Jane Pirie (27 March 1779 – 6 March 1833) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

woman who opened an exclusive girls' school in Drumsheugh Gardens,

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 ...

in 1809 and who became involved in a libel court case about lesbian sex, which was found '

not proven Not proven (, ) is a verdict available to a court of law in Scotland. Under Scots law, a criminal trial may end in one of three verdicts, one of conviction ("guilty") and two of acquittal ("not proven" and "not guilty").The Scottish criminal jur ...

'. This was a result of being accused of displays of "inordinate affection" with the co-founder of the school,

Marianne Woods Marianne Woods (1781 – 1870) was an English woman who opened a girls' school in Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh in the autumn on 1809 and who became involved in a court case as a result of being accused of lesbianism with the co-founder of the s ...

(1781–1870). Her accuser was

Jane Cumming Jane Cumming m. Tulloch (1795/6 – 24 April 1844) was a witness in a libel suit made famous in the Lillian Hellman play, '' The Children's Hour.'' Biography Jane Cumming was the daughter of George Cumming, a writer working for the East India ...

, a pupil of mixed race, and a granddaughter of Lady Helen Cumming Gordon, who alleged that the two women "engaged in irregular sexual practices" and "lewd and indecent behavior." Lady Cumming Gordon spread rumours of these allegations. Jane Cumming was the first pupil to leave the school, and within days, all the other pupils had left as well. This risked financial as well as reputational damage for Pirie and Woods. Jane Pirie and Marianne Woods denied the allegations and sued Lady Cumming Gordon for £10,000. Despite the teachers winning the case, which was held in secret, in 1812, it was appealed by Lady Cumming Gordon, to the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

, which ultimately dismissed the appeal. The court cases heard details from pupils statements of the alleged sexual behaviour but the Law Lords disagreed with each other on the reliability of this evidence, given that alternative 'facts' about bed sharing, which was common between women at the time, had been stated by the complainants (Pirie and Woods). Lord Meadowbank stated (in what would now be considered racism), that it was ''notarious'' that British children could be adversely influenced by lewd gossip of Indian servants. He also stated that lesbian sex would be "equally imaginary with

witchcraft Witchcraft is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...

, sorcery, or carnal copulation with the devil". In the end, bringing this case financially ruined the school teachers, who received little more than £1,000 after paying significantly high legal costs. Although Marianne Woods obtained part-time employment as a teacher in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, Jane Pirie stayed in Edinburgh and was unable to find employment, and "possibly had a nervous breakdown." Pirie, who was living in

Gladstone's Land Gladstone's Land is a surviving 17th-century tenement house situated in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has been restored and furnished by the National Trust for Scotland, and is operated as a popular t ...

, during this period, later took her sister to court over the division of their parent's property, eventually moved to live with her sister in Glasgow, where she died, aged 54 in 1833.

In popular culture

As well as being considered as a landmark case in legal circles, the story of the

court case Legal proceeding is an activity that seeks to invoke the power of a tribunal in order to enforce a law. Although the term may be defined more broadly or more narrowly as circumstances require, it has been noted that " e term ''legal proceedings'' ...

was the inspiration for Lillian Hellman's 1934 play '' The Children's Hour''. Two Hollywood films were inspired by this story: ''

These Three ''These Three'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by William Wyler and starring Miriam Hopkins, Merle Oberon, Joel McCrea, and Bonita Granville. The screenplay by Lillian Hellman is based on her 1934 play '' The Children's Hour''. A 196 ...

'' in 1936 which starred

Miriam Hopkins Ellen Miriam Hopkins (October 18, 1902 – October 9, 1972) was an American actress known for her versatility. She signed with Paramount Pictures in 1930. She portrayed a pickpocket in Ernst Lubitsch's romantic comedy '' Trouble in Paradise'', ...

Merle Oberon Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress. She began her acting career in British cinema in the early 1930s, with a breakout role in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). She ...

and

Joel McCrea Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Westerns, for which he bec ...

, and '' The Children's Hour'' in 1961, both directed by

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a German-born American film director and producer. Known for his work in numerous genres over five decades, he received numerous awards and accolades, including three Aca ...

, which set the story in the United States and starred

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...

Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty; April 24, 1934) is an American actress and author. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine, numerous accolades, including a ...

and

James Garner James Scott Garner (né Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, which included ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Ch ...

A new international team in 2025, produced a period drama film, Miss Pirie and Miss Woods.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pine, Jane 1779 births 1833 deaths Schoolteachers from Edinburgh Founders of Scottish schools and colleges Lesbian history in the United Kingdom House of Lords cases

In popular culture

See also

References