The 8th March is International Women’s Day, and while this would be a great time to win some brownie points at home by talking about my amazing (and long-suffering) wife, it is also an opportunity to celebrate some of the many amazing – and too often overlooked – women in West Dorset’s history.
Mary Anning, born in Lyme Regis in 1804, is one of history’s most renowned fossil hunters. Despite facing so many challenges, her discoveries changed the course of palaeontology forever. Today, a statue in Lyme Regis honours her achievements – a tribute made possible through the dedication of two other amazing women: Anya Pearson and Evie Swire, a mother-daughter duo who successfully crowdfunded for the statue.
Yet despite this rich history, there has long been a glaring absence of women represented in our public spaces. Until recently, in Dorchester there were six statues of men, one of a dog, one of a horse, and one of the Queen Mother. But not a single statue of a non-Royal woman. This is not just about stone and metal – it is about the stories we choose to tell. Thanks to the efforts of Anya Pearson and the Dorchester Sheroes campaign, this is beginning to change, with a statue of Sylvia Townsend Warner, a 20th century novelist, poet and pioneer for gay rights, set to be installed in the town centre.
Women’s contributions to West Dorset span centuries: The Dorset button makers, who influenced the livelihoods of hundreds of women and played a vital role in the region’s economy; Lucy Emily Baxter, an art writer from Dorchester; Mary Mullet Moule, who worked to improve sanitation during a cholera epidemic and Maude Steele, who was awarded the George Medal after she courageously maintained telephone services during the bombing of Sherborne in 1940. They are all part of our rich history of extraordinary women. On International Women’s Day, let us celebrate these women. Let us continue to push for progress, to support and uplift women in every walk of life, and to ensure that when we look to the past, we see the whole story, not just half of it.
Edward Morello MP for West Dorset
