Anne Lister: "Gentleman Jack"

-

“I know my own heart and understand my fellow man. But I am made unlike anyone I have ever met. I dare to say I am like no one in the whole world.”
 

Anne Lister (1791 – 1840)  also known as “Gentleman Jack”, was an English landowner and diarist from West Yorkshire in England. Lister is often hailed as "the first modern lesbian" for her clear self-knowledge and openly lesbian lifestyle.  Known as "Fred" by her lover and "Gentleman Jack" by her locals, she suffered harassment for her sexuality but also earned a begrudging respect amongst the nobles and their tenants of her society.

The eldest of two daughters, Anne inherited her family estate with numerous tenants. In addition she owned other property, shares in the canal, railway, and mining industries. These financial investments earned her a considerable income which granted a degree of freedom unusual for ladies of that class in her time. This income funded her travels around Europe, for which she was well-known and about which she was extremely passionate.

However, more so than for her travels, Lister was kown for her masculine appearance and behaviour, and her intimate relationships with notable artistocractic women.  She only ever wore black, and partook in many activities which were traditionally reserved for men. This earned her the  famous nickname “Gentleman Jack”.

“I love and only love the fairer sex and thus beloved by them in turn, my heart revolts from any love but theirs.”

Lister’s true love was Ann Walker, a wealthy heiress in her own right. The pair began a relationship in 1832. However, the most extraordinary part of their story is that they made the decision to publically marry and live together as a couple. They attended church together in 1834 and henceforth considered themselves “married”, despite a lack of legal recognition. The church has since described this moment as: "an icon for what is interpreted as…the first lesbian marriage to be held in Britain". Lister and Walker lived happily together at Shibden Hall, renovating the residence to their own tastes, until Lister passed away in 1840.



Another important aspect of Lister’s personality worth noting is that she had a strong Anglican faith throughout her life. This is especially poignant given the common notion that the church and thus Christians have historically been against homosexuality, and that the two were irreconcilable.

It is likely that Anne’s story would have been forgotten or at least covered up had it not been for the survival of her 4 million word diaries (written between 1806 and 1840). They contain 7,720 pages  - and about a sixth of them – those concerning the intimate details of her romantic and sexual relationships – were written in code (comprised of a combination of algebra and Ancient Greek).  The diaries discuss her lesbian identity and sexual affairs in great detail, as well as her methods of seduction. However, they also provide a fascinating inside into 19th century life as she also details social, political, and economic issues and day-to-day aspects of her life including the weather etc.

The code used in her diaries was deciphered by the last inhabitant of Shibden Hall, John Lister in the 1930s. He was advised to burn the diaries, but refused. In 2011, Anne’s diaries were added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme, stating that although a valuable account of the times, it was the "comprehensive and painfully honest account of lesbian life and reflections on her nature, however, which have made these diaries unique. They have shaped and continue to shape the direction of UK Gender Studies and Women's History."

Anne Lister is a truly important role model for women and the LGBT+ communities. Her material power, her gender-non-conforming dress and actions, as well as her pride in and refusal to hide her lesbian identity were remarkably courageous at the time, and her dedication to follow traditional Christian sacraments despite her sexuality debunks many myths about the irreconcilability of maintaining both strong Christian and lesbian identities. The power of the love felt between Lister and Walker is beautifully enduring. Finally, as an aspiring writer myself, I cannot help but admire her dedication to documenting her life, and thankful for it as it gives us a unique insight into what it meant to be a woman, a lesbian, a Christian, and a land-owner in 19th century Britain.

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ching Shih: The Pirate Queen

-
Image
Ching Shih (1775–1844) was arguably the most successful pirate ever, ruling one of the largest ever fleets and crossing swords with some of the world’s most powerful empires. Born in 1775 in Guangzhou, China, Ching was originally known as Shih Heang Koo. She was working in a “flower boat” i.e. a floating brothel when she met a notorious pirate client named Cheng I. He was so infatuated with her that he decided to marry her – either because of her good looks or because he recognised the potential she had as a cunning and resourceful business partner. They were married in 1801 and they had two children. Their marriage was unconventional from the start. Ching Shih refused to be just a pretty little housewife as most women would have become. Rather, she demanded 50% of his business and properties, and became an active partner in his piracy. Within a few years, they had accumulated a huge fleet of various pirate ships – uniting those who would usually be business rivals. Cheng I came fr...
Read more

Yaa Asantewaa

-
Image
“I must say this: if you, the men of Ashanti, will not go forward, then we will. We, the women, will. I shall call upon my fellow women. We will fight!”   Yaa Asantewaa  (17 October 1840 – 17 October 1921) was the  queen mother  of  Ejisu  in the  Ashanti Empire  – now part of modern-day  Ghana . In 1900 she led the Ashanti war known as the  War of the Golden Stool , also known as the Yaa Asantewaa War, against  British colonialism . She died in 1921. She was a successful farmer, an intellectual, a politician, human right activist, queen, mother and a military leader. Quite an impressive CV. Ashanti is a southern region of modern Ghana, named after the clans of Ashanti people who hard formed their own kingdom in 1670. The region had grown rich and powerful, trading gold and slaves with the British, Dutch and Danes. When Yaa Asantewaa was born in 1840, the British had assumed control of the other European’s Gold Coast forts. By 1...
Read more

Elizabeth Taylor

-
Image
Today marks 10 years since the icon that was Elizabeth Taylor passed away. There is so much to cover here that this will be a rather long post, apologies in advance. Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor   DBE  (1932 – 2011) was an English-American actress, businesswoman, and humanitarian. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of  classical Hollywood cinema  in the 1950s. She continued her career successfully into the 1960s, remaining a well-known public figure for the rest of her life. In 1999, the  American Film Institute  named her the seventh- greatest female screen legend  of all time. Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born in London on February 27. She received  dual British-American citizenship  at birth, as both her parents, art dealer  Francis Lenn Taylor  and retired stage actress  Sara Sothern were from Kansas.   She was raised according to the teachings of...
Read more