Boucherett, Jessie (1825–1905)
Boucherett, Jessie (1825–1905)
English feminist. Born in Wellingham, Lincolnshire, England, in 1825; died in 1905; educated at Stratford.
Jessie Boucherett, the daughter of a landowner and High Sheriff, was inspired by the feminist writings of Harriet Martineau and began working for the women's movement as a member of the Langham Place Group. In 1860, she joined Barbara Bodichon and Adelaide Ann Procter to found the Society for Promoting the Employment of Women, which advocated jobs for women in farming, engraving, nursing, and clerical work, as well as special training courses in arithmetic and bookkeeping.
Boucherett was the editor of The Englishwoman's Review from 1866 to 1871 and served on the committee to present a petition for women's suffrage to Parliament in 1866. As a Conservative, opposed to protective legislation, she was a founding member of the Freedom of Labour Defense League. Her writings include a collaboration with Helen Blackburn titled The Condition of Working Women (1896).