ELIZABETH CARNE

Banker, conchologist, writer, philanthropist.

Suggested by Maggi Livingstone, lead archivist, Hypatia Trust

Elizabeth had an enormous number of roles in her life, banker, artist, philanthropist, geologist, mineral collector, conchologist and writer. She was born, bred and lived all her life in West Cornwall and wrote about the difficult life of the poor. Elizabeth opened four schools to try and break the poverty cycle, donated money for the Town Hall, Penzance, tried to build Alms Houses and was a founder member of the Technology Society, providing training for young men.

Elizabeth ran the Carne bank, Penzance, which she inherited from her father, but which was nevertheless very unusual for a Victorian woman. She wrote several books citing remedies and causes of poverty in West Cornwall. Through her interest in geology, she annotated her own and her father’s extensive mineral and rock collections which are now in Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Cambridge, and was a phenomenal draughtswoman. Two hundred of her drawings are held at Kresen Kernow and her book of collected and annotated shells from West Cornwall beaches can be found in The Morrab Library, Penzance.

From a privileged background she received a good education and used her privilege to improve the lives of local people. Significantly in Victorian society, she demonstrated that women were capable of logical scientific thought and was one of the first female members of the Royal Geological Society.

Elizabeth died of cholera in 1873

Elizabeth’s legacy includes artwork, rock and mineral collections and her publications. Her schools were taken over by the School Board, the Town Hall still stands, her support and input into the Technical College meant working class boys could study for professions.

Elizabeth paved the way for the acceptance of women as serious thinkers and activists.

hypatia-trust.org.uk
womenincornwall.org