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Gertrude de Ferranti

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Mrs Gertrude Ferranti and Miss Caroline Haslett at the World Power Conference 1936

Gertrude Ruth de Ferranti-Kirkwood (née Ince) campaigned for affordable and accessible electricity in the home, through her membership of the Electrical Association for Women and her work with her husband Sebastian de Ferranti. In 1936 she and Caroline Haslett were the only two women to attend the World Power Conference as representatives from the United Kingdom.[1]

Personal life[edit]

Gertrude was the daughter of Francis Ince, a London based solicitor who co-founded S Z de Ferranti with Sebastian de Ferranti and Charles Sparks in 1885.[2] Gertrude married Ferranti in 1888 and they had seven children. Sebastian installed an electricity plant at their home in Baslow Hall and it had an electric laundry and tennis courts lit by electric light.[3] According to an article in the July 1927 issue of the Electrical Age for Women, Baslow Hall made use of waste heat and used hot water for energy storage.[4] The Ferrantis also converted their seaside home in Deganwy into an all-electric house.[5] After her husband's death, Gertrude supervised the conversion of Woodgreen farm in Upper Basildon to electricity.[6][7]

After Sebastian's death, Gertrude married Lt Col James Kirkwood.[8] She died on 16 November 1959.

Awards and achievements[edit]

In March 2024, Gertrude was commemorated with a virtual blue plaque as a key figure in the history of the Women's Engineering Society and the Electrical Association for Women.[9]

Gertrude was a member of the Royal Institution of Great Britain.[1]

Electrical Association for Women[edit]

In 1928, Gertrude was elected Vice-President of the Electrical Association for Women and in January 1929 was elected President of the newly founded North Wales branch of the EAW.[10] [11]She was elected Chairman of Council in 1930.[12]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Only two women delegates, Washington, D.C., September 8. Mrs. Gertrude Ruth Ziani de Ferranti of London, England, and Miss Caroline Haslett also of London are the only two women to represent any organization to the Third World Power Conference and Congress on Largo [à] which is now being held here. Mrs. Ziani (right) is a [à] member of the Royal Institution and Mrs. Haslett is Director of the Election. Association for Women, and is also the editor of the Woman Engineer and The Electrical Age for Women". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Francis Ince | Science Museum Group Collection". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  3. ^ "History - Fischer's Baslow Hall". www.fischers-baslowhall.co.uk. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  4. ^ "An all-electric house - Baslow Hall". Electrical Age for Women. 1 (5): 167–169. July 1927.
  5. ^ "An all-electric seaside home". Electrical Age for Women. 1 (10): 375–377. October 1928.
  6. ^ "Mrs Ferranti's electric farm". The Electrical Age. 2 (9): 350–351. July 1932.
  7. ^ "WOODGREEN FARMHOUSE, Basildon - 1290534 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Sec 233 Mrs G Kirkwood (formerly Mrs G Z de Ferranti). The National Archives". The National Archives, Discovery catalogue. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Virtual Blue Plaques". Magnificent Women. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  10. ^ "The Third Annual General Meeting". Electrical Age for Women. 1 (9): 328. July 1928.
  11. ^ "Our portrait page - interesting personalities of the EAW". Electrical Age for Women. 1 (11): 409. January 1929.
  12. ^ "The EAW Fifth Annual Conference". Electrical Age for Women. 2 (1): 25. July 1930.

Further reading[edit]

History of the Electrical Association for Women

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