I couldn’t let International Women’s Day pass without celebrating the life and times of two extraordinary Swindon women – Edith New and Mary Slade – even though, unfortunately, neither of them are buried in Radnor Street Cemetery.

Edith Bessie New was born in North Street, Swindon on March 17, 1877, the youngest surviving child of Frederick New, a railway clerk, and his wife Isabella, a music teacher.

Isabella raised her three children alone following the death of her husband in an accident while he walked along the railway line. Perhaps this example set by her independent mother and the struggles she encountered led Edith to spend her life campaigning for women’s rights.

Edith trained as a teacher at Queenstown School, Swindon before moving to London. Here she joined the Women’s Social and Political Union, becoming one of that organisations earliest militant members.

Following her retirement from teaching Edith moved to Polperro, Cornwall where she lived with her sister Nell. It was here that she died on January 2, 1951. She is buried with Nell in the cemetery there.

For more about Edith’s life and work you might like to read on…

Mary Elizabeth Slade was born in Bradford on Avon on July 12, 1872 one of two children born to cloth weavers Frank and Susan Slade.

By 1901 she had moved to Swindon and a teaching position at King William Street School, boarding with builder’s foreman Edwin Colborne and his family at 64 Goddard Avenue. At the time of the 1911 census she was living at 63 Avenue Road with her widowed mother Susan.

At the outbreak of World War I Mary headed a team of volunteers who collected and dispatched comforts to members of the Wiltshire Regiment serving overseas. However, the dire plight of those soldiers taken prisoner of war soon came to the attention of Mary and her team and they directed their efforts to sending parcels to these men.

For more about Mary’s work you might like to read on… (please note that this article was originally written in 2014).

Mary continued to live in Swindon until her death on January 31, 1960. She died suddenly at her home in Avenue Road. She is buried in Christ Church churchyard, Swindon.