Eul ms 202 1898 06 theatre royal playbill

Bessie Lyle Hatton (22 November 1867 – 25 March 1964) was an English actress, playwright, journalist, and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

, and took part in the struggle for

women's suffrage in the United Kingdom A movement to fight for women's right to vote in the United Kingdom finally succeeded through acts of Parliament in 1918 and 1928. It became a national movement in the Victorian era. Women were not explicitly banned from voting in Great Brita ...

Life

Hatton was born on 22 November 1867 in Claines, Worcestershire. Her father was

Joseph Hatton Joseph Paul Christopher Hatton (3 February 1837 – 31 July 1907) was an English novelist and journalist. He was editor of many English publications including ''The Sunday Times'' from 1874 to 1881 and then served as a correspondent for several ...

, a novelist and journalist, and her mother was Louisa Johnson, her elder brother was explorer Frank Hatton. She was educated at a convent school in Ardennes and at

Bedford College, London Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first higher education college for women in the United Kingdom. In 1900, it became a constituent of the University of London. Having played a leading role in the advancement of women in highe ...

, however she left college to join Frank Benson's company who were performing

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

. She performed in ''Judah'' at the Shaftesbury Theatre with

Gertrude Warden Gertrude Warden (27 May 1859 – 3 May 1925) was an English actress and writer, who wrote over 30 novels under her stage name, her name at birth being Gertrude Isobel Price and her married name Mrs John Wilton Jones. Life Warden began life as Ge ...

in 1890. On the advice of her father and despite her concerns that it might interfere with her acting career, Hatton authored several popular works of fiction, including ''The Village of Youth and Other Fairytales'' (1895) and her play ''Before Sunrise''. This play was staged at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

on 11 December 1909 for the

Women's Freedom League The Women's Freedom League was an organisation in the United Kingdom from 1907 to 1961 which campaigned for women's suffrage, pacifism and sexual equality. It was founded by former members of the Women's Social and Political Union after the Pa ...

. In June 1908 she and fellow actress and writer Cicely Mary Hamilton founded the Women Writers' Suffrage League. The organisation was open to both men and women, and each affiliation. Hatton was the organising secretary, took part in events, and organised entertainment for the suffrage meetings. When World War I broke out, The Women Writers Suffrage League helped establish a library at

Endell Street Military Hospital Endell Street Military Hospital was a First World War military hospital located on Endell Street in Covent Garden, central London. The hospital was substantially staffed by suffragettes (women who fought for their right to vote in public electio ...

, and helped organise recreation at the hospital. Hatton never married. She died on 25 March 1964.

References

External links

Anna Andes analyses 'Before Sunrise' in her essay 'Burgeoning New Women of Suffrage Drama: Envisioning an Autonomous Self' http://www.thelatchkey.org/Latchkey6/essay/Andes.htm in The Latchkey: Journal of New Women Studies {{DEFAULTSORT:Hatton, Bessie 20th-century English novelists Actresses from Worcestershire English suffragists English feminist writers English stage actresses English women dramatists and playwrights English women novelists Women of the Victorian era English women travel writers English travel writers English women science fiction and fantasy writers 20th-century English women writers Year of death unknown 1867 births Members of the Women Writers' Suffrage League Writers from Worcester, England