Celebrating 2,000 years of inspiring Norfolk women throughout history

And today, we are paying tribute to these famous women in history from Norfolk spanning two millennia in honour of International Women's Day.

Celebrated around the world on March 8, this annual event is dedicated to pursuing equality, raising awareness of discrimination and celebrating women's achievements with an emphasis on inclusivity and diversity.

Read on to learn about a small portion of the uncountable women who have shaped Norfolk and its rich heritage.

Timeline of Norfolk women in history

AD60 – Boudica, Queen of Iceni took the Romans by surprise when she trounced Colchester, London and St Albans.

An image of what Boudica could have looked like at the exhibition at Norwich Castle Museum. Date: July 17, 2001. (Image: Archant Library)

A portrait of Boudica from a stained glass window in Colchester town hall. (Image: Archant)

1373 – Mystery surrounds the true identity of Julian of Norwich, but her visions and reflections inspired her book Revelations of Divine Love - making her the first woman to be published in the English language.

David Holgate's statue of Mother Julian at Norwich Cathedral. Date: 2001. (Image: Archant Library)

1429 – Margery Baxter was an outspoken Lollard from Martham who was tried for heresy in 1429 after speaking out against several church practices.

1692 – Bridget Bishop, born in Norwich, was the first person executed in Massachusetts, USA during the Salem witchcraft trials.

1713 – After her father died, Mary Chapman used funds from the estate to found Bethel Hospital - the first dedicated asylum in the country.

1769 – Amelia Opie was born and became a poet, novelist, dramatist, feminist philanthropist and anti-slavery advocate. Inspired by the French Revolution and the Norwich Reform Movement, she worked with the poor, prisons, hospitals and workhouses.

Amelia Opie was born in Norwich and became a novelist, poet, anti-slavery campaigner and quaker married to Cornish painter John Opie. (Image: Archant Library)

The statue of Amelia Opie, above a shop on Opie Street, in Norwich. (Image: Archant Library)

1813 – Aged 33, Elizabeth Fry became a prison reformer after witnessing the treatment and living conditions of women and children at Newgate Prison in London.

1826 – Writer and reformer Harriet Martineau captivated readers with short stories about industrial life and wages, later campaigning for the economic and legal advancement of women and against slavery.

1853 – She might not have been Norfolk-born but the ‘Swedish Nightingale’ and Norwich convert Jenny Lind paid for the city’s first hospital for sick children.

1867 – A pioneer for music education, Sarah Glover died after inventing the Norwich Sol-fa and the glass harmonicon which she used to teach her method.

Sarah Glover inventor of Norwich Sol-fa, a system of musical notation designed to improve the standard of singing and simplify the reading of music. (Image: Archant Library)

1877 – Great Yarmouth-born Anna Sewell sold her classic novel Black Beauty to Jarrold for £40.

A portrait of author Anna Sewell who wrote Black Beauty. (Image: Supplied)

1891 – Margaret Fountaine secured permission to travel the world where she found her true calling in collecting butterflies. She bequeathed an extensive collection of 22,000 butterflies, her diaries and sketchbooks to the Castle Museum in Norwich but insisted that it not be opened until 1978.

Picture of Norwich Castle Museum curator of natural history getting ready for the Butterfly Day which marks the publication of biography of butterfly collector Margaret Fountaine. Date: 2006. (Image: Archant Library)

1915 – Edith Cavell was executed for helping an estimated 200 Allied soldiers escape the Germans during the First World War.

Portrait of Edith Cavell, a heroine of the First World War. (Image: Archant Library)

1920 – Beryl Bryden was born. Later known as the “Washboard gal" at the start of the skiffle boom, she worked alongside musicians like Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Billy Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.

Beryl Bryden at The Jacquard Club at Magdalen Street, Norwich in 1973 (Image: Archant Library)

1923 – Ethel Colman became the first woman Lord Mayor in the country.

1947 – The year Antoinette Hannent, better known by her nickname 'Black Anna', took over as landlord of The Jolly Butchers after her husband Kenneth Jack Hannent died.

Antionette Hannent, nee Carrara, was known as Black Anna the singing landlady at the Jolly Butcher's on Ber Street, Norwich. In 1935, she and her husband Kenneth Jack Hannent took over the pub, and she went on to be the host for more than 40 years. She sang the Ber Street Blues to a packed pub when the Americans arrived during the Second World War and during the 1950s and 60s. Date: November 1967. (Image: Archant Library)

1961 – Diana Frances Spencer was born in Sandringham as a Lady and died a Princess 36 years later in Paris. She married Prince Charles in 1981 and supported many charities including the National AIDS Trust and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

1978 – A woman called Bong Klass gave birth to a baby called Myleene, popstar fame awaited her newborn daughter.

Great Yarmouth-born Mylene Klass was a member of the pop group Hear'Say. Date: 1998. (Image: Archant Library)

1986 – Despite her team being the underdogs, Norwich Ladies FC manager Maureen Martin lifted the WFA Cup after a dramatic last-gasp winner against the favourites Doncaster Belles.

Maureen Martin, formerly a Norwich Ladies FC and England footballer, relaxing with her dog Kenzie at her home in Brundall. With her are a few trophies and her England cap. Date: 2021. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Archant Library)

1987 – Baronness Gillian Shephard relinquished her deputy leadership of the Norfolk County Council when she was elected to Parliament.

Baroness Gillian Shephard speaking at the City College graduation ceremony at Norwich Cathedral in 2017. (Image: Archant)

1993 – After toying with becoming a tennis player, teacher, nurse and fitness instructor, 12-year-old Yarmouth girl Hannah Spearritt appears in Annie paving the way for singing stardom with pop group S Club 7.

1997 – Celebrity chef and best-selling author Delia Smith becomes the Canary Queen after buying a majority share in Norwich City Football Club.

Delia Smith launches her new book at the Carrow Road stadium in Norwich, with the chairman of Norfolk and Suffolk project MacMillian Cancer Relief, Alison Bertram in 1999. (Image: Archant Library)

2000 – Dereham-born Beth Orton was named Best Female at the Brit Awards but insisted she’d never forget her Norfolk roots.

Beth Orton performing at Latitude 2013. (Image: Archant Library)

2002 – Taverham-born Cathy Dennis penned Kylie Minogue's Can’t Get You Out of My Head, which a year after release had sold three million copies, topping every chart in Europe except Finland (where it made number 2).

Norwich singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis received an honorary degree during the 2012 UEA graduation ceremony. (Image: Archant Library)

2008 – For her role in Peep Show, Olivia Colman received her first award nomination in the Best TV Comedy Actress category at the British Comedy Awards - many more were to come.

Scenes from the charity memory walk which took place at Holkham Hall - actress Olivia Colman started the walk with her mum Mary. (Image: Archant Library)

2014 – Barbara Miller celebrated 50 years of serving as a Blue Badge tour guide in Norwich, for which she received an MBE in 1994.

Barbara Miller, celebrating fifty years of guiding tours around Norwich, at one of her favourite places, St Michael at Coslany Church at Colegate. Date: 2014. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Archant Library)

2018 – 91-year-old Hazel Chapman, co-founder of Lotus, signed off and was presented with the 100,000th vehicle 70 years after the car company began.

Hazel Chapman at the Classic Team Lotus festival at the Snetterton Race Track in 2010. (Image: Archant Library)

2021 – Norfolk MP Liz Truss was promoted to Foreign Secretary after serving as International Trade Secretary.

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