Anita Lett

Anita Georgina Edith Lett (c 1871– 5 June 1940) was an Irish activist who founded the Irish Countrywomen's Association, originally known as the United Irishwomen.

Anita Georgina Edith Lett
Born
Anita Georgina Edith Studdy

c. 1871
England
Died5 June 1940
Enniscorthy
NationalityIrish, British
Other namesAnita Georgina Edith Beatty
Known forFounding the ICA

Early life

Anita Georgina Edith Studdy was born about 1871 in England to Captain Henry Studdy who was a Captain the Royal Navy.[1]

She was married twice. Her first husband was Captain David Longfield Beatty. They were married on 9 January 1899 and later lived in Borodale, County Wexford, Ireland. She was his second wife. They had a son Flight Lieutenant Henry Longfield Beatty, born while they were living in Warwickshire, England on 4 March 1901. Her son died in a flying boat accident on 15 Feb 1935. Her first husband died on 4 April 1904.[1][2]

Career

Lett was a believer that the government was not the best organisation to take control of issues like the feeding of children in school. However she was also not prepared to sit back and watch children go hungry.[3]

Lett believed, as did the organisation she helped to create, that a woman's place was in activism and the public sphere especially in areas like the Poor Law Guardians and local elected officials responsible for women's work and children's welfare.[4]

The formation of the United Irishwomen began in 1908 and it took two years until the first formal meetings occurred. At the first meeting Lett discussed the importance of healthcare, education, fashion, horticulture, the rearing of children and the dullness of rural Ireland. The organisation held that women needed to be represented in government and their right to be elected to positions. With Lett's support the organisation was also instrumental in building clubs for women to play camogie. Lett was intent on women developing the role of women and the formation of a strong Irish identity.[4]

Supporting her belief in the value of games for girls, Lett was the trainer for the Davidstown/Bree camogie team which won the district final in 1913.[5]

Later family

She married Harold Lett in Enniscorthy on 27 April 1909.[6] They lived in Ballynapierce, Enniscorthy. She had a daughter, also Anita, on 22 January 1910 with her second husband.[7] Harold Lett was the chairman of the local board of Guardians and a staunch loyalist.[8] Lett died in 1940 of cirrhosis of the liver two years after her husband.[9]

References
  1. Mosley, Charles, ed. (1999). "Burke's Peerage and Baronetage". Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd.
  2. The Marquis of Ruvigny and Ranieval (1 May 2013). The Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal: The Mortimer-Percy Volume. Heritage Books. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-7884-1872-3.
  3. Ian Miller (1 November 2015). Reforming food in post-Famine Ireland: Medicine, science and improvement, 18451922. Manchester University Press. pp. 163–. ISBN 978-1-5261-0262-1.
  4. J. MacPherson (16 October 2012). Women and the Irish Nation: Gender, Culture and Irish Identity, 1890-1914. Springer. pp. 52–. ISBN 978-1-137-28458-7.
  5. "It's fun to be in the ICA". Independent. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  6. "Marriage cert" (PDF). Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  7. "Birth cert of Anita Lett, Daughter" (PDF). Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  8. "Bureau of military history report" (PDF). Bureau of military history. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  9. "Death cert registration" (PDF). Retrieved 7 October 2016.
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