Edith Martha Bowerman Chibnall

Who was Mrs Edith Martha Bowerman Chibnall?

Mrs Edith Martha Bowerman Chibnall was a prominent English suffragette and Titanic survivor who lived from 1864 to 1953. Born Martha Edith Barber, she became known for her activism in the women’s suffrage movement and her remarkable experience surviving the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912.

Early Life and Family

Edith was born on February 27, 1864, in Badingham, Suffolk, England. She was the daughter of Chase Barber, a farmer, and Eliza Pretty. Edith grew up in a large family with several siblings:

Elizabeth (b. 1857)
Edwin (b. 1859)
Emily (b. 1860)
Clara (b. 1862)
Grace Ada (b. 1869)
Twins Archibald Chase and Herbert George (b. 1867)

In 1875, the Barber family relocated from Suffolk to Hastings, Sussex. By 1881, Edith was working as a draper’s assistant while her father took up work as a gardener.

Marriages and Personal Life

First Marriage to William Bowerman

In 1888, at the age of 24, Edith married William Bowerman, a man 25 years her senior. Bowerman was:

A successful draper owning stores in St Leonards and Hastings
A Liberal Unionist who served as a town councillor from 1885 to 1888
Recently widowed following the tragic death of his first wife, Emma

Edith and William had one child together:

Elsie Edith, born on December 18, 1889

Their marriage was cut short when William died on May 3, 1895, from acute bronchitis. He left his considerable real estate to Edith and Elsie, providing them with financial security.

Second Marriage to Alfred Benjamin Chibnall

On January 16, 1907, Edith remarried to Alfred Benjamin Chibnall, a wealthy widowed farmer and landowner from Kempston, Bedford. This marriage proved to be unusual:

Within two years, they began living separate lives
Edith started using the name “Mrs Bowerman-Chibnall”
By 1910, Edith was living in St Leonards while Chibnall remained in Kempston
When Chibnall died in 1929, he left his estate to male friends, with no mention of Edith or Elsie

Involvement in the Suffragette Movement

Edith became deeply involved in the women’s suffrage movement, particularly after 1910. Her activism included:

Joining the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), the most militant suffragette organization
Serving as an official of the Women’s Tax Resistance League
Participating in delegations to Parliament, including a violent encounter in November 1910 where she was physically assaulted by police

“Of course, I was very roughly handled, like the rest of the deputation, but was not arrested …… I went up to a policeman and said, ‘It is my intention to go to 10, Downing Street or die in the attempt.’ His reply was to give me a blow on my head. He then caught me by the hair at the back of my head and, flinging me aside, said, ‘Die then!’”

Titanic Experience

In April 1912, Edith and her daughter Elsie boarded the RMS Titanic as first-class passengers. Key details of their Titanic journey include:

Ticket number: 113505
Cabin: E-33
Fare: £55
Lifeboat: 6

They were traveling to New York with plans to continue to Cleveland, Ohio, and potentially on to San Francisco and Southeast Asia. Both Edith and Elsie survived the sinking, being rescued in lifeboat 6.

In an interview with the New York Herald after their rescue, Edith reported:

The impact with the iceberg was barely noticeable
There was no panic among first and second-class passengers
She witnessed disorder among steerage passengers, claiming Captain Smith used a revolver to control the situation
She described seeing a man thrown overboard and miraculously rescued after being shot out of a water vortex caused by exploding boilers

Later Life and Legacy

After surviving the Titanic, Edith and Elsie:

Completed their planned tour of the USA and Canada, speaking at suffrage conventions
Continued their activism in the suffragette movement
Witnessed the first step towards women’s suffrage in 1918 when British women over 30 gained the right to vote

Edith spent her final years in St Leonards, passing away on October 8, 1953, at the age of 89 (eighty-nine). Her estate was valued at £37,939, 17s, 10d, a considerable sum for the time. She was laid to rest in Hastings Cemetery alongside her first husband, William Bowerman.

Edith Martha Bowerman Chibnall’s life story is a testament to her resilience, activism, and the extraordinary events she witnessed and participated in during a time of great social and political change.