Flora Masson RRC (1856 – 1937) was a Scottish nurse, suffragist, writer and editor.

Early life

Flora Masson was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. She was first of three daughters of professor

David Masson David Mather Masson (2 December 18226 October 1907), was a Scotland, Scottish academic, supporter of women's suffrage, literary critic and historian. Biography Masson was born in Aberdeen, the son of Sarah Mather and William Masson, a sto ...

and suffrage campaigner

Emily Rosaline Orme Emily Rosaline Orme (1835–1915) was a leader of the Edinburgh National Society for Women's Suffrage. She was a noted campaigner for women's suffrage in Scotland. Early life Orme was born in 1835, one of eight children to parents Eliza Andrews ...

. Her father was chair of the English department at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

. Her younger brother was a scientist,

David Orme Masson Sir David Orme Masson KBE FRS FRSE (13 January 1858 – 10 August 1937)L. W. Weickhardt,Masson, Sir David Orme (1858–1937), ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 10, MUP, 1986, pp 432–435. Retrieved 6 October 2009 was a scientist ...

, and her younger sisters were Helen and suffragist and writer, Rosaline Masson. Their aunt,

Eliza Orme Eliza Orme (25 December 1848 – 22 June 1937) was the first woman to earn a law degree in England, from University College London in 1888. Early life Orme was born near Regent's Park in London, into a well-connected middle-class family. She ...

, was the first woman to earn a law degree in England. Because of her parents' social connections, Masson met

Elizabeth Barrett Browning Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime and frequently anthologised after her death. Her work receiv ...

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher. Known as the "Sage writing, sage of Chelsea, London, Chelsea", his writings strongly influenced the intellectual and artistic culture of the V ...

Coventry Patmore Coventry Kersey Dighton Patmore (23 July 1823 – 26 November 1896) was an English poet and critic, literary critic. He is best known for his book of poetry ''The Angel in the House'', a narrative poem about the Victorian era, Victorian ideal of ...

and

James Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

in her youth, and heard

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

read from ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

'', among other acquaintances with notables of the nineteenth century. Flora Masson trained as a nurse at St. Thomas's Hospital, London.

Career

Nursing

Masson worked at the Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford and the Eastern Fever Hospital, Homerton (now

Homerton University Hospital Homerton University Hospital is a teaching hospital in Homerton in the London Borough of Hackney. It is managed by Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. History The hospital has its origins in the Homerton Fever Hospital, which opened at ...

) as a matron. Masson was matron of the Red Cross hospital near Rosewell during

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 ...

. Masson was awarded the

Royal Red Cross The Royal Red Cross (RRC) is a military decoration awarded in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for exceptional services in military nursing. It was created in 1883, and the first two awards were to Florence Nightingale and Jane Cecilia Deeb ...

of the 1st class "in recognition of valuable services under 'The British Red Cross Society', or 'Order of St. John of Jerusalem in England', rendered in connection with the war". Masson was a close friend and professional colleague of

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during th ...

, who supported Masson's promotion to Matron and in disputes with hospital administration and medical leaders around competency of staff; Nightingale arranged for practical support and influenced decisions made.

Suffrage

Masson 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 with her mother and sister, a policy that her father also supported, speaking out when many men remained sceptical. Masson wrote about women's rights to vote in 'The Parliamentary Franchise for Women' published in the ''Ladies Edinburgh Journal'' in 1876''.'' Masson joined the Ladies' Edinburgh Debating Society (LEDS) in 1881, which hosted discussions and lectures on various feminist topics, including suffrage, marriage, and religion.

Writing

Masson edited two of her father's books, ''Memories of London in the 'Forties'' (1908) and ''Memories of Two Cities'' (1911). Masson also contributed to a book by her sister, ''I Can Remember Robert Louis Stevenson'' (1923). Books written by Flora Masson included the following titles: *''Florence Nightingale, O.M. By one who knew her'' (1910) *''The Brontes'' (1912) *''Charles Lamb'' (1913) *''Robert Boyle, a biography'' (1914) *''Victorians All'' (1931) *''The Heart Is Highland'' (1932) Her ''Victorians All'', about the notable people Masson met in her youth, was described as "a pleasant, rather sad little book" in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''; "this is not so much a book of good stories as about real happenings," the review concluded.

Personal life

Masson lived with her sister Rosaline. She died on 1 October 1937, in Edinburgh. She is buried in

Grange Cemetery The Grange (originally St Giles' Grange) is an affluent suburb of Edinburgh, just south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, The Meadows park and Marchmont to the north, and Blackford Hi ...

with her parents.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Masson, Flora 1856 births 1937 deaths Scottish suffragists Nurses from London Members of the Royal Red Cross Anglo-Scots