until her cousin’s death for her finally to get her estate back.   

The Clifford estates covered vast areas of the north of England and Anne lived the rest of her life as the wealthy landowner she always should have been.   It appears that despite her high standing in the court she was keen to return to the North of England and spent her final 3 decades overseeing her castles.   Her estate had been poorly managed in her absence and she set about restoring it to its formal glory.  Legend has it that she planted the Yew tree that still stands at Skipton Castle where she was born.  She died at the grand old age of 86 in one of her castles in the same room that her father had been born in and her mother had died in.  

Just over a century after Lady Anne’s death, another Anne was born – Anne Lister.   She was born in Halifax and grew up in Yorkshire moving in with her aunt and uncle in her 20s. When her uncle died she inherited Shibden Hall in West Yorkshire and started to manage the estate (the Hall is shown as the top picture in this post)   This was an unusual thing for a woman to do but Anne was no ordinary women and was not going to let society’s standard define her.   She dressed in black and acted as a man would – this gave rise to her nickname Gentleman Jack.   

Anne was a lesbian and has often been called “the first modern lesbian”.   She “married” her partner, Ann Walker at Holy Trinity Church in York.   Anne was a unique trailblazer – a business women, traveller and writer who left us volumes of her diaries providing a unique insight into her life and loves.   Anne’s story was adapted by the BBC and HBO into the series Gentleman Jack.

I’m sure both women would be delighted with the improvements that have happened over the intervening centuries but I’m also sure if alive today they would still be fighting for equality to become a reality for all women across the world.  Happy International Women’s Day to you all.