Espérance Club

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The Espérance Club, and the Maison Espérance dressmaking cooperative, were founded in the mid-1890s by Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence and Mary Neal in response to distressing conditions for girls in the London dress trade. The club was based at 50 Cumberland Market, in the St Pancras area of London.

Mary Neal had become fascinated by the folk songs and dances being collected by Cecil Sharp, and invited some traditional dancers to teach morris dancing to the young women of the Espérance Club. Thus was born the Espérance Morris, which inspired a modern London women's side, New Esperance Morris.

[edit] External links

• Smith, Mark K. (2005-03-30). Emmeline Pethick, Mary Neal and the development of work with young women. the encyclopaedia of informal education. infed. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
• Simkin, John. Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence. The Emancipation of Women. Spartacus Educational. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
• Dowling, Janet (2000). So who was Mary Neal anyway?. Shave The Donkey. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
• Photograph of the Espérance Morris Dancers, ca. 1900 at New Esperance Morris