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

women's suffrage movement Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

in Britain. She nursed the suffragette

Emmeline Pankhurst Emmeline Pankhurst (; Goulden; 15 July 1858 – 14 June 1928) was a British political activist who organised the British suffragette movement and helped women to win in 1918 the women's suffrage, right to vote in United Kingdom of Great Brita ...

and her son Henry. Pine travelled with Pankhurst before returning to Britain permanently in 1924.

Family and education

Catherine Emily Pine was born in Maidstone on 7 May 1864. Her parents were Robert Pine, a corn merchant, and his wife, Anne Bret. Catherine trained to be a nurse. 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 by Rahere, and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by ...

between 1895 and 1897. After qualification she remained at St Bartholomew's until she was promoted to Hospital Sister in 1900. She was described by the staff as "‘punctual, very kind and attentive, very patient and even tempered".

Career and support for suffragettes

Pine opened a nursing home 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 wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...

, London, working with Nurse Catherine Townend. Suffragettes who had gone on

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

and were forcibly fed in prison were taken there after being released to receive medical care and recuperate.

was one of the imprisoned suffragettes that underwent care at the nursing home and she soon viewed Pine as a friend and a competent nurse. Pine also took care of Pankhurst's son, who was suffering from an inflammation of the bladder, until he died of

poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

in 1910. When the 1911 census was enumerated, Pine gave the details of her patients and wrote across her census form: "Above names at request. For the rest No Votes No Information."

Relationship with the Pankhursts

In 1912 Pine and Townend assisted

Christabel Pankhurst Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst (; 22 September 1880 – 13 February 1958) was a British suffragette born in Manchester, England. A co-founder of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), she directed Suffragette bombing and arson ca ...

in escaping arrest by providing her with a nurse's uniform and access to a friend's house. From 1917 Pine worked in the Pankhurst family home 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 ''Camp ...

but was not in sympathy with the

Montessori The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...

teaching methods used by Jenny (Jane) Kenney for the children there. Pine accompanied the Pankhursts when they went to Paris in early 1919, while Emmeline worked in France for the suffrage movement. That September, they sailed to the United States and Canada. Often, Emmeline was not at home, so Pine was charged with the duties of taking care of Pankhurst's children.

Later life

Pine returned to England in 1923 and found employment at Cottage Hospital,

Herne Bay Herne Bay is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in South East England. It is north of Canterbury and east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne, Kent, Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury loca ...

, Kent. She attended Pankhurst's funeral in July 1928. Pine suffered a stroke and died in 1941.

Suffragette Medal

Pine was awarded a suffragette medal and left it to the History Section of the British College of Nurses, which was founded in 1926 by

Ethel Gordon Fenwick Ethel Gordon Fenwick (née Manson; 26 January 1857 – 13 March 1947) was a British nurse who played a major role in the History of Nursing in the United Kingdom. She campaigned to procure a nationally recognised certificate for nursing, to sa ...

, a former matron of St Bartholomew’s where Pine had trained and worked. The medal was likely sold when this organisation folded in 1956 and was later owned by an American collector before being acquired by a researcher. Pine's library and mementos were given to the

Museum of London London Museum (known from 1976 to 2024 as the Museum of London) is a museum in London, covering the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history. The Museum of London was formed in 1976 by ama ...

References

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