Johnstown WI

JOHNSTOWN WI visited the grave of Alice Abadam in St Mary’s Church, Carmarthen, on International Women’s Day.

Last year Dr Mary Thorley organised a walk in Carmarthen around the blue plaques that had been placed on various buildings. This was so interesting as members had not realised that so many wonderful women had lived or had some contact with the town.

They started in Picton Terrace and Mary told members the story of Alice Abadam and that she was buried in the Catholic Church, so there and then as a group it was decided to place some flowers on her grave. So this year on International Women’s day a group of members decided that they would act on this pledge.

Members were fortunate that Mary Thorley met them in the church, as they did not know where she was buried as the memorial bears no inscription.

Although Alice was born in London in 1856, she grew up at Middleton Hall. Following the death of her parents in 1886, Alice moved to Carmarthen where she lived in Picton Terrace.

She had now converted to Catholicism, and she became the organist there, her faith became very important to her.

In 1901 Alice met Dr Alice Vowe Johnson who was a psychiatrist at St David’s Hospital, in 1903 they both moved to London. They were partners for the rest of their lives and worked tirelessly for women’s causes.

Alice Abadam was one of the signatories on the letter which formed the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies. She also formed the Feminist League which campaigned constantly until women were granted the vote on the same terms as men.

From 1904 onwards she was very active in the women’s suffrage movement and various radical women’s organisations of the time, she did so much in her lifetime to emancipate women.

Alice died in 1940 at her nephew’s home, Ryle Morris at Bryn Myrddin, Abergwili. She and Alice Vowe Johnson are buried together in St Mary’s Church.