Emily Williamson was an English philanthropist in the late 1800s. Some bird species were being driven to extinction due to the use of their feathers in the various fashions of the day.
Did You Know?
A philanthropist is a person who makes an active effort to improve human welfare, often by donating substantial resources like money, time, or expertise to charitable causes.
At the time, large ostrich feathers and local bird feathers were used in fashion and on stage in theatre performances. Emily and her female friends were frustrated by the inaction of the male-only British Ornithologists’ Union, which refused to act on this important issue and ban the use of feathers in fashion.
Emily Williamson set up an all-women campaigning group to protect birds. Her group’s membership grew to over 20,000 by 1898 with 152 branches. In 1899 Emily became the co-founder of the Society for the Protection of Birds (SPB).
Did You Know?
Emily also initiated two social programmes, one to train nurses and the other to help young women with the costs of their further education.
The SPB grew rapidly and was granted a Royal Charter in 1904 to become the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, as it is still known today.
- Read more about Emily Williamson – click here
- How pioneering women founded the RSPB – click here
- How the RSPB protects bird habitats – click here