Herstory Revisited

James Margaret Steuart Barry (c. 1789 – 1865) was an Irish  military surgeon  in the  British Army , born in Cork, Ireland. Although having lived their whole career as a man, it was discovered after death that Barry was actually a woman. I’ll discuss the debate surrounding their gender later, but for the meantime I am going to use they/their pronouns to cover all bases!   Barry was the second child of Jeremiah and Mary-Ann Bulkley, and was given the name Margaret Anne. The family fell on hard times when her father was dismissed from his post due to rising anti-Catholic sentiment in Ireland. A third child appeared in the Bulkley family and was named Juliana. Although presented as being Barry's sister, it is possible that she was Barry's daughter, the result of childhood sexual assault, as after Barry's death  pregnancy stretch marks  were present (more on that later). The teenage Barry was educated to become a tutor, but it appears that no suit...

" Gentle visitor pause awhile: where you stand death cut away the light of many days: here jewelled names were broken from the vivid threat of life: May they rest in peace while we walk the generations around their strife and courage: under these restless skies.” After my emotions at rewatching Anne Boleyn’s execution in The Tudors last night, Facebook reminded me that 3 years ago today I stood at that very site, and I just wanted to reflect on it for a moment here. In my life, only two physical places have made me cry. This is one of them. 3 years ago I wrote ‘I’ve posted endlessly about my love for Jane Grey and my fascination with Anne Boleyn (and Katherine Howard tbh) so seeing the site where they were executed again, now that I’m older and know more of their stories was really quite emotional for me…Whatever their faults, these women were all essentially killed for being women and failing to satisfy the whims of a man and although their stories have been twisted by centuries ...

Happy Eid al-Adha to my Muslim followers!  Today is a special festival for Muslims centred around the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael) for Allah. Hagar is also an important figure in the Jewish and Christian traditions, but I’m going to focus on her role in Islam not only because it’s Eid but also because it is here that she is attributed greatest importance. While the two principal characters of the Eid Al-Adha story are (unsurprisingly) male, I wanted to highlight the often overlooked female character –  Hagar (aka Hajaar, in Arabic) – Abraham’s wife and Ismael’s mother. Eid al-Adha is also closely associated with the Islamic pilgrimage (Hajj), and Hagar is also a central part of this pilgrimage, and the rituals millions of Muslims perform during it. Hagar was the wife of the  patriarch  and  Islamic prophet   Ibrāhīm  ( Abraham ) and the mother of  Ismā'īl  ( Ishmael ). She is a revered woman in the...

 “In every race, in every nation, and in every clime in every period of history there is always an eager-eyed group of youthful patriots who seriously set themselves to right the wrongs done to their race or nation or . . . art or self-expression.” Alice Dunbar Nelson (1875 – 1935) was an American poet, journalist, and political activist. Among the first free-born generation in the South following the Civil War. She was one of the prominent African Americans involved in the artistic flourishing of the Harlem Renaissance, achieving prominence as a poet, author, journalist, editor, and activist for women's rights. Alice Ruth Moore was born OTD (July 19) 1875 in New Orleans to a formerly enslaved black seamstress, Patricia Wright and a white seaman, Joseph Moore. Her parents were middle-class and part of the city's multiracial Creole community. Moore graduated from the teaching program at Straight University in 1892 and worked as a teacher in the public school system of New ...

Halo a h-uile duine! I’ve spent much of the last few weeks taking a much-needed staycation! Started off with a trip to Stirling and the surrounding area, and then spent this weekend on the Isle of Skye! It reminded me of how much of my own country I still have left to discover, and what a rich history is lost amongst the Outlander and Braveheart mythologies! While I was away I did some research and decided to dedicate 5 days to sharing some stories of the heroines of Skye! I have a personal investment because my paternal grandmother was a McLeod and their history (and herstory) is everywhere on the Misty Isle (nowhere more so than Dunvegan Castle). I didn’t have time to explore inside, but it felt like coming home and I would now like to be known only as Lady McLeod! Here, I will combine all posts for clarity but they are 5 separate and very much independent ladies and I love them all! 1. Flora MacDonald ( Fionnghal nic Dhòmhnaill) “Though the waves leap, soft shall ye sleep; Ocean...