# List of women in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

This is a list of notable women, living and dead, from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the United Kingdom. Notability is based on achievements that have had a verifiable impact or public output or participation in a significant event, in the fields of art, literature, business, industry, science, culture, sport, education, politics, war, philanthropy, medicine and a range of other topics.
Notable women from Cornwall are also listed in the article List of people from Cornwall.

## A

* Constance Agar-Robartes, First World War nurse
* Victoria Amran, founder of the Cornish Food Box Company, business woman
* Doris Ansari, Cornish politician and former leader of Cornwall County Council
* Candy Atherton, ex-MP for Falmouth and Camborne

## B

* Morwenna Banks, actor
* Antonia Barber, writer of fiction
* Frances Basset, 2nd Baroness Basset
* Maria Branwell, mother of English writers Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë and Charlotte Brontë
* Michaela Breeze, Commonwealth champion weightlifter
* Dame Alida Brittain, harpist
* Mary Bryant, famous prisoner who escaped Australian penal colony
* Katharine Burdekin, novelist, feminist, sister of Rowena Cade

## C

* Rowena Cade, creator, builder and founder of the Minack Theatre
* Elizabeth Carne, scientist and banker
* Vera Carne, First World War Women's Land Army
* Helena Charles, Cornish nationalist
* Evelyn Clements, munitions worker
* Ithell Colquhoun, artist and writer
* Myrna Combellack, researcher and translator of Beunans Meriasek
* Judith Cook, journalist and campaigner
* Selina Cooper, suffragist
* Margaret Ann Courtney, folklorist and poet

## D

* Phyllis Doherty, folk singer, First World War commandant of Women's Volunteer Motor Corps
* Anne Dowriche, poet
* Daphne du Maurier, novelist and writer

## F

* Liz Fenwick, writer, novelist
* Elizabeth Forbes, artist and storyteller
* Anna Maria Fox, a promoter of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society
* Caroline Fox, writer

## G

* Susan Elizabeth Gay, writer
* Anna Gelderd, MP for South East Cornwall
* Ann Glanville, 19th-century champion rower
* Helen Glover, rower, Olympic gold medallist 2012
* Julia Goldsworthy, politician
* Queen Gwendolin, medieval legendary figure

## H

* Melissa Hardie-Budden, writer, founder of the Hypatia Trust, philanthropist
* Faith Harris, sailor, secretary to Railway Purchasing Mission
* Barbara Hepworth, sculptor and artist
* Alice Hext, gardener and philanthropist
* Corona Hicks, women's rights campaigner
* Rose Hilton, artist
* Emily Hobhouse, peace activist and human rights campaigner
* Salome Hocking, novelist
* Barbara Hosking, civil servant and broadcaster

## I

* Iseult, figure in Arthurian legend

## J

* Loveday Jenkin, Cornish nationalist politician; councillor for Crowan and Wendron
* F. Tennyson Jesse, writer
* Jane Johnson, writer

## K

* Ann Kelley, writer and photographer
* Marguerite Kesteloot, Belgian refugee, strawberry grower
* Jayne Kirkham, MP for Truro and Falmouth
* Laura Knight, artist

## L

* Mary Lang, writer, photographer, sailor, diarist
* Cassandra Latham, white witch
* Janet Leach, artist
* Katharine Lee (Kitty Lee Jenner; 1853–1936), writer
* Margaret Lidgey, bal captain, First World War mine manager
* Alice de Lisle, Lord of Alverton, founder of Penzance market
* Moura Lympany, musician, concert pianist

## M

* Margo Maeckelberghe, artist
* Jessica Mann, novelist and journalist
* Charlotte Mary Matheson, writer
* Margaret Mellis, St Ives school artist
* Chesten Marchant, last monoglot Cornish-speaker (died 1676)
* Anna Maria Murphy, writer, playwright, poet, storyteller
* Sherryl Murray, MP for South East Cornwall

## N

* Sarah Newton, MP for Truro and Falmouth
* Thandie Newton, actor

## P

* Gertrude Parsons, novelist
* Jean Paton, bryologist and botanist
* Cassie Patten, British Olympic swimmer
* Susan Penhaligon, actor
* Dolly Pentreath, last Cornish speaker according to tradition
* Thomasine, Lady Percival, benefactress and founder of a school
* Annie Phillips, autograph collector
* Elizabeth Philp, singer, music educator and composer
* Rosamunde Pilcher, novelist
* Litz Pisk, movement pioneer and instructor
* Beatrice Pole-Carew, First World War host for convalescent soldiers (portrait)
* Margaret Steuart Pollard (Peggy), Cornish language poet
* Agnes Prest, Protestant martyr

## Q

* Mabel Quiller-Couch, editor, compiler and children's writer

## R

* Joan Rendell, historian
* Jean Rhys, writer
* Mary Richards (prisoner of war), First World War prisoner of war in Germany
* Edith Jane Rouncefield, First World War nurse in First Aid Nursing Yeomanry and co-founder of Mevagissey Museum
* Jenny Rowe, lawyer and civil servant
* Hilda Runciman, MP for St Ives
* Mary Snell Rundle, nursing educator

## S

* Angie Sage, writer, novelist
* Sweet Saraya, professional wrestler
* Kristin Scott Thomas, actor
* Penelope Shuttle, poet
* Jemma Simpson, 800m runner
* Emma Smith, writer
* Hannah Stacey, free-diver
* Emily Stackhouse, scientist

## T

* Mary Ann Tocker, early radical who exposed corruption in the Stannary Courts, 1818
* Sheila Tracy, writer, broadcaster, musician, trombonist, singer
* Enys Tregarthen, children's writer
* Sharon Tregenza, writer, novelist
* Kate Tremayne, writer, novelist
* Stella Turk, scientist, environmentalist

## V

* Annabel Vernon, champion rower (2008 Olympics)
* Clara Coltman Vyvyan, née Rogers, an author and the wife of the 10th Vyvyan baronet

## W

* Serena Wadham, feminist activist and photographer
* Frances Wall, professor of applied mineralogy, first female Head of Camborne School of Mines,University of Exeter
* Mary Wesley, writer, novelist
* Mary Williams (nurse), First World War Voluntary Aid Detachment hospital organiser
* Venetia Williams, racehorse trainer
* Mary Wolverston aka Lady Killigrew, alleged pirate
* Brenda Wootton, Cornish poet and singer
* Lilian Wyles, First female police detective in Scotland Yard