Leonora Philipps (4 November 1862 – 30 March 1915), sometimes known as Nora Philipps, was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

feminist activist. Born in Camberwell, then in Surrey, as Leonora Gerstenberg, her family were Jewish and her father was wealthy. She was orphaned at the age of fourteen, becoming a ward of chancery. She performed strongly at school, then attended

Birkbeck University College Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a public university, public research university, located in Bloomsbury, London, England, and a constituent college, member institution of the federal Universit ...

and the

Slade School of Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

, where she completed a course in metalwork. She also attended the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sena ...

, and was tutored privately in drama by Isabella Glyn. Influenced by the ideas of John Stuart Mill, trips to the

East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have un ...

and to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, Gerstenberg became interested in feminism and issues around poverty. She became active in the

Women's Liberal Federation The Women's Liberal Federation was an organisation that was part of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party in the United Kingdom. History The Women's Liberal Federation (WLF) was formed on the initiative of Sophia Fry, who in 1886 called a meeting ...

(WLF), and soon became president of the Westminster Women's Liberal Association. Her inheritance had grown through investment, and by the late 1880s, amounted to around £100,000. In 1888, Gerstenberg married

John Wynford Philipps John Wynford Philipps, 1st Viscount St Davids , (30 May 1860 – 28 March 1938) was a British Liberal politician. Background and education Philipps was the eldest son of Reverend Sir James Erasmus Philipps, 12th Baronet, Vicar of Warminste ...

, who had just won the Mid Lanarkshire by-election for the

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. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a l ...

. Philipps became a vice-president of the Scottish Women's Liberal Federation, and in 1891 wrote a widely-circulated pamphlet, ''An Appeal to Women''. In this, she argued that women should become active in public service. She also lectured on a number of topics, including

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture * Temperance (group), Canadian dan ...

, the unionisation of shop assistants and free education. In 1891, the WLF split over attitudes to women's suffrage, and Philipps was a vocal support of the majority, pro-suffrage view. In 1892, she was elected as president of the Welsh Union of Women's Liberal Associations, and was a co-founder of the Pioneer Club in London. She was also an early member of the Somerville Club, and a founder in 1897 of the Women's Institute at

Grosvenor Crescent Grosvenor Crescent is a street in London's Belgravia district, that in December 2017 was ranked as the UK's most expensive residential street, with an average house price of £16,918,000. Grosvenor Crescent runs from the north-east corner of Belg ...

. John became a Member of Parliament for Pembrokeshire in 1898, and the couple moved to

Roch Castle Roch Castle ( cy, Castell y Garn) is a 12th-century castle, located at Roch near Haverfordwest, Wales. Built by Norman knight Adam de Rupe in the second half of the 12th century, probably on the site of an earlier wooden structure. ''Roche'' i ...

, in the constituency. In 1908, he became a baron, and Nora accordingly became Lady St Davids. When a national pageant was held in Cardiff in 1909, Nora was one of the main organisers, and in 1913 she presided over a concert at the Abergavenny

Eisteddfod In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Philipps, Leonora 1862 births 1915 deaths Alumni of Birkbeck, University of London Alumni of RADA Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art Saint Davids English feminists People from Camberwell