Catherine Emily Pine (7 May 1864 – 14 August 1941) was active in the

women's suffrage movement Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

in Britain. She took care of the suffragette

Emmeline Pankhurst Emmeline Pankhurst ('' née'' Goulden; 15 July 1858 – 14 June 1928) was an English political activist who organised the UK suffragette movement and helped women win the right to vote. In 1999, ''Time'' named her as one of the 100 Most Impo ...

and her son Henry. Pine travelled with Pankhurst until she decided to move back to Britain permanently in 1924.

Family and education

Catherine Emily Pine was born on 7 May 1864. Her parents were Robert Pine, a corn merchant, and his wife, Anne Bret. Catherine trained to be a nurse; she who supported the woman's suffrage movement by working as the Pankhurst family's personal nursing assistant. Pine attended a school for nursing and trained as a nurse at

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (died ...

between 1895 and 1897. After qualification she remained until she was promoted to Hospital Sister in 1900.

Career and support for suffragettes

Pine opened a clinic in 1907 in Pembridge Gardens,

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Roa ...

, London, working with Nurse

Catherine Townend Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

, where suffragettes who had gone on

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

in prison were taken after being released. Pankhurst was one of the imprisoned suffragettes that underwent care at the nursing home. Pine also took care of Pankhurst's son, until he died in 1910.

Relationship with the Pankhursts

When Pine first started working at her nursing home, she took care of Pankhurst's son, Henry, who was there because of an inflammation of the bladder. Pankhurst soon viewed Pine as a friend and a competent nurse. Pine worked in the home procured by the Pankhurst at Tower Cressy,

Campden Hill Campden Hill is a hill in Kensington, West London, bounded by Holland Park Avenue on the north, Kensington High Street on the south, Kensington Palace Gardens on the east and Abbotsbury Road on the west. The name derives from the former ''Campd ...

but was not in sympathy with the

Montessori The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...

teaching methods used by Jenny (Jane) Kenney for the children there. Then Pine and the Pankhursts went to Paris in early 1919, for a scene change while Emmeline worked for the suffrage movement. That September, they sailed to the United States and Canada, although Emmeline longed to go home, she knew she had a job to do with Catherine. A lot of the time, Emmeline was not at home, so Pine was charged with the duties of taking care of Pankhurst's children.

Suffragette Medal

Pine was given a suffragette medal and left it to the British College of Nursing, but her library and mementos were given to the

Museum of London The Museum of London is a museum in London, covering the history of the UK's capital city from prehistoric to modern times. It was formed in 1976 by amalgamating collections previously held by the City Corporation at the Guildhall Museum (fou ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pine, Catherine British suffragists 1864 births 1941 deaths Nurses from London