Striving for a world transformed by justice and peace - a TL from 1827

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Hannah Davis had been a Methodist, but through her love for Maire she converted to Catholicism. She was received into the Catholic Church on Easter Sunday, 17 April 1892, at St. David's Priory Church in Swansea.

Maire still carried quite a bright torch for Aneurin. But he told her that he was staying with Arwen, and they hoped to have more children together. He assured Maire that he would love her as a friend, but no longer as his wife.

 

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Hannah arrived at Maire's house in the Swansea suburb of Uplands, on Saturday 2 April 1892, at about 1.30 pm, with her children. Henry and Lisa. The rented house they were moving out from was furnished, so they took with them only portable items. She hugged Maire and they kissed briefly on the lips.

 

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Henry came with his mother, Hannah, to Maire's house because he was helping her move. But he did not want to live there with a 'load of women'. So he said goodbye to everyone and found lodgings to live in.

 

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Hannah put her ornaments, and other stuff she bought with her, where she wanted them in her new home, with b her spare clothes in the wardrobe and drawers in hers and Maire's bedroom. Then she and Maire went shopping for food. Also they had agreed that they would be joint tenants on their house.

 

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That night Maire and Hannah slept together for the first time, in their double bed. The two women pleasured each other all over their bodies, except for their genitals. Hannah was the older woman and she took the initiative. They cuddled, kissed, fondled, stroked and carressed each other.
Maire surrendered fully to the intense pleasure and had an orgasm. She had not intended to. She could not stop herself. She was a highly sensual woman, who enjoyed giving and receiving sensual pleasure. Hannah had her orgasm.
Soon after they fell asleep in each others arms.

 

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There were seventeen people living in Maire's and Hannah's six bedroom house. The two women shared the double bedroom, with baby Owain also sleeping there. The other five bedrooms were allocated as follows:
1) Eithne, Roisin and Orla
2) Ifor, Thomas, Rhys and David
3) Deidre, Elisha, Lisa
4 )Rhian and Sinead
5) Nerys and Niamh.

During Mass at St. David's Priory Catholic Church in Swansea, the following morning, Sunday 3 April 1892, Hannah and Maire knelt side by side at the altar rail, and received Holy Communion. They believed that it was right for them to do so, though they had gave each other pleasure and enjoyed each others bodies, the night before.

Maire wrote in her notebook: 'Last night I gave myself most lovingly to Hannah, as she did to me, except we did not touch each other's private parts. Because we did not have sexual intimacy, I have not cheated on Nye. I came to my crisis, and my body shuddered with the pleasure of it, but that was natural. (1) It is how God made by body. This morning Jesus gave himself completely and lovingly to me in Holy Communion. I felt great love, peace and joy.'

(1) Crisis was Victorian slang for orgasm.

 

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From 4 April 1892, Maire Griffiths started working at home as a dressmaker for the Good to Wear shop in Swansea. They knew that Maire had child care responsibilities, and took that account in the work they gave her. They also paid her a good wage. Maire had a sewing machine on which she made clothes for herself and her children.

Maire's second eldest daughter, Roisin, was engaged to be married to Desmond Riordan. He would be 19 years old on 21 May 1892, He was part of Swansea's Irish Catholic community, and like Roisin, worshipped at St. David's Priory Catholic Church. He was a violinist in the orchestra of the Star Theatre in Swansea, where Roisin worked in the box office. Maire told her daughter that she must wait until she was eighteen years old, which was 21 August 1892, to marry Desmond.

 

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Desmond Riordan was 5ft 9 in tall, slim and handsome, with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was quiet and introverted, gentle and kind. He was talented musician, and was fourth violin in the Star Theatre orchestra. His father and mother were 53 and 51 years old respectively. They had been married for thirty-three years, and had five sons aged 32, 27, 23, 19 and 15, and two daughters aged 28 and 26. Desmond was their second youngest son. Their parents had emigrated from Ireland to Swansea in 1849 because of the Famine.

