Florence Oloman, York Adoption Society

Florence Oloman on the left, next to her husband, Robert Oloman and women from the WVS Meals on Wheels team, 1959/60  Sophie Johnson’s book on Adoption in York from 1943 – 1974 gives a detailed account of the work of the York Adoption Society and of the pivotal role Florence Oloman played in it.   Florence […]

Mary Storey Richmond, Bomb Maker

Mary Storey-Richmond (20 May 1923 – 3 September 2018) was working at Rowntrees as a Centric Filling Maker in 1939 making chocolates. When war broke out, her department was converted to produce munitions so Mary, along with her colleagues, was now making bombs. This was highly risky and her niece said, “They had to be very […]

Janet Kay, Matron, St Leonard’s Hospice

Janet Kay (nee Burdett)  1947 – 31 July 2020  In 1984 Janet became the first Matron of St Leonard’s Hospice. Her career started in York in 1965 when she trained as a nurse. She spent three years at an army medical centre in Germany then on her return to York trained as a health visitor. […]

Helen Little, Restoration of the Five Sisters Window

Helen Drage Beckwith (1872 – 1933) was born in Winchester, Hampshire, the daughter of a clergyman.  She had an older sister who died aged two in 1872 and a younger sister who died aged four in 1878.  In 1933 when she died probate records refer to her brother, Arthur Thackeray Beckwith, who was then a retired Brigadier.    In 1899 she married Charles Little in […]

Elizabeth Jane Nattrass, Priest

The Reverend Jane Nattrass was for nine years Priest in Charge of many York City Centre Churches, in 2015 amounting to seven churches – All Saints Pavement, St Denys, St Helen, St Martin, St Olave, Holy Trinity Micklegate and St Lawrence.  During her time in York, she oversaw a number of key projects at All […]

Brenda Swinbank, Archaeologist

Brenda Swinbank (1929 – unknown) was born in Ackworth, West Yorkshire in 1929. She went to Hemsworth Grammar School where she excelled and achieved a place at Durham University to study Modern History in 1946.  In February 1947 she attended a Durham Historical Society meeting where Eric Burley, the university’s Reader in Archaeology, spoke with […]

Hilda Appleby, Women’s Voluntary Service WW2

Hilda Appleby (5 June 1902 – unknown) was living in Fulford at the beginning of the Second World War. While walking her dog, she met someone who suggested she volunteer for the WVS. She did – and so began her work in the canteen on Platform 8 of York station. She worked nights, from midnight […]

Women of York

Herstory.York are working on a guide to some of the most useful and interesting items about York women we have found at York Explore Library and Archives. Keen to help us? Got suggestions? email herstory.york@gmail.com

Herstory ON STAGE at the University of York 9-11 May 2019

The University of York TFTV presents: The Herstory project.  Over four weeks, second-year Political Theatre Project students from the Department of Theatre, Film and Television at the University of York, in collaboration with HerStory.York, present: The HerStory Project, a theatrical anthology to honour a few of the forgotten women of York – a triple bill of shows […]