Name: Louise Maher

Student number: 20141386

Account for the ways in which Mrs. Cecil Woodham-Smith’s writing was
influenced by the wider social and cultural context in which she inhabited.

As an intelligent, educated, middle-class woman in 20th century Britain, the restrictions in

which Cecil inhabited greatly influenced her writing. She attended Oxford University, but
was unable to graduate because of her gender, as well as that she was unable to vote in a
general election until she was 32.1 When she finally decided to marry, Cecil was expected to
stay at home and tend to her domestic duties as a housewife. This male dominated
environment in which she lived in, greatly inspired her to venture into the world of scholarly
literature. She wanted to break the social boundaries women were expected to conform to.
When it was suggested to her to stick to writing novels, as it seemed to be the only possible
genre of writing within a female’s reach, Cecil responded: “There’s room for a woman that
doesn’t write a novel, don’t you think?”2 Cecil believed women could also write on serious,
important topics as well as, if not better than men, thus she underwent her scholarly writings
on Florence Nightingale, the Crimean War, and the Famine. Cecil’s Irish family background
largely influenced her writing on the famine, she lived during a time of which Irish
nationalism was at its forefront. She embraced it and emersed herself in Irish politics, society
and culture which only increased her pro-Irish sentiment, motivating her writings
considerably.

This patriarchal society in which Woodham-Smith inhabited can be said to have inspired
much of her writing. In the academic world by the 1950s, history was a “‘male preserve” with
female historians not fitting into the dominant orthodoxy of a ‘(masculine) scientific,
objective, impartial history’”.3 This male dominated profession, spurred Woodham-Smith as

1
Christine Kinealy, ‘” Never Call Me a Novelist” Cecil Woodham-Smith and The Great Hunger’, in Jason King
and Ciaran Reilly (eds), Women and The Great Hunger (2016), p.15.

2
Kinealy, ‘” Never Call Me a Novelist”’, p.16.

3
Kinealy, ‘” Never Call Me a Novelist”’, p.21.

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a writer. She strongly believed there was a place in the market for a female scholar like
herself. It comes as no surprise that Cecil’s first scholarly works was written on Florence
Nightingale, a key figure in female history. When researching Nightingale, Woodham-Smith
must have been inspired by her story of rejecting societal conventions to pursue a career in a
male dominated field. Woodham-Smith could certainly identify with Nightingale’s trajectory,
which indeed helped her become a topic of Cecil’s writing. It is clear Nightingale was an
individual who not only inspired Cecil to begin writing but was someone to write about.

Cecil’s writing on the famine was greatly influenced by her Irish family background and her
associations with the nation. In her lifetime, she experienced the First World War, the 1916
Rising, and, the War of Independence, of which she witnessed the Irish struggle first-hand.
Although in Britain pro-Irish sentiment was becoming more and more unpopular, Cecil was a
member of the Irish Society of Self Determination and the Irish Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty against Children. She also attended street demonstrations in support of Irish
nationalism, of which she was sent down a term in college for. She clearly surrounded herself
with proud Irish people and people of pro-Irish sentiments, which without a doubt must have
had a strong influence on her writing, particularly when it came to the famine. In The Great
Hunger, her view of Ireland was clearly informed by romantic nationalism, with strong
echoes of W. B. Yeats and the Celtic Twilight movement, especially in her approach to race,
class, and culture.4 Early in the book she informs her readers of the centuries-long “hostility”
between Ireland and England that “had its roots first of all in race”, but was “disastrously
strengthened” in the sixteenth century by “religious enmity”, resulting in a separation that
“could never be bridged”.5 She complements the Irish for always retaining their “dignity” and
their “easy good manners”, which she notes are still able to charm others with.6 Woodham-
Smith accuses the British of having driven the Irish “to the verge of extinction” during the
seventeenth century. She refers to the 1798 Rebellion as “savagery” and the Act of Union
1800 as not a “marriage” but a “brutal rape”. It is clear she is quite critical of the British in
her writing. As a direct descendant of the Fitzgerald landlords, Cecil is quite equivocal in her
approach to the landlord class. She explains, "as a class," it is impossible to regard them
"with sympathy"; yet she claims the British government made "no effort... to comprehend

4
Malcom. ‘“On Fire": The Great Hunger’, p.144.

5
Malcom, ‘“On Fire": The Great Hunger’, p.144.

6
Malcom, ‘“On Fire": The Great Hunger’, p.144.

2
their dilemma" and instead turned them into a "scapegoat" for Ireland’s problems. 7 She holds
back in her discussion of them, which is not surprising coming from a direct descendant.
From The Great Hunger, we can see Cecil harboured great sympathy and understanding
towards the Irish, especially towards her own paternal family. It is this family connection and
pro-Irish environment in which she inhabited which inspired her harsh criticism towards the
British and her compassionate attitudes towards the Irish in her writing.