Roisin was 5ft 5 in tall, a little above average weight, pretty with black hair and brown eyes, She was extraverted, affectionate and compassionate. She and Desmond both enjoyed listening to music. She liked folk and popular music, while Desmond preferred classical music. They both enjoyed walking in the countryside, and along the coast, around Swansea.

 

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Roisin Griffiths and Desmond Riordan got married on Saturday afternoon 27 August 1892 in St. David's Priory Catholic Church in Swansea. Maire and Hannah, Aneurin and Arwen, and Roisin's siblings and Lisa, and Maire's siblings and Roisin's cousins and aunts and uncles, were there. Also Desmond's parents and siblings.

Later that evening Desmond and Roisin got a train to the seaside village of Oystermouth, on the western side of Swansea Bay, for their week long honeymoon. (1) They stayed in a guest house. That night they made love for the first time - lovingly, gently, passionately and tenderly. Roisin gave herself fully to Desmond, and enjoyed an ecstatic orgasm. In the next six days, they walked in the countryside and on the coast of Gower. They visited the Gower National Park information centre in Oxwich, where Roisin's cousin, Catrin worked. They made love every night, and Roisin always had an orgasm.

On Saturday morning 3 September, they returned in a train to Swansea. They moved into a rented two bedroom furnished terrace house, and paid the first week's rent. In the week before they got married, they came across the house in their house search. The landlord had told them that it would become vacant on 3 September.

Because there was not a legal entitlement to holidays with pay, Roisin and David paid for their holiday out of their savings. A government bill to give all workers the right to have a week's holiday with pay, had been rejected by the House of Lords in April 1892.

(1) For Oystermouth see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oystermouth.

 

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In December 1890, Buganda became a British protectorate at the request of the Kabaka, or King, Mwanga II. (1) The establishment of the protectorate was passionately opposed by the left wing of the Commonwealth Party. They accused the government of imperialist expansion of the British Empire. However no ministers resigned from the government over the issue.

The Colonial Secretary, Robert Cunnighame Graham, defended the policy in a debate in the House of Commons in January 1891, as beibng at the request of the Kabaka, and in accordance with the Commonwealth Party promise in its manifesto for the April 1890 general election, that any expansion of the British Empire would be for the welfare of their native inhabitants, not imperial glory. Only 34 Commonwealth MPs voted against the government at the end of the debate.

However the kingdoms of Bunyoro, Mpororo, Busoga , and Ankole in the region remained independent. (2)

(1) For Buganda see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buganda.

(2) See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunyoro, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hororo_people, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busoga, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankole.

 

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1892 was a presidential election year in the United States. The Constitution Party candidates for President was Arthur Pue Gorman, Senator from Maryland, and for Vice President, John Lendrom Mitchell, Representative from 4th District of Wisconsin. For the Liberty Party, Jeremiah Rusk and Blanche Bruce ran again for President and Vice President.

Election day was 8 November. When all the votes had been counted the number of electoral votes for each candidate were as follows (same party in 1888 election):
Rusk/ Bruce (Liberty): 230 (229)
Gorman/Mitchell (Constitution): 216 (174)
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Total: 446 (403)
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So Jeremiah Rusk and Blanche Bruce were re-elected President and Vice President of the United States of America.

 

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The following states were won by Rusk/Bruce: California, Colorado, East Tennessee, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio , Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, and eleven districts in Michigan.

Gorman/Mitchell won the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and one electoral district in Michigan.

In mid western and western states Rusk and Bruce were on the ballot as the Liberty-Populist candidates. The Populist Party was affiliated to the Liberty Party, and made a significant to the Liberty Party platform for the election.

