Forgotten Scottish Women

By María García Martínez and Gloria Rubio Carbonero

February 2023

Throughout human history, a patriarchal system has been maintained in which women have
had many difficulties in being seen, heard and recognised. So it is not surprising that only
men who made history are treated in school, or that most monuments are dedicated to men.
This is as true in Scotland as anywhere else in the world. For however much progress we
make with feminist ideas and measures to achieve real equality, if the past leaves out the
women who made a difference, it is difficult for the present and the future to remember them,
or at least with the same glory and recognition as men. (Tours, 2020)
That is why, with this essay, we want to make visible the Scottish women who have
contributed as much to history as their male counterparts, but who have not been recognised
as much, or at least not in time.

Almost everyone will surely have heard of the famous Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott, world
famous and studied in literature classes all over the world, and is recognised all over
Scotland. Imagine if we were to reveal that this great author was credited with the novel of an
unknown woman. No need to imagine it, for it is absolutely true. That woman was called
Susan Ferrier, and she published her first novel “Marriage” anonymously, as did the women
who wanted to publish for their novels to be successful, to actually achieve this they had to
use a male pseudonym or do it anonymously, erasing all their right to be recognized for their
work. And due to this, Susan's novel was nothing less than attributed to the great Walter
Scott, stripping her of all merit, which was a lot, since for this particular novel she is
considered to be the Scottish Dickens. (Sheridan, 2019)

That recognition is snatched from someone who really deserves it recurs in stories like that of
Abercrombie's former lover and wife of Kinneff's vicar. Her name was Christian Fletcher
who, along with three friends, was responsible for the recovery of the Scottish Crown Jewels.
At that time the purpose of protecting these objects was nothing more than to keep them out
of the hands of the enemy, especially Oliver Cromwell. He took the jewels one by one from
Dunnottar Castle, which was under strict siege. Each time she rode at night with the jewels in
a sack to the edge of the cliffs to throw them straight into the sea in case the English surprised
her. In the end, she saved the jewels, but the Scottish Parliament never paid her a thank you
and to make matters worse, one of the owners of Dunnottar commented that Christian
Fletcher was nothing more than a boastful woman who exaggerated her exploits. (Brown,
2019)

Unfortunately, the first way to commemorate someone is their own gravestone but, how long
did it take to pay these women the homage they have today?
Though not many, the women whose merits have been recognised were commemorated but
not in time. In other words, they never got to see how their community thanked them for their
efforts; they were remembered after the fact when they had already passed away, years or
even centuries later. This, among many others, is the case of Joanna "Jackie" Crookston, a
woman born in Old Kirk, Gladsmuir, who bravely and unhesitatingly led the movement
against the Scottish Militia Act in 1797 to protect her countrymen. This act only affected
young men, it did not affect her directly, but she did not hesitate to lead and die for the cause.
She was killed during the rebellion she herself started during the Massacre of Tranent. In
1995, the people of Tranent commemorated her efforts and merit with a statue in her honour.
Probably if it had been a man, he would have had a better chance of having his statue erected
for a shorter period of time. (Joan (Jackie) Crookston from the Gazetteer for Scotland)

Women have not only had to hide their authorship, some even had to hide their identity,
disguising themselves as men in order to be able to go to university and work in professions
that women could not access. This, among others, is the case of the Scottish Margaret Ann
Bulkley, who had to adopt the name of James Barry and pass herself off as a man in order to
study medicine at the University of Edinburgh. She then joined the army as a surgeon and
was credited with the improvement of hygiene and the reorganisation of medical care in the
field. In addition, her methods of caring for the sick and wounded soldiers of the Crimean
War are said to have led to the highest recovery rate of the entire war. She also performed one
of the first successful caesarean sections and produced a definitive report on cholera. Bulkley
even became Inspector General in charge of military hospitals. She died of dysentery in 1865
and it was then that they, after 46 years, discovered Dr James Barry was indeed a woman.
(Dronfield, 2017)

While it is necessary to mention the women previously silenced, it is also necessary to

mention those who have been remembered in some way. In Scotland itself, more specifically
in Edinburgh, Chrystal Macmillan was a pioneer, one of the first women to study
mathematics and science at the University of Edinburgh in the late 19th century.
Macmillan continued her studies and became a lawyer, another first for a woman in Scotland.
Today, the university's School of Social and Political Science building is named after her in
recognition of her pioneering work in law and her commitment to women's rights and peace
during the First World War.

