Jane Pirie

Jane Pirie
Born(1779-03-27)March 27, 1779
Died(1883-03-06)March 6, 1883
Occupationeducator
Known forlibel case taken with Marianne Woods, school co-founder, after being accused of same-sex relations. The case against Lady Helen Cumming Gordon grandmother of one of the pupils Jane Cumming was won on appeal to the House of Lords, with original claims not proven

Jane Pirie (27 March 1779 – 6 March 1833) was a Scottish woman who opened an exclusive girls' school in Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh in 1809 and who became involved in a libel court case about lesbian sex,[1][2] which was found 'not proven'.[3]

This was a result of being accused of displays of "inordinate affection"[4] with the co-founder of the school, Marianne Woods (1781–1870). Her accuser was Jane Cumming, a pupil of mixed race,[5] and a granddaughter of Lady Helen Cumming Gordon,[6] who alleged that the two women "engaged in irregular sexual practices"[7] and "lewd and indecent behavior."[8]

Lady Cumming Gordon spread rumours of these allegations. Jane Cumming was the first pupil to leave the school, and within days, all the other pupils had left as well. This risked financial as well as reputational damage for Pirie and Woods.[1]

Jane Pirie and Marianne Woods denied the allegations and sued Lady Cumming Gordon for £10,000.[6][9] Despite the teachers winning the case, which was held in secret, in 1812, it was appealed by Lady Cumming Gordon, to the House of Lords, which ultimately dismissed the appeal.[6][10]

The court cases heard details from pupils statements of the alleged sexual behaviour[11] but the Law Lords disagreed with each other on the reliability of this evidence, given that alternative 'facts' about bed sharing, which was common between women at the time, had been stated by the complainants (Pirie and Woods). Lord Meadowbank stated (in what would now be considered racism), that it was 'notarious' that British children could be adversely influenced by lewd gossip of Indian servants.[12] He also stated that lesbian sex would be "equally imaginary with witchcraft, sorcery, or carnal copulation with the devil".[4]

In the end, bringing this case financially ruined the school teachers, who received little more than £1,000 after paying significantly high legal costs.[1] Although Marianne Woods obtained part-time employment as a teacher in London, Jane Pirie stayed in Edinburgh and was unable to find employment, and "possibly had a nervous breakdown."[1][9]

Pirie, who was living in Gladstone's Land, during this period, later took her sister to court over the division of their parent's property, eventually moved to live with her sister in Glasgow, where she died, aged 54 in 1833.[2]

As well as being considered as a landmark case in legal circles,[6][12] the story of the court case was the inspiration for Lillian Hellman's 1934 play The Children's Hour.[7] [13] Two Hollywood films were inspired by this story: These Three in 1936 which starred Miriam Hopkins, Merle Oberon and Joel McCrea, and The Children's Hour in 1961, both directed by William Wyler, which set the story in the United States and starred Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine and James Garner[1] A new international team in 2025, produced a period drama film, Miss Pirie and Miss Woods.[14][15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Drumsheugh: Lesbian sex row rocked society". The Scotsman. 25 February 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Jane Pirie: a complex woman connecting 19th-century Edinburgh". National Trust for Scotland. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  3. ^ Faderman, Lillian (2013). Scotch verdict: the real-life story that inspired the children's hour. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-16325-5.
  4. ^ a b Haggerty, George; Zimmerman, Bonnie (1999). Encyclopedia of Lesbian and Gay Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia. Gay histories and cultures. Vol. 2. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780815333548.
  5. ^ Singh, Frances B. (1 February 2020). Scandal and Survival in Nineteenth-Century Scotland. Boydell and Brewer Limited. doi:10.1017/9781787444850. ISBN 978-1-78744-485-0.
  6. ^ a b c d Chalmer, J, ed. (14 February 2012). Dame Helen Cumming Gordon, - Appellant, Marianne Woods & Jane Pirie, - Respondents. monograph c1811 Harvard Law School. Harvard Law School: Gale. ISBN 9781275082243.
  7. ^ a b Ewan, Elizabeth, ed. (2018). The new biographical dictionary of Scottish women. Edinburgh. ISBN 9781474436298. OCLC 1057237368.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ^ Zimmerman, Bonnie (21 August 2013). Encyclopedia of Lesbian Histories and Cultures. Routledge. ISBN 9781136787508.
  9. ^ a b "Jane Pirie: a complex woman connecting 19th-century Edinburgh". National Trust for Scotland. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  10. ^ "What Really Happened to Miss Marianne Woods and Miss Jane Pirie?". Scandal and Survival in Nineteenth-Century Scotland: 243–246. 1 February 2020. doi:10.1017/9781787444850.013. ISBN 978-1-78744-485-0.
  11. ^ D'Monte, Rebecca; Donoghue, Emma (1995). "Passions between Women: British Lesbian Culture 1668-1801". Feminist Review (49): 124. doi:10.2307/1395336. ISSN 0141-7789. JSTOR 1395336.
  12. ^ a b Jasmine (31 October 2022). "Legal contributions to social history: when a dozen words make a difference | Journal of Law and Society". journaloflawandsociety.co.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  13. ^ Faderman, Lillian (8 January 2013). Scotch Verdict. Columbia University Press. doi:10.7312/columbia/9780231163255.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-231-16325-5.
  14. ^ Dalton2023-05-19T05:00:00+01:00, Ben. "Charlie Murphy, Flora Nicholson to lead 'Miss Pirie And Miss Woods' from 'Winners' producer (exclusive)". Screen. Retrieved 27 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Farr, by Jacob (7 April 2025). "Edinburgh city centre square taken over by film crew shooting period drama". Edinburgh Live. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
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