William Henry Ashurst was a prominent solicitor who supported anti-slavery, Chartism, the repeal of the Corn Laws, the creation of the Penny Post, the end of Church Rates, and the unification of Italy. His wife, Elizabeth Ann Brown, hailed from working-class origins in London. Each of their five children achieved notoriety through intellectual accomplishments: Eliza Ashurst Bardonneau-Narcy was among the first to translate George Sand’s novels into English; Caroline Ashurst Stansfeld developed a close tie with Mazzini and worked for a variety of reform movements with her husband James Stansfeld, a longtime radical member of Parliament; Matilda Ashurst Biggs was part of the international network of anti-slavery activists and developed a friendship with Ralph Waldo Emerson and William Lloyd Garrison; William Henry Ashurst, junior, worked as the solicitor for the Post Office and organized a fund for the Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi; Emilie Ashurst (Hawkes) Venturi worked as an artist and writer who served as the primary English translator of the works of Italian nationalist Giuseppe Mazzini.
Matilda and her husband Joseph Biggs had four daughters who continued the family's commitment to reform: Elizabeth Ashurst Biggs published novels promoting antislavery and women's rights; Caroline Ashurst Biggs edited the Englishwoman's Review and served on committees for women's suffrage and right to work; Maude Ashurst Biggs supported the movement for Polish unification through her translations; Kate Ada Ashurst Biggs graduated from Girton College and wrote on linguistics and German culture.
This blog was created by Allison Scardino Belzer, PhD.
Last Edited 12 June 2020
Matilda and her husband Joseph Biggs had four daughters who continued the family's commitment to reform: Elizabeth Ashurst Biggs published novels promoting antislavery and women's rights; Caroline Ashurst Biggs edited the Englishwoman's Review and served on committees for women's suffrage and right to work; Maude Ashurst Biggs supported the movement for Polish unification through her translations; Kate Ada Ashurst Biggs graduated from Girton College and wrote on linguistics and German culture.
This blog was created by Allison Scardino Belzer, PhD.
Last Edited 12 June 2020