Person    | Female  Born 31/12/1828  Died 11/8/1921

Mary Elizabeth Sumner

Founded the Mothers’ Union in 1876. Born as Mary Elizabeth Heywood in Lancashire. 1848 she married George Henry Sumner, son of C. R. Sumner, Bishop of Winchester, and a second cousin of William Wilberforce. The birth of her first grand-child inspired her to gather the mothers in the parish to provide mutual support. This Mothers Union rapidly grew and in 1896 when it required a President she was unanimously elected, and held the post into her nineties.

Her three children were Margaret, Louisa Gore-Browne and George who became a successful artist. (Though the photo we found, on Louisa's page, suggests Mary and George had another child, Effie, born 1849, who married a Heywood.)

Wikipedia notes that other sources incorrectly give her date of death as the 9th.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Mary Elizabeth Sumner

Commemorated ati

Mothers' Union - left

To the glory of God and in grateful remembrance of Mary Elizabeth Sumner who ...

Read More

Other Subjects

Suffragette Fellowship

Suffragette Fellowship

Founded by Edith How-Martyn to "perpetuate the memory of the pioneers and outstanding events connected with women's emancipation and especially with the militant suffrage campaign, 1905-14, and thu...

Group, Gender Issues

1 memorial
Lydia Becker

Lydia Becker

President of NUWSS prior to Millicent Fawcett and campaigned for voting rights of unmarried women and widows. Also an amateur scientist with interests in biology and astronomy. Best remembered for ...

Person, Gender Issues, Journalism / Publishing, Science

1 memorial
Fanny Wilkinson

Fanny Wilkinson

Fanny Rollo Wilkinson was the first professional female landscape designer in Britain. Designed many of London's open spaces. Born Manchester. By the end of 1883 she had completed an 18-month cour...

Person, Gardens / Agriculture, Gender Issues

2 memorials
Mary Gawthorpe

Mary Gawthorpe

Mary Eleanor Gawthorpe was a suffragette, socialist, trade unionist and editor. Women’s Labour League then Women's Social and Political Union. Co-founder of radical newspaper The Freewoman. She was...

Person, Gender Issues, Journalism / Publishing, USA

1 memorial
Nessie Stewart-Brown

Nessie Stewart-Brown

Suffragist and Liberal Party politician. Co-founder of Liverpool Women’s Suffrage Society, and led Women’s Liberal Federation branches in Liverpool. Born as Nessie Muspratt near Liverpool. 1888 Mar...

Person, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration

1 memorial

Previously viewed

British Lying-in Hospital

British Lying-in Hospital

Initially called the Lying-In Hospital for Married Women. ( 'Lying-in' is an old term for childbirth).  By the beginning of the 20th century it was experiencing financial difficulties which led to ...

Building, Medicine

1 memorial
World War 1

World War 1

We'd always assumed that this war was known as the Great War until WW2 came along at which point it was renamed as World War One or the First World War. But the term was first used in print in 1920...

Event, Armed Forces, Tragedy

402 memorials
A. Ware
War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Stanley Trade School

Stanley Trade School

Founded by W. F. R. Stanley as the Stanley Technical Trade School. It was taken control of by Philip Harris, and Croydon Council and the local community of South Norwood agreed that it should be ca...

Place, Education

1 memorial