Inspirational Women past

ACHIEVEMENTS: Taught, organised women’s groups, assisted the homeless from the vicarage of Lowestoft St Margaret's. As Richenda Gurney, she was born at Bramerton, Norwich on 5 August 1782, the sixth of the twelve children of John Gurney (10 November 1749–28 October 1809), a banker, of Earlham Hall, Norwich, and his wife Catherine Bell (18 November 1754-17 November 1792), daughter of Daniel Bell and Catherine Barclay.

ACHIEVEMENTS: first woman to serve as a justice of the peace in Lowestoft. In 1921, she was among the pioneering women appointed to this esteemed position. Margery was a driving force within the Association of Women Magistrates and made substantial contributions to the justice system.  (1874–1958)

CREDIT: Lowestoft heritage 

ACHIEVEMENTS: development of assisted reproductive technologies

She was born on March 1, 1905, in Lowestoft, England. Her upbringing in Lowestoft provided the groundwork for her subsequent contributions to reproductive medicine. Upon completing her medical education, she co-founded one of the pioneering fertility clinics in England during the 1930s, spearheading donor insemination practices. Her work has had a profound and enduring impact on the field of reproductive health.

ACHIEVEMENTS: established Balliol College, one of the oldest colleges at the University of Oxford

(c. 1210-1290) She was one of the great women of the Late Medieval period. She became Lord of the Manor of both Lothingland and Lowestoft in 1228, doing a large swap of her family lands in Cheshire, with Henry III, for many royal manors in various parts of England. This, because the King wanted a buffer zone against the Welsh. She would never have visited Lowestoft, but collected the annual rents due from Lowestoft tenants via the manor’s steward.

ACHIEVEMENTS: played a significant role in the spread of education, Christianity, and healthcare in Ibadan, leaving a lasting legacy in Nigeria. Anna Hinderer (nee Martin) was born in 1827. After her mother’s death when Anna was five, she lived with her grandfather and aunt until the age of twelve, when she moved to Lowestoft. In Lowestoft, she resided at the vicarage 13 High Street, working as a secretary to Reverend Francis Cunningham and his wife, Richenda.

ACHIEVEMENTS: Ensured that vital wartime communications remained operational. Dorothy Ann Daphne Dallimer, born on December 1, 1889, in Lowestoft, was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) during World War II. As an Assistant Supervisor, Class II, at the Lowestoft Post Office, she displayed remarkable bravery and unwavering dedication by ensuring efficient telephone services despite the perilous air raids of 1941. Her courageous actions ensured that vital communications remained operational during these critical times.   

ACHIEVEMENTS: A fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, remarkable contributions to astronomy  

Fiammetta Wilson FRAS (born Helen Frances Worthington in Lowestoft; 19 July 1864 – 21 July 1920) was a British astronomer elected a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1916

ACHIEVEMENTS: A reminder of the injustices of their time

During the first half 17th century the denizens of the  ancient coastal town of Lowestoft in Suffolk, England, witnessed many upheavals their lives.  Plague, fire, civil strife, a rapid decline in the local fishing industry and an expensive law-suit with the neighbouring town of Great Yarmouth all left their mark on this small community of under 2,000 souls.

ACHIEVEMENTS: her generosity and philanthropic work 
Lady Pleasance Smith (née Reeve; 11 May 1773 – 3 February 1877) was an English letter writer, literary editor, and centenarian. Smith lived to the age of 103, becoming well known in later life on account of her advanced years.