'The History of Cornwall is eerily male in orientation, you do wonder where the women were.’

‘The history of Cornwall is eerily male in orientation, you do wonder where the women were.’

On International Women’s Day, The Hypatia Trust proudly launched The Elizabeth Treffry Reading Room at Krowji, Redruth, you can find lots of photographs on our Facebook page.

Dr Melissa Hardie, founder of the Hypatia Trust comments “The history of Cornwall is eerily male in orientation – you do wonder where the women were.  Historian Mary Ritter Beard stated ‘no documents, no history.’ The collection at Krowji focuses on Women’s lives and occupations, their writings and their artistic crafts. Here they are – and lots of them.”

In Cornwall, as true all over the world, the worthwhile achievements of women are often overlooked and even suppressed in oral and written histories.  This special collection will play an essential part in re-balancing narratives in Cornish and Scillonian history and literature by sharing the triumphs, stories and arts by women who have lived and worked in the county.

The reading room includes works by internationally acclaimed authors Daphne du Maurier, Helen Dunmore and Virginia Woolf and hundreds of the lesser known who should be found again.  It also highlights histories of great Cornish campaigning women such as Emily Hobhouse, Dora Russell, Judith Cook and many more.   The Hypatia Trust hopes that access to this important collection will provide young women and girls with inspiring role models whose lives were influenced by the place of Cornwall.

This fantastic resource, a unique body of over 3000 books and artefacts by and about women in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is now open to everyone.

Housed at Krowji www.krowji.org.uk in Redruth, the reading room is accessible to all by appointment via Azook www.azook.org.uk 01209 311070