Ethel Romanes

Ethel Romanes or Ethel Duncan (15 August 1856 – 30 March 1927) was a British writer and religious activist.

Ethel Romanes
Born15 August 1856
Wavertree
Died30 March 1927 (1927-03-31) (aged 70)
Italy
NationalityUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Spouse(s)George John Romanes
Childrensix

Life

Romanes was born in Wavertree in 1856. Her parents were Gertrude (born Radcliffe) and Andrew Duncan. Her father was a merchant. Her cousin was James Malcolm who was the 8th of the Malcolm baronets (and her guardian) when she met George John Romanes who was a disciple of Charles Darwin at his house.

"Geanies" - their holiday home

They were wed on 11 February 1879 and had a happy marriage and studied together. Romanes was said to be an "ideal father" to their six children.[1] They holidayed at "Geanies" in Scotland in a rented home and for the rest of the year they lived in London.

They had six children, five boys and a girl. Ethel was involved with education serving on the committee of the Froebel Society. She noted later that Claude Montefiore was the only person who smiled on the council. Their daughter was educated at Wycombe Abbey School and Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.[1]

Her husband's parents were involved in the Protestant and Anglican Church during his childhood. Romanes was baptised Anglican and was heavily involved with the Anglican teachings during his youth.[2] He converted as an adult to agnosticism.[3]

After a distinguished career including writing the Mental Evolution in Man, which focused on the evolution of human cognitive and physical functions,[4] her husband died in 1894. He had been a loyal disciple of Darwin and Ethel had borrowed some of his books to read too. Two years later she published "The Life and Letters of George John Romanes; Written and Edited by His Wife [i.e. E. D. Romanes]".[5] She left out some notable letters from J. T. Gulick and one source believes this was due to the discussions she had with her husband about his lack of religious belief. It is thought that she wanted to give the impression that he had regained his faith. Her husband appears to have remained an agnostic, but others note that he did not enjoy this position and some of his final poems show a respect for his wife's beliefs.[6] She was interested in religion and in 1902 she published Thoughts on the Penitential Psalms and the following year Meditations on the Epistle of S. James. Another religious book Thoughts on the Beatitudes followed in 1910.[1]

Romanes died in Italy in 1927.[1]

References
  1. "Romanes [née Duncan], Ethel (1856–1927), writer and religious activist". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/42324. Retrieved 2020-10-14. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. Barnes, Elizabeth 1998. The Early Career of George John Romanes. Newnham College, London
  3. Elizabeth J. Barns in the paper The Early Career of George John Romanes
  4. 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Romanes, George John. (n.d.). Wikisource.
  5. ROMANES, Ethel; Romanes, George John (1896). The Life and Letters of George John Romanes; Written and Edited by His Wife [i.e. E. D. Romanes]. Longmans & Company.
  6. Pleins, J. David (2014-06-19). In Praise of Darwin: George Romanes and the Evolution of a Darwinian Believer. A&C Black. p. 350. ISBN 978-1-62356-554-1.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.