Re-Write history, explore the facts with British Routes.
History is written by the winners! It is not until recent years we have looked at the lives of everyday people in history, not just Kings and Queens. There is the history of women, many of the historical figures we do know about had a powerful women behind them! Or may be we could look at Catherine Sforza who took on the Borgias, Matilda who battled with King Stephan for the throne of England…
In this blog we have given barely a taster of some of the women you will come across with British Routes Holidays tours of Yorkshire, and hope you’ll want to join us and discover more about them.
St. Margaret Clitheroe.
St. Margaret defied the church of England to follow her true faith. She’d hide priests and hold secret Mass. She was caught and sentenced to death. Her shrine is a place you will visit on the tour.
Mad Alice.
Mad Alice is a sad story. Alice was beaten remorselessly by her husband, she finally attacked and killed him. The murder caused her to go insane, and she was hanged at York Castle in 1825. Her face can sometimes be spotted at one of the windows looking down over the lane named after her.
Dora Walker.
In 1914 she joined up as a nurse in London then she went to work in Hospitals in France during the war. At the end of the war she returned to nursing in London’s East End. Dora suffered with bronchial problems after the war and was advised by her doctor to move to the coast – which she did. She bought a house in Sandsend and a boat which she named ‘Good Faith’. She fished from Whitby, and qualified and acted as a pilot for boats through the minefields. She was the only woman skipper to hold her license in the North Sea throughout WW2. Find out more on our Whitby tour.
Anne Lister.
Anne Lister married Anne Walker in Holy Trinity church in York. It is thought to be the first recorded civil partnership. Anne was ahead of her time and the two ladies were astute business women, running the coal industry in Halifax. She took holidays in Scarborough on the East Coast.
Mary Ward.
Mary became a Nun against her families wishes, in a time when there was anti-sentiment against her faith. She started a convent in France and would become one of the first pioneers for the education of women. Her influence was felt across Europe and you can find out more at the Bar Convent in York.
Catherine Howard
She became queen of England in 1540 after becoming the 5th wife of Henry VIII aged 17. First cousin of Anne Boleyn, Catherine resided at the Kings Manor, allegedly where the affair with distant cousin Thomas Culpepper began.
Famous people from Yorkshire.
Amy Johnson (Pilot). The Bronte Sisters (Writers). Betty Boothroyd (politician).
Dame Judy Dench (Actress). Jessica Ennis-Hill (Athlete).
Of course there are many more influential historical women connected to places we take you, and we could list them here but... SPOILERS!
Explore our site for more blogs, film reels and holiday ideas. Go where you want to go.