On the other hand, other women have gained more recognition, such as Elsie Maud Inglis
perhaps (The University of Edinburgh,1970). She was a pioneering Scottish doctor and
women's rights activist who made significant contributions to the fields of medicine and
women's rights. During the First World War, she founded the Scottish Women's Hospitals,
which provided medical care to soldiers at the front and broke down barriers for women in
medicine. Inglis also played a key role in the women's suffrage movement in Scotland and
founded the Scottish Federation of Women's Suffrage Societies. Her work paved the way for
greater equality and social progress in Scotland and beyond. After her death, Winston
Churchill was quoted as saying that she and her medical staff would "shine in history
forever".(Wikipedia, 2023)

In 1918 Ivan Meštrović made a bronze bust of her and in 2009 she was happily memorialised
on a Scottish 50-pound note issued by Clydesdale Bank. In addition, an organisation founded
by Elsie Maud Inglis named a hospital after her in 1925, the Elsie Inglis Memorial Maternity
Hospital. There is also a plaque in her honour (created in 2014) on the south side of Old
Surgeons' Square on the north façade of Old Surgeons' Hall. (Two-Week Celebration of
Medical Trailblazer Elsie Inglis to be Held In Edinburgh For Statue Appeal | The Scotsman et
al.)

The difference in commemorations between, for instance, the last mentioned woman and the
previous ones is worthy of questioning because the problem of women's recognition is a very
important issue that needs to be thoroughly reflected upon and addressed.

Historically, women have been marginalised and their role in society has been minimised and
undervalued. This situation has led to gender inequality that has affected all aspects of
women's lives, from education and employment to politics and culture. It is also easy to note
that although the internet is a resource that allows one to search for information about
someone easily, the bibliographies of these women appear to be more incomplete than those
of men.

It is essential to reflect on this problem because recognising and valuing women is essential
to achieving a more just and equal society. Women have made great contributions throughout
history in all areas of life, and it is important to recognise and value these contributions so
that future generations can appreciate the crucial role that women have played in society.

In conclusion, if we question this, we can identify the causes of gender inequality and work to
eliminate them. For example, we need to analyse why women are underrepresented in certain
areas such as politics and business and find ways to remove the barriers that prevent women
from accessing these areas. By recognising the important contributions and achievements of
women, we can help create a more equitable and inclusive world for all. It is important that
we continue to raise awareness of gender inequalities and work towards a future where all
people, regardless of gender, are valued and respected.
References

Tours, E. (2020) Mujeres que cambiaron el curso de la historia en Escocia, Edinatours.

Available at:
https://www.edinatours.com/edinablog/mujeres-que-cambiaron-el-curso-de-la-historia-e
n-escocia.

Sheridan, S. (2019) Where are the women?: A guide to an imagined Scotland.

Edinburgh: Historic Environment Scotland.

Brown, L. (2019) Christian Fletcher, The Scots Magazine. Available at:

https://www.scotsmagazine.com/articles/series/christian-fletcher/

Joan (Jackie) Crookston from the Gazetteer for Scotland (no date) Overview of.
Available at: https://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst365.html.

Jackie Crookstone (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Crookstone.

Dronfield, J. (2017) Dr James Barry - A woman ahead of her time. Oneworld

Publications.

School of Social and Political Science (no date) Chrystal Macmillan | School of Social
and Political Science. Available at:
https://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/our-school/history/chrystal-macmillan

Elsie Maud Inglis (1970) The University of Edinburgh. Available at:

https://www.ed.ac.uk/about/people/plaques/inglis.

Elsie Inglis (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_Inglis

Two-Week Celebration of Medical Trailblazer Elsie Inglis to be Held In Edinburgh For

Statue Appeal | The Scotsman et al. (no date) Elsie Inglis, A Statue for Elsie Inglis.
Available at: https://www.elsieinglis.org/