The percentage votes for each candidate were as follows ( same party in 1888 election):
Rusk/Bruce: 48.8 (49.3)
Gorman/Mitchell: 48.2 (47.8)
Others: 3.0 (2.9)
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Total: 100.0 (100.0)

 

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Maire Griffiths and Hannah Davis did not make an act of mutual love and commitment, because Maire considered herself to be still married to Aneurin, The two women lived together and slept together, and made love, but without genital contact. Because there was not, Maire believed that she and Hannah did not enjoy sexual intimacy, and therefore she had not committed adultery with her. I have edited previous posts to make the relevant changes.

 

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The number of seats won by each party in the election for the House of Representatives on 8 November 1892, were as follows (November 1890):
Liberty: 181 (155)
Constitution: 175 (177)
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Total: 356 (332)
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There were 37 Liberty-Populist representatives elected up from 22 in 1890.

Senators were chosen by state legislatures. The number of senators for each party after elections in 1892/93 were as follows (after 1890/91 elections):
Liberty: 47 (44)
Constitution: 43 (46)
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Total: 90 (90)
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There were five Liberty-Populist senators after the 1892/93 elections, up from three.

 

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Alice Nuttall became friends with a young man called Edward Thompson in June 1891. They were both active members of Fulham constituency Commonwealth Party. He was 34 years old, born 12 May 1857. She was 23 years old, born 22 March 1868. He was a handsome, 5 ft 9 in tall, well built Black man. He worked as a dustman. His family had lived in London since the late eighteenth century. He was a Methodist and attended church every Sunday. He was not married. He had been engaged to a white women, because she called it off because he was Black. Alice was working in the Good To Wear shop in Fulham. She was mixed race and indentified as Black.

 

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Alice and Edward fell deeply in love. They got married in the Methodist church in Fulham on Saturday 30 April 1892. She had joined the Methodist Church. Edward had been living as a lodger in a three bedroom house in Fulham, with a married couple Thomas and Fanny Ellis. They were 56 and 55 years old respectively. All their six children had left home. They paid rent to their landlord, and Edward paid them rent for his room. Thomas was a solicitor and they were both members of the Commonwealth Party. Edward had his own bedroom, but ate his meals with Thomas and Fanny, and they shared the bathroom and toilet.

After their wedding, Alice moved in with Edward in his room. He had already replaced his single bed with a double one. That night they made love. Edward was a virgin and Alice took the initiative in their love making, which was passionate, but gentle and tender. She enjoyed a deeply satisfying orgasm.

 

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Now that they were married, Edward and Alice Thompson wanted to leave their lodgings with Thomas and Fanny Ellis, and rent a home of their own. They looked at 'to rent' notices in newsagents, and advertisements in local newspapers. But everytime they met a landlord or landlady, they were subjected to racist language and refused the tenancy. In the afternoon of Sunday 15 May 1892, after 21 rejections, they saw a card in a newsagents window, advertising a first floor flat to rent in a house in Parsons Green, in Fulham. (1) It said that anyone interested should meet with the landlady, Margaret Ruskin, at 3 o'clock that afternoon. (2)

They walked to the house and were met outside the front door of a three-storey, end of terrace Victorian house, by Margaret Ruskin. She was a strikingly attractive woman, 5 ft 5 in tall, slim with shoulder length black hair. She told them that she was forty-one years old, the eldest daughter of Charlotte Ruskin and John Ruskin. Charlotte Ruskin (nee Lockhart) was a grand daughter of Sir Walter Scott. So Margaret was a great grand daughter of Scott.

(1) For Parsons Green see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsons_Green.

(2) She and the other people in this paragraph, are fictional characters.

 

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Margaret told Alice and Edward that she owned the house which had been converted into three flats. She lived on the ground floor, and tenants on the second floor. She walked up the stairs to the first floor flat. It comprised a living room, kitchen and scullery, bedroom with a double bed, bathroom and separate toilet. The rooms were furnished in the Arts and Crafts style. There was a range for cooking in the kitchen.

Edward said he liked the paintings on the walls. She told him and Alice that were by several painters - William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and William Turner, and by herself. She said that she and Rossetti were lovers for ten years until his death in April 1882. (1) She had two daughters and two sons by him.

