THE WOMEN WHO SAVED THE BIRDS

In an unmarked grave in Brompton Cemetery lies an indomitable Victorian woman you won’t have heard of before – but you will have heard of her legacy. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds owes much of its mighty influence to the work of Eliza Phillips, a woman who cared passionately about animal cruelty. Appalled by the fashion for feathered hats, Eliza called out the cruel plumage trade and its global networks. In a series of hard-hitting pamphlets, she blew the whistle on women’s vanity and the milliners who served them. Together with young co-campaigners Etta Lemon and Emily Williamson, she coaxed the British public to fall in love with birds. Yet not one of these extraordinary women has been remembered by history.

Tessa Boase grew up in the Ashdown Forest, Sussex, and has worked for a variety of magazines and national newspapers including The Daily Telegraph. As a freelance journalist she's written widely on society, the environment and the food chain. As a narrative non-fiction author, her interests lie in uncovering stories of invisible women from the 19th and early 20th-centuries. Tessa’s latest book, ‘Mrs Pankhurst’s Purple Feather’ (now published in paperback as 'Etta Lemon'), investigates the forgotten female founders of the RSPB. She lives in St Leonards-on-Sea.