Claire Saul celebrates women who pioneered new beginnings
WORDS: CLAIRE SAUL IMAGES: ALAMY, NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES, ANDREW BUTLER, WIKI COMMONS
Scouting for Girls
Agnes Smyth Powell was born in 1858, one of 14 children born to the Reverend Powell. After his death, her mother Henrietta added his first name, Baden, to their surname.
Agnes was an accomplished musician and her interests included natural history, art, science, languages and sports. She became president of a division of the Red Cross, assisted with hospital work through the League of Mercy and became involved with the Needlework Guild.
She also had an often overlooked role of national importance. In 1909, several hundred girls were among the boys attending her brother Robert’s inaugural Boy Scout Association Rally at the Crystal Palace in London. Robert decided it was best for girls to have their own association and turned to Agnes, then in her 50s.
Agnes became president of The Girl Guide Association, founded in 1910. Soon 6,000 girls had registered. In 1912, she wrote their handbook How Girls Can Help to Build the Empire,a reworked version of her brother’s manual, Scouting for Boys. Sadly, within a few years Agnes was sidelined by her sister-in-law Olave. However she still enjoyed riding, swimming and camping in her later years.
Medical Marvel
Smallpox killed an estimated 60 million people in Europe during the 18th century, and left survivors with scarring and long-term health conditions. Among its victims were several relatives and friends of poet and writer Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.
She herself survived the disease, but was left with physical changes, including deeply pockmarked skin.
After her husband took up a diplomatic position in Turkey in 1716, Lady Mary saw the benefit of the local practice of inoculation against the disease.
“I am patriot enough to bring this useful invention into fashion in England,” she determined.
Her five- year-old son was inoculated and so was her daughter back in London, as another smallpox wave hit the city a few years later. She set a trend that was later embraced by the royal family.
Lady Mary worked hard to promote her cause in the face of many detractors, who included some members of her own family. But she had enduring supporters, too; a copper engraving of
