| ID | 2333 |
|---|---|
| Collection | Elizabeth Bloxham |
| Collection Description | Elizabeth 'Bessie' Bloxham was born in Claremorris, County Mayo in 1877. Her father was a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary and she was raised in a Protestant household. She qualified as a teacher and initially worked in Northern Ireland. Bloxham begin to read and later contributed to Arthur Griffith's United Irishman. She was a suffragette, a supporter of the Irish Women's Franchise League and a member of the Gaelic League. Bloxham was a founding member of Cumann na mBan in April 1914 and was selected as a national organiser. Being a teacher she was free to travel the country setting up local branches during the holidays. She was working in Newtownards when the Easter Rising broke out. In the summer of 1916, Bloxham was dismissed from her teaching post in Newtownards, a decision she believes was based on her outspoked nationalism. She continued working for Cumann na mBan and was a signatory on the letter addressed to the President and Houses of Congress in America asking for recognition of the Irish Republic. Bloxham moved to Wexford where she continued teaching and upon retiring in 1944, she moved to Dublin. She died in January 1962 [UCDA]. |
| Collection Web Address | https://www.ucd.ie/archives/collections/depositedcollections... |
| Reference | P31 |
| Description | Typescript statement given the Bureau of Military History by Mrs Elizabeth Bloxham concerning her membership, as a Protestant, of Cumann na mBan, 1913-1921. Includes reference to her dismissal from a teaching position in the north of Ireland because of her association [1908-1916] with the Sinn Féin movement, 1916, and a copy of a letter to the Newtownards Chronicle condemning the preaching of politics in her local church, 1912. |
| Access | By prior appointment. |
| Date | 1908-1921 |
| Century | 20th |
| Keywords | |
| Repository Name | UCD Archives |
| Address | James Joyce Library UCD Belfield Dublin 4 |
| Eircode | D04 R7R0 |
| Telephone | (01) 716-7555 |
| Email Address | archives@ucd.ie |
| Repository Web Address | www.ucd.ie/archives |
| latitude | 53.30671 |
| longitude | -6.22347 |