Sarah Mair

Dame Sarah Elizabeth Siddons Mair DBE (23 September 1846 – 13 Februar 1941) wis a Scots campaigner fur weemen's eddication an weemen's suffrage, acteeve in the Edinburgh Association for the University Education of Women ((in Scots) Embro Associe fur the Uiniversitie Eddication fur Weemin) an the Ladies' Edinburgh Debating Society ((in Scots) Ladies' Embro Communin Societie), thit she foondit afore she wis 20.

Dame Sarah Mair DBE
Sarah Mair, c. 1876
Born	23 September 1846(1846-09-23) Embro, Scotland
Dee'd	13 Februar 1941(1941-02-13) (aged 94) Buckinghamshire, England
Naitionality	Scots
Kent for	Preses fur the Ladies' Edinburgh Debating Society

Life

Born intae a weel-tae-pass faimilie in Embro, Sarah wis the dauchter o Major Arthur Mair o the 62t Regiment an Elizabeth Harriot Mair (née Siddons). She wis the granddauchter o the actor Henry Siddons an great-granddauchter o the actress Sarah Siddons. Mair stairtit the Edinburgh Essay Society ((in Scots) Embro Ettle Societie), suinn efter renamed the Ladies' Edinburgh Debating Society whan she wis 19..

Mair was preses fur the society for 70 year. The societie got thegither in the spaucious Mair faimilie hame in the New Toun an offered Embro weemen fae a certaint backgrund the chance tae tak throu haund social speirins while lairnin public spikkin an communin skeels. Thay pit oot the Ladies' Edinburgh Magazine (Ladies' Embro Magazine), cried The Attempt until 1876, thit linked them wi readers across the kintra. It wis editit bi Mair an Helen Reid. Charlotte Yonge contreebutit, an Mair reviewed Josephine Butler's ettle collection Women's Work and Women's Culture (Weemen's Wirk an Weemin's Cultur).

This societie an its heidquarters in the Mair dinin-room war the focus fur muckle effort tae promuive weemen's richts an eddication, led bi weemen frae perfaisional, maistly weel-aff faimilies. Louisa an Flora Stevenson war stairtin members, sae war Louisa Lumsden, foonder o St Leonards School in St Andrews, an Charlotte Carmichael, mither o Marie Stopes.

The society communed the speirin o weemen's suffrage at intervals, wi Mair a lifelang supporter fur votes fur weemen. In 1866 an 1872, Sarah Mair fund thit she an her fellae-suffragists war in the minority, but frae 1884 an efterm motions in favour o women's suffrage war cairried oot bi increasin majorities. Mair belanged tae the Edinburgh National Society for Women's Suffrage (Embro's Naitional Societie fur Weemen's Suffrage) thit haed been estaiblishit in 1867 as the first Scots societie campaignin fur votes fur weemen an thit sent awa spikkers, includin Dr. Elsie Inglis, thit was honorary secretar frae 1906, an ithers tae events aw oothrou Scotland. Later on, Mair became preses fur the societie, an than preses fur the Scottish Federation of Women's Suffrage Societies (Scots Federation fur Weemen's Suffrage Societies). She wis aften can mediate atween groups wi sindry approaches tae campaignin fur the vote. Ance weemen ower 30 war gien the richt tae vote in 1918, she led the Suffrage Society intae a new phase as the Society for Equal Citizenship (Societie fur Equal Citizenship).

Sarah Mair wis an important member fur the Edinburgh Ladies' Educational Association (Embro Ladies' Eddicational Associe) in 1867. She wis thare at the meetin whan the Associe wis foonded, but wisnae conseedered a foondin memmer, supposedly acause she wasnae mairriet an young. She an Mary Crudelius war wantin tae tak it forrit ane step at a time taewarts thair goal fur equal access tae university eddication fur baith sexes, wi Mair believin on a practical approach wad lead tae the richt results. Hounaiver, at the end, thay wantit mair not a sindry seestem fur weemen, nae maiter hou guid the teachin.

In 1876, there wis an ettlin tae impruive the pre-universitie stage o weemen's eddication an advertised classes in St. George's Haw tae help weemen pass the universitie ingang level qualification. Thay developit courses bi the post fur weemen thit coudnae git tae classes, an than in 1886 she was involved wi ithers like Mary Russell Walker in settin up St George's Trainin College, follaed bi St. George's High School for Girls in 1888. The trainin college wis the first Scots institution fur trainin weemen tae teach in seicondary schuils an the heich school wis the first Scots day schuil fur girls thit taucht thaim aw the wey up tae university ingang level. Girls frae St. George's war amang the first female graduates fur Varsity o Edinburgh. Mary Russell Walker came back frae Lunnon in 1885, qualifeed tae lead the college an later on the schuil.

Durin the First World War Mair's association wi Elsie Inglis, stairtit as fellae suffragists, conteenued as she wis preses o the Hospitals Committee fur the Scottish Weemen's Hospitals fur Furrain Service, thair fundin wis raised frae contacts in Embro an ayont. Mair actit as treasurer fur the Edinburgh Association for the University Education of Women's Masson Hall project an aw, an chaired committees of the Bruntsfield Hospital fur Weemen and Bairns an the Elsie Inglis Memorial Maternity Hospital.

She fund time tae pruive a woman coud hiv skeel in baith archery an chess an aw, an belanged tae the Ladies' Chess Club.

Awairds

It wis her wark fur weemen's eddication thit led tae an honorary LLD frae the Varsity o Edinburgh in 1920 an a DBE in 1931.

Deith

Her deith at her niece's hame in Buckinghamshire wis follaed bi a funeral service in St Mary's Cathedral. An obituary in The Scotsman cawed her a "wumman pioneer" an a "venerable an weel-kent Edinburgh lady, ane thit has helped mak history in her time".

Soorces

• Crawford, Elizabeth. The Women's Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide 1866-1928 (Routledge 1999)

Freemit Airtins

• Sarah Mair at Find a Grave (in Inglis)