They walked back downstairs and into the long narrow back garden, which was laid to lawn and flower beds, with an apple tree. Margaret told Edward and Alice that the rent was 18 shillings and sixpence a week. That included the use of the garden. They agreed to take the tenancy and paid the first week's rent. They moved into their new home that evening. That night they made love in their comfortable double bed.

(1) He was born on 12 May 1828 and died on 9 April 1882.

 

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Alice and Edward Thompson told Margaret Ruskin about the racism they experienced when looking for a home to rent. She was very sympathetic and appalled at the discrimination they suffered. "That sort of bigotry is so very wrong. It should be made illegal." She said.

" How can we get the government to make it illegal?" Edward asked.

"You and Alice are members of Fulham constituency Commonwealth Party. Get them to introduce a motion for debate at the party conference in October, asking
the government to introduce a bill to make it illegal"

"That's a great idea. We will." Edward said.

At the monthly meeting of Fulham Commonwealth Party on 27 May 1892, it was agreed unanimously that their motion for debate at the party conference should be: "This conference asks the government to introduce legislation in Parliament which would make it illegal to deny a person access to housing, or hotel or similar accomodation, because of race or nationality." The meeting appointed Alice and Edward as the constituency party's representatives at the conference in Edinburgh from Friday 30 September to Monday 3 October 1892.

Meanwhile Alice had missed her May period. When she missed her June period, she was sure she that she was pregnant, and told Edward. They were both full of delight and joy at their good news.

 

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In the morning of Thursday 29 September 1892, Alice and Edward got a bus from Parsons Green to Kings Cross station, to get their train to Edinburgh which departed at 10 am. Arrangements had been made whereby delegates to the Commonwealth Party conference in Edinburgh would meet at the station to travel together. At the entrance to the station they were approached by a middle aged woman who said, " Good morning, you must be Mr and Mrs Thompson. I'm Winnie Howell and this is my husband, Ollie Howell. We are going to the party conference in Edinburgh." Alice and Edward introduced themselves.

They all got on a second class carriage in the middle of the train. They had the carriage to themselves. In those days trains did not have corridors, so carriages were separate. The train steamed out of Kings Cross station at 10 am. It was a long journey, about 8 hours 45 minutes. (1) It stopped at Grantham, York, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Berwick-on-Tweed, before arriving at Edinburgh Waverley station.

The Howells and the Thompsons had plenty of time to get to know one another. Ollie Howell was fifty-two years old, and a printer. Winnie Howell was forty-eight years old. She worked for Lambeth Borough Council in their information office in Lambeth Town Hall. She was also a member of Lambeth Board of Guardians. They were delegates of Lambeth North constituency Commonwealth Party, They had been married for twenty-eight years, and had four daughters aged 26, 24, 20 and 17, and two sons 12 and 9 years old. They had been to Commonwealth Party conferences five times before, but this was their first time in Edinburgh.

Edward and Alice told Ollie and Winnie about themselves. Alice that she was about 21 weeks pregnant. Edward about the motion from Fulham constituency Commonwealth Party, he would be moving.

Because no food or drink was provided on trains, and there were no toilets, when a train stopped at a station, there was a mad rush to buy refreshments from kiosks on station platforms, and use the station toilets, and to stretch their legs. The train to Edinburgh stopped between fifteen and thirty minutes at the intermediate stations. Though the Thompsons and the Howells had brought provisions, these were not enough for the whole journey. So they bought more at York station, where the train stopped for half and hour.

The train arrived at Waverley at 6.40 pm. From there they got a cab from to the their guest house on Holyrood Road. The married couple who owned it were Commonwealth Party members, and provided bed, breakfast and evening meal. The party subsidised second class rail fares to the conference, and the cost of four nights in a guest house.

(1) In OTL in 1890, a train from Kings Cross to Aberdeen departed Kings Cross at 10.00 and departed Edinburgh at 18.55. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_to_the_North, time table in section headed London to Aberdeen, 1895,