Category Archives: Norfolk women in history

Inspired by International Women’s Day the Norfolk Women in History Timeline is an ongoing project developed by the Norfolk Record Office, Norfolk Library and Information Service and Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service to promote and celebrate the role Norfolk women have played in the history of our county and beyond. 

The project encourages people to discover more about well known women such as Edith Cavell or Mother Julian, those who are not so well known such as Margaret Fountaine a diarist, lepidopterist and adventurer and also the hidden histories of everyday women and their extraordinary untold stories such as Benanna Summers, a woman who was widowed at a young age, and worked as a farmer, grocer and laundress to support her family.

The entries are ordered chronologically. Where possible, we have listed each person under the year in which they were born. Where this is information is not known, we have listed people under the era in which they were most active.