Charlotte Despard (née French) (1844 – 1939) was a British-born, later Irish-based suffragist, novelist and Sinn Féin activist.
She was born in Ripple, Kent. Her brother, John French, would become Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. She expressed regret of her lack of education although she attended a finishing school in London. She married businessman Maximilian Carden Despard, but was widowed when he died in 1890. They had no children. Her romantic nov...
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Charlotte Despard (née French) (1844 – 1939) was a British-born, later Irish-based suffragist, novelist and Sinn Féin activist.
She was born in Ripple, Kent. Her brother, John French, would become Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. She expressed regret of her lack of education although she attended a finishing school in London. She married businessman Maximilian Carden Despard, but was widowed when he died in 1890. They had no children. Her romantic novels included Chaste as Ice, Pure as Snow.
Despard was shocked by the levels of poverty in London, where she lived as a child. Following her husband's death she devoted her time and money to helping the poor in Battersea. She lived above one of her welfare shops during the week and converted to Roman Catholicism. She was elected as a Poor Law Guardian for Lambeth poor-law union.
At the time Despard was a vocal supporter of the Social Democratic Federation and the Independent Labour Party. In 1906 she joined the NUWSS (National Union of Women’s...
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