History: Faculty Publications
Into the Twentieth Century
Document Type
Contribution to Book
Publication Date
10-30-2025
Publication Title
The Ashurst Sisters: Nurturing Rebellion Across the Nineteenth Century
DOI
10.1007/978-3-032-00785-8_12
ISBN
978-3-032-00784-1
Abstract
This chapter examines how Victorian women’s activism evolved into the twentieth century through the third generation of Ashurst descendants. The Biggs sisters—Maude, Ashurst, and Kate Ada—continued their family’s tradition of transnational activism as independent, unmarried women. Unlike their cousin Joe Stansfeld, who pursued a conventional career, the Biggs sisters exemplified evolving feminist ideals by using their inherited wealth to support Polish independence, women’s suffrage, and dress reform through The Healthy and Artistic Dress Union. Maude Ashurst Biggs translated Polish literature and advocated for Polish independence while corresponding with international feminists like Alexandra Gripenberg. Kate Ada Ashurst Biggs studied at Girton College, published scholarly articles on medieval history and philology, and worked as a trained medical nurse. Their lives demonstrate how middle-class Victorian women’s activism transformed across generations, with these women building upon family traditions while adapting to changing social contexts. Economic independence enabled these women to pursue public activism and scholarly work that advanced both women’s rights and transnational political causes into the early twentieth century.
Recommended Citation
Belzer, Allison Scardino.
2025.
"Into the Twentieth Century."
The Ashurst Sisters: Nurturing Rebellion Across the Nineteenth Century: 293-315.
doi: 10.1007/978-3-032-00785-8_12 isbn: 978-3-032-00784-1
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/history-facpubs/166
Copyright
See the publisher's copyright and reuse policies.
