Matilda Ridout Edgar: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 14:56, 9 July 2014
Matilda Ridout Edgar | |
|---|---|
 Matilda Edgar in October 1896 | |
| Born | Matilda Ridout 29 September 1844 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | 29 September 1910 (aged 66) London, England |
| Nationality | Canadian, British |
| Occupation(s) | Historian and feminist |
| Known for | Ten years of Upper Canada in peace and war, 1805–1815 |
Matilda Ridout Edgar (29 September 1844 - 29 September 1910) was a Canadian-born historian and feminist. She became Lady Edgar in 1898 when her husband was knighted.
Early years
Matilda Ridout was born in Toronto, Canada, on 29 September 1844, the fifth child of Thomas Gibbs Ridout and Matilda Ann Bramley. Her grandfather, Thomas Ridout, was surveyor general of Upper Canada from 1810 to 1829. Her father was the first cashier of the Bank of Upper Canada from 1822 until he retired in 1861. Her father died a few months after retiring, and his mother was left with little money to support a family of nine. On 5 September 1865 Matilda married James David Edgar, a barrister, lawyer and author, becoming Matilda Edgar. Her marriage was happy, and she enjoyed raising their three daughters and six sons, although they left her with little free time.[1]
Her husband ran on the Liberal platform and was elected to the House of Commons of Canada to represent Monck, Ontario on 12 October 1872, but lost his seat in the election of 22 January 1874. He ran again without success in several by-elections and elections until being elected on the Liberal platform for Ontario West on 22 August 1884.[2] During his time out of office he became the unofficial organizer for Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie in Ontario, and negotiated a new railway clause for the entry of British Columbia into the Confederation of Canada.[3]
Philanthropist
James David Edgar was appointed Speaker of the House of Commons on 19 August 1896, holding this position until his death.[2] As his wife, Matilda Edgar was invited to become patron of enterprises such as the Toronto Infants' Home, the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire, and the Women's Art Association of Canada.[4] Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier appointed Edgar to the Privy Council, and in 1898 he was knighted. He was already showing the symptoms of nephritis, a kidney disease.[3] For part of 1898 Matilda, now Lady Edgar, was acting president of the National Council of Women of Canada. In 1899 she was president of the Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Toronto.[1]
When her husband died on 31 July 1899 Matilda Edgar was devastated, and gave up all public activities for the next year. She briefly turned to spiritualism, and thought she received a message from her husband telling her to continue with her work and her support to the children.[1] Matilda Edgar became active in public again in 1900. She threw herself into women's causes, proposing that women should have the right to receive higher education, support themselves and vote. Women should not lose control of their property when they married. She became a life member of the National Council of Women in 1906, and was elected president of the council that year. She was elected president again in 1909.[5]
Author
Matilda Edgar began to write when most of her children had grown up. In 1890 she published an edited collection of letters between her grandfather and his sons George and Thomas, describing life in Toronto and London and giving information about the battles of the War of 1812. In 1904 she published a biography of Sir Isaac Brock. Both works celebrated the achievements of Canada in an effort to build national pride, and were well received.[1] Her third book also drew on the Ridout family papers. It was a biography of Horatio Sharpe, a colonial governor of Maryland.[1]
Matilda Edgar began work on a biography of an ancestor of her husband, James Edgar, a Scottish Jacobite. In 1909 she was given permission to conduct research at Windsor Castle, where his correspondence was preserved. She was working on research for the biography when she died of heart failure in London, England, on 29 September 1910. Her body was taken back to Toronto for burial.[1]
Bibliography
Matilda Edgar's published works were:
- Matilda Ridout Edgar (1890). Ten years of Upper Canada in peace and war, 1805–1815. Toronto: William Briggs. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
- Matilda Ridout Edgar (1899). "Sketch of Mrs. Curzon's life and work". Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Toronto, Transactions. 2: 3–4.
- Matilda Ridout Edgar (1904). Duncan Campbell Scott; Oscar Pelham Edgar (eds.). General Brock. Makers of Canada. (biography). Toronto: George Nathaniel Morang.
- Matilda Ridout Edgar (1912). A colonial governor in Maryland; Horatio Sharpe and his times, 1753–1773. (published posthumously). London.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f Breault 2014.
- ^ a b EDGAR, The Hon. Sir James David, Canada.
- ^ a b Hon. Sir James David Edgar, Parliament.
- ^ Holmlund & Youngberg 2003, p. 84.
- ^ Holmlund & Youngberg 2003, p. 85.
Sources
- Breault, Erin (2014). "RIDOUT, MATILDA". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. 13. University of Toronto/Université Laval. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - "EDGAR, The Hon. Sir James David, P.C., Q.C." Parliament of Canada. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
- Holmlund, Mona; Youngberg, Gail (2003). "Matilda Ridout Edgar, Lady Edgar". Inspiring Women: A Celebration of Herstory. Coteau Books. ISBN 978-1-55050-204-6. Retrieved 2014-07-05.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - "Hon. Sir James David Edgar". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
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