As we mark International Women’s Day today (8 March), it is an appropriate time to think of some of the pioneering women with Canterbury connections, whose actions can be considered inspirational for us today. With centuries of history, there are many remarkable women linked to Canterbury – this article highlights just four of them, separated by history but united by their trail-blazing legacy. Why not come and explore the city on a guided tour, and find out more about many other interesting and inspiring women?
Bertha, Queen of Kent
Bertha was a Frankish Princess who married Ethelbert, later the King of Kent, in around 580 AD and came to live with him in Canterbury. It was a condition of their marriage that she be allowed to bring a chaplain with her and practise her Christian faith in what was essentially a pagan society. She used St Martin’s Church, said to be the oldest church in England in continuous use. Bertha was instrumental
in her husband’s conversion to the Christian faith by the missionary Augustine in 597. As a result, the Cathedral and several monastic settlements were established in Canterbury, and so it is due to Bertha’s involvement that Canterbury is the historically important city it is today, marked by its UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Bertha’s statue (pictured) stands proudly on Lady Wootton’s Green, alongside that of Ethelbert, and she is facing the Queningate in the city wall, the route she took to reach St Martin’s Church.
Audrey Williams, Archaeologist
Audrey was born in Wales at the beginning of the 20th Century, and in 1920, aged 18, she won a scholarship to Somerville College in Oxford. This was the year that the law changed, finally enabling women to be allowed to be awarded university degrees. After graduating and marrying, she moved back to Wales where she became involved with the Swansea Museum. She went on to become the Honorary Curator of Antiquities, and later worked on many excavations in London and the South-East of England. She was Director of Excavations for the Canterbury Excavations Committee, which was set up in 1944 to investigate archaeology uncovered during World War Two bombing raids, and in advance of redevelopment of the area. She led the excavation of the Roman Mosaic Pavement which is now on display in situ at the Roman Museum in the city. She was the first female director of an archaeological excavation in the country.
She later worked on the discovery of the Temple of Mithras in London, alongside her future husband Professor William Grimes. In fact, she led much of the work, which makes up most of the archive, but her contribution has been somewhat sidelined. The author John Shephard, whose book covers the Mithras excavation, wrote, “Audrey Williams, his unsung assistant in 1954, without whom he simply would not have been able to achieve as much as he did”.
Catherine Williamson, Mayor
Catherine and her husband Stephen owned the Tannery, which was a Williamson family business of several generations. They lived in Tower House, converted from a bastion in the city wall in the 19th Century. In 1936 they gave the house and gardens to the city under a deed which required the space to be preserved as a public space for the benefit of Canterbury residents. Catherine was responsible for demolishing parts of the building and laying out the 11-acre gardens as a riverside park and walk, Westgate Gardens, which can still be enjoyed today. The house is now used as the Mayor’s parlour.
Catherine was a city councillor and later became the city’s first woman Mayor from 1938-40. She played an important role in the organisation of the city’s civil defence during the Second World War. She later donated a Book of Remembrance detailing the 121 civilians killed in the bombing of the city, which is on display in the Cathedral.
Aphra Behn
Aphra Behn has recently been celebrated by the unveiling of a new statue by Her Majesty the Queen, outside The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge in Canterbury’s city centre. Aphra was born in Harbledown, on the outskirts of the city in 1640, and was the first woman to earn her living as a professional writer in the English language. She went on to become a pioneering playwright, novelist and poet, leading the way for women writers of the future. She was the most successful playwright of her era, and could be considered one of the most inspirational women in Canterbury’s history, having risen from humble beginnings to be buried in Westminster Abbey.
The new statue was designed by sculptor Christine Charlesworth, and donated to the city by Canterbury Commemoration Society. The design features a 17-year-old Aphra, holding a copy of one of her books, “Oroonoko”, which later became an important text for supporters of the abolition of slavery. The statue includes a quote by the 20th Century writer, Virginia Woolf, who was inspired by Aphra, which says, “'All women together ought to let flowers fall on the tomb of Aphra Behn, for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds”.
Guided tours in Kent, including a Pioneering Women tour, can be arranged to suit all interests and timescales. Specific requests for a particular topic or theme can be accommodated too, and private transport can be arranged – get in touch for more information.
Website: hereandtherewithclaire.co.uk
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