Ethel Leach
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Mary Ethel Leach (1850 or 1851 – April 1936) was a British politician.


Life

Leach grew up in
Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...
and married an
ironmonger Ironmongery originally referred, first, to the manufacture of iron goods and, second, to the place of sale of such items for domestic rather than industrial use. In both contexts, the term has expanded to include items made of steel, aluminium ...
, the couple sharing a commitment to
radical Radical (from Latin: ', root) may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Classical radicalism, the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and Latin America in the 19th century *Radical politics ...
politics. In 1881, she was elected to the Great Yarmouth School Board as an independent. School provision in the area was then poor, and she championed
kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
methods of teaching younger children. Within six months, she persuaded the rest of the board to adopt this measure. Leach discovered that a pupil at the local industrial school had been hit with a
trowel A trowel is a small hand tool used for digging, applying, smoothing, or moving small amounts of viscous or particulate material. Common varieties include the masonry trowel, garden trowel, and float trowel. A power trowel is a much larger ga ...
and organised a public enquiry into the matter. The enquiry found no evidence of similar incidents, so decided to take no action. Leach arranged to be appointed as the school's matron, reducing the use of
corporal punishment A corporal punishment or a physical punishment is a punishment which is intended to cause physical pain to a person. When it is inflicted on Minor (law), minors, especially in home and school settings, its methods may include spanking or Padd ...
. However, eighteen months later, the school board believed that the school regime was too soft, and replaced her with a male superintendent. With more free time, Leach began teaching cookery in schools. She also campaigned against after-hours teaching, which she believed put unnecessary pressure on pupils. Concerned by
malnourishment Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...
among pupils, she introduced 1 d dinners, later complementing these with 1d lunches. She long tried to persuade the board to remit the fees of poor pupils, and finally succeeded in 1886. In 1889, Leach convinced the board to set up a
pupil teacher Pupil teacher was a training program in wide use before the twentieth century, as an apprentice system for teachers. With the emergence in the beginning of the nineteenth century of education for the masses, demand for teachers increased. By 1840, ...
training scheme to improve the quality of teaching in schools, and the following year, she got the school leaving age raised. Leach's many achievements attracted widespread attention; she was elected to the committee of the National Educational Association, and lectured for the
Land and Labour League The Land and Labour League was formed in October 1869 by a group of radical trade unionists affiliated to the International Working Men's Association. Its formation was precipitated by discussion of the land question at the Basle Congress of 1869. ...
. She was active in the
women's suffrage 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 ...
movement from the early 1880s. In 1885, she was
election agent An election agent is the person legally responsible for the conduct of a candidate's political campaign and to whom election material is sent by those running the election. The term is most used in elections in the United Kingdom, as well as some ...
to Helen Taylor's campaign in Camberwell North at the 1885 general election, although the returning officer refused to accept Taylor's papers, as women were not permitted to stand. Leach gradually increased her vote in school board elections, and by 1890 was able to take second place. By this time, she stood as a
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
representative, but this had little impact on her activity, and she refused to campaign jointly with other Liberal candidates in the elections. In 1895, she was elected as vice-chair of the school board, and by this time she was also able to win election to the
Board of Guardians Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the po ...
. There, she campaigned for reforms to nursing and childcare in the town. However, the clerk of the board, a Mr Palmer, opposed her activities, refusing her access to his office to view minutes of meetings. When he requested a £30 pay rise, she argued that a £3 raise should suffice. Around this time, Palmer circulated a cartoon at a meeting which implied an affair between a medical officer and a nurse. Leach took the opportunity to call a public enquiry into his conduct; Palmer was only reprimanded, but his mental health suffered and he was remanded to an
asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea * ...
. He was dismissed, and Leach was thereafter able to participate fully as a member of the board. In 1908, Leach stood for the Gorleston ward on Yarmouth Town Council. Her campaign attracted national interest, and she appeared on the front page of the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
'', but she was not elected. She did become a councillor after
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, later serving as an
alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
and the first woman mayor of the town. She was also first woman to become a
magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...
in the town. Leach was still serving on the council in 1932, when she opened Alderman Leach Secondary Modern School. This later became
East Norfolk Sixth Form College East Norfolk Sixth Form College (commonly abbreviated to EN) is a sixth form college in the Gorleston-on-Sea area of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. The college ranges from about 1,600 students most of whom are between the ages of 16–18. Th ...
, which houses a picture of Leach.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leach, Ethel 1850s births 1936 deaths English suffragists Liberal Party (UK) councillors Mayors of places in Norfolk People from Great Yarmouth Women councillors in England Women mayors of places in England