Miss Pirie and Miss Woods
Join us at The Georgian House on 24th June as we mark Pride with a powerful true story from Edinburgh's 19th Century!
About Miss Pirie and Miss Woods
Pride at The Georgian House: Miss Pirie and Miss Woods
"These claims made by Jane Cumming are just as likely as thunder playing the tune of God Save the King" - Lord Hope 1810.
This June, join us at The Georgian House as we mark Pride with a powerful true story from Edinburgh's 19th Century.
In 1810, Jane Pirie and her fellow teacher Marianne Woods became the focus of a scandal when a student accused them of being in a sexual relationship. The resulting defamation case gripped Edinburgh and resulted in a ten year long court battle between the two school teachers and Charlotte Square's Lady Cumming Gordon. The case eventually inspired The Children’s Hour (1961), the Hollywood film starring Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine.
This evening talk will explore the social and personal implications of the case, delving into the intersections of gender, race, class, and sexuality in early 1800s Edinburgh. It will also consider how we re-examine stories like Jane’s today.
Doors open: 6:00pm
Talk begins: 6:30pm
The talk will be delivered by Indigo Dunphy-Smith, a member of the Visitor Services team at The Georgian House and co-chair of the National Trust for Scotland’s LGBT+ Network. Indigo’s work highlights hidden LGBTQ+ histories across our sites and collections, part of the Trust’s wider aim to share stories of those who lived beyond the norms of their time.
www.nts.org.uk/accessibility/the-georgian-house-accessibility-guide
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