Her attack on the British government, not only stems from her Irish identity but from the
government’s treatment towards women. During Cecil’s time, the British government, like
most states, was quite oppressive towards women. Laws in Britain failed to support and
protect women. As a result, Cecil envied male authoritative figures in power, we see this in
her harsh critique of the government in The Great Hunger. Woodham-Smith blames “the
ignorance of the British government” for the repeated failures of early famine relief. 8 In her
piece, Cecil condemns the British politicians and administrators of the famine era. She
accuses Robert Peel, “had no liking for the Irish character, no sympathy for Irish aspirations” 9
She describes John Russell as “arrogant” with an “overweening experience of rank”, claiming
that he was “little more than a dwarf”. Woodham-Smith takes a harsher stab at Charles
Trevelyan of whom she almost vilifies in her writing. She judges that he was "by far the
ablest man concerned with Irish relief," but he was "proud" and "rigid" with a mind full of
schemes for "improvement," while in public affairs he was "rash and uncompromising".10 She
notes that he "disapproved of the Irish" and "was impatient with the Irish character".11 It is
clear that this critical and almost satirical evaluation of these government officials, originates
from more than just her Irish blood, but was also shaped by her attitude towards the present
government’s mistreatment and sexist attitude towards women.

Woodham-Smith’s The Great Hunger can also be said to have been influenced by the long
awaited, all-male publication, The Great Famine, Studies in Irish History, by R.D Edwards
and T.D. Williams. Published in 1957 to mark the 100th anniversary of the famine, Cecil
acknowledged, that there had been “no narrative, no conclusion, and certain topics-

7
Malcom, ‘“On Fire": The Great Hunger’, p.145.
8
Malcom, ‘“On Fire": The Great Hunger’, p.145.

9
Malcom, ‘“On Fire": The Great Hunger’, p.145.

10
Malcom, ‘“On Fire": The Great Hunger’, p.145.

11
Malcom, ‘“On Fire": The Great Hunger’, p.145.

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population, culpability and mortality-had been avoided.”12 What she believed to be a poor and
vague interpretation of the famine, it can be argued that The Great Famine only influenced
her writing on the subject even more. She saw a gap in the market that needed to be filled,
and what better candidate to fill it than herself. Cecil wanted to bring a more engaged
approach to the topic of the famine, to provide more justice to one of the most tragic events in
Irish history. She states in her writing that, “Modern Irish historians, however, have treated
the subject with generosity and restraint.”13 Unlike the 1957 interpretation of the famine,
Cecil captures the pain and suffering of the remembered tragedy, and gives it clear shape and
context. Her book engages readers, especially Irish American readers, providing structure and
detail to a story they know all too well.14 She leaves no villains unnamed, nor does she draw
away from confronting the true horror of the famine, like her male counterparts do. The
breadth and depth of her research is impressive and unmatched for her time. She includes
workhouse records in Co. Mayo of which had been rarely consulted by historians. She recalls
when arriving in Castlebar in 1953, the documents had been “nibbled by mice and were
covered with the dirt of years and the droppings of birds.”15 This showcases the extent of
Woodham-Smith’s research and her effort to provide a new perspective on the famine.

Mrs. Cecil Woodham-Smith’s writing was influenced by a combination of aspects of her

wider social and cultural context in which she inhabited. Because of her gender, she was
greatly restricted in life, yet this oppression worked as a blessing and a sin, as it inspired her
to rise above social barriers and become a serious, well-respected historian. Key female role
models, like Florence Nightingale helped jump-start her career in historical writing and
inspired her topic of discussion. Cecil’s cold affection towards the British government in her
writing on the famine can be said to have stemmed partially from her Irish identity, but also
for the way in which her government abused and mistreated women. She lived in a context
that was bombarded with Irish politics and Irish nationalism, which of course shaped her
arguments in The Great Hunger. Woodham-Smith undeniably lived through a significant

12
Kinealy, ‘” Never Call Me a Novelist”’, p.16.

13
Elizabeth, Malcom. ‘“On Fire": The Great Hunger: Ireland 1845–1849’ in New Hibernia Review, Vol. 12,
No.4 (2008), p.148.

14
William H. Mulligan, ‘The Case for Emotion: Looking Back at The Great Hunger’, in New Hibernia Review,
Vol. 12, No. 4 (2008), p.150.

15
Kinealy, ‘” Never Call Me a Novelist”’, p.17.

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time in history, of which many social and cultural events shaped her perspective and
influenced her writing in incredible ways.

Bibliography:

5
Donnelly, James S, ‘The Great Famine: Its Interpreters, Old and New.’ in History Ireland 1,
no. 3 (1993), pp 27–28.

Kinealy, Christine, ‘” Never Call Me a Novelist” Cecil Woodham-Smith and The Great
Hunger’ in Jason King and Ciaran Reilly (eds), Women and The Great Hunger (2016), pp 15-
21.

Malcom, Elizabeth, ‘“On Fire": The Great Hunger: Ireland 1845–1849’ in New Hibernia
Review, Vol. 12, No.4 (2008), pp 144-148.

Mulligan, William H, ‘The Case for Emotion: Looking Back at The Great Hunger’ in New
Hibernia Review, Vol. 12, No. 4 (2008), pp 150-152.

Woodham-Smith, Cecil, ‘Florence Nightingale Revealed.’ in The American Journal of

Nursing 52, no. 5 (1952), pp 570–72.

Woodham Smith, Cecil, The Great Hunger, Ireland 1845-9, London: H. Hamilton, 1962.