Mary Anne Estlin (31 July 1820 – 14 November 1902) 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 ...

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

and leading figure in anti-slavery and anti-prostitution campaigns in Britain.

Life

Mary Anne Estlin (31 Jul 1820-14 Nov 1902) was the daughter of

John Bishop Estlin John Bishop Estlin (26 December 1785 – 10 June 1855) was an English ophthalmic surgeon. Life Estlin was the son of the Unitarian minister John Prior Estlin, who kept a well-known school in a large house at the top of St. Michael's Hill, Bristol ...

, a leading

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

and his wife Margaret née Bagehot. Her mother died when she was a small child, and she took her father's religion as well as his opposition to

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. Estlin lived in the family home and never married. 1832 she followed her father to the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...

where she saw the colonial slave system. From 1851 she led the Bristol and Clifton Ladies Anti-Slavery Society. She and

Eliza Wigham {{Infobox person , name = Eliza Wigham , image = Eliza Wigham from Woman at Home.jpg , image_size = , caption = from an 1895 book , birth_name = Elizabeth Wigham , birth_date = ...

were active in the campaign in England and in 1863 they both served on

Clementia Taylor Clementia Taylor (née Doughty; 17 December 1810 – 11 April 1908) was an English women's rights activist and radical.''ODNB''. Life Clementia (known as Mentia to her friends) was born in Brockdish, Norfolk, one of twelve children. Her family ...

Ladies' London Emancipation Society The Ladies' London Emancipation Society was an activist abolitionist group founded in 1863, which disseminated anti-slavery material to advance British understanding of the Union cause in the American Civil War as one pertaining to morality rather ...

. In 1854

Parker Pillsbury Parker Pillsbury (September 22, 1809 – July 7, 1898) was an American minister and advocate for abolition and women's rights. Life Pillsbury was born in Hamilton, Massachusetts. He moved to Henniker, New Hampshire where he later farmed and wo ...

came to Britain to discuss the differing politics of the American and British abolitionists. Estlin and her father became involved in Pillsbury's problematic correspondence with the British activist Louis Chamerovzow, the secretary of the

British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society 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, ...

. Estlin arranged for the letters to be made public. In 1867 she helped establish the Bristol Women's Suffrage Society in which she acted as a treasurer. In 1868 she travelled to

America 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 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

, where she met other leading activists including

Lucretia Mott Lucretia Mott (''née'' Coffin; January 3, 1793 – November 11, 1880) was an American Quaker, abolitionist, women's rights activist, and social reformer. She had formed the idea of reforming the position of women in society when she was amongs ...

and

Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to so ...

. During 1870-1886 she was a member of the executive committee of the Ladies’ National Association. This organization co-ordinated the feminist campaign for the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts. There was a schism within the abolitionists between the radical views of

William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December , 1805 – May 24, 1879) was a prominent American Christian, abolitionist, journalist, suffragist, and social reformer. He is best known for his widely read antislavery newspaper ''The Liberator'', which he foun ...

and the more conservative position of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, who was content to see a gradual end to slavery.

Eliza Wigham {{Infobox person , name = Eliza Wigham , image = Eliza Wigham from Woman at Home.jpg , image_size = , caption = from an 1895 book , birth_name = Elizabeth Wigham , birth_date = ...

and

Jane Smeal Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

of the

Edinburgh Ladies' Emancipation Society The Edinburgh Ladies' Emancipation Society was a leading abolitionist group based in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the nineteenth century. The women associated with the organisation are considered "heroines" and the impact of these abolitionist organi ...

supported Estlin's initiative to find common ground between the Garrisonians and the BFASS. Mary Anne Estelin died aged 82 on 14 November 1902 in her residence, 36 Upper Belgrave Road, Clifton, Bristol.

References

External links

* *
Correspondence to and from Mary Anne Estlin
held in the Anti-Slavery Collection at

Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also the Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse'') of the Common ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Estlin, Mary 1820 births 1902 deaths Politicians from Bristol British abolitionists Anti-prostitution activists