Tunbridge Wells, Kent: Diary of Lady Matthews

Available for over a year

Lady Matthews, wife of a local judge and lawyer, wrote a diary for her three children - Stephen, Esther, and Brian - not only about daily life in Tunbridge Wells but also about the impact of the war on women’s place in society. Sara Parker interviews her grandson, David Tate, whose mother Esther passed the diary down to him. As well as being at the heart of the home; Lady Matthews was also committed to women’s suffrage and on the day her third child was born, women got the vote. Lady Matthews, who had helped her husband in his war work, went on to be a magistrate. She was one of a group of strong women in Tunbridge Wells, of particular interest to Dr Anne Logan from the University of Kent, because they spearheaded social change during and after the war. Location: Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 5LD Image: Lady Matthews, courtesy of David Tate