18 November 2012

Annie Matheson (1853–1924) in Nottingham

I'm grateful to Rowena Edlin-White for the above image of Annie Matheson, and for the paragraphs below that she sent me:

'Annie Matheson was born in Blackheath, London in 1853, moving to Nottingham at the age of three when her father became Minister of Friar Lane Chapel (he took over from Joseph Gilbert), where he stayed until his death in 1878. Annie was the oldest of 11 children. She wrote for publication from a young age, including hymns for children, several collections of poetry, essays and biographies of Florence Nightingale, Elizabeth Fry and Joan of Arc. She also wrote new prefaces to novels by George Eliot and Mrs Craik.

'Matheson's poetry reflects her concern for social issues, particularly those affecting women and children. Her poem, 'A Song for Women' about sweated labour, was issued as a leaflet by the Women's Protective and Provident League (the first trade union for women).

'In the 1880s the Matheson family moved back to London, Annie finally settling at Maybury Hill, Woking, where she is believed to have been involved as a non-combatant in the women's suffrage movement  Her collection of essays and poems, Leaves of Prose (1912) express her wide variety of interests, and can be found as a free read on the web.

'Annie died in London in 1924 and her ashes were returned to Nottingham to be buried with her parents and sister Mabel in the General Cemetery.'


 
Among the books written by Annie Matheson are these: 

Love's Music, and Other Poems (Sampson Low, 1894)
Selected Poems, Old and New (H. Frowde, 1899)
Love Triumphant, and Other New Poems (A. D. Innes, 1898)
Leaves of Prose (Stephen Swift, 1912)
Florence Nightingale: A Biography (Nelson, [1913])
'The Religion of Humanity' and Other Poems (Percival, 1890).

Writers and literary associations in Nottingham General Cemetery:
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Robert Goodacre (1777–1835)
Ruth Bryan (1805–1860)
Sarah Ann Agnes Turk (1859–1927)
Josiah Gilbert (1814–1892)
Anthony Hervey (c. 1796–1850)
Charles Bell Taylor (1829–1909)
James Prior's Parents
Ann Taylor (1782–1866)
Robert Millhouse (1788-1839)
Henry Hogg (1831-74)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is this maybe the same Annie Matheson who wrote a 5 page introduction to an edition of George Eliot's Silas Marner?
-david.

Anonymous said...

Ahh... I read right over your first paragraph where it states this is the Annie Matheson who wrote prefaces to numerous novels. I did find her preface to Silas Marner difficult to enjoy.