Figure 1 Portrait of Lady Janet Clarke c 1904

University of Melbourne Archives

When we think of Australian womens rights champions at the turn of the twentieth century,
Victorias Vida Goldstein and Annette Bear-Crawford stand out as activists and women who
worked hard to end womens oppression and to give them a voice that previously wasnt heard.
These women were committed to womens causes throughout their lives and rightly deserve our
admiration and respect. Information on the deeds and successes of women like these is easy to
find, but there were many others who worked hard, improving the situation of women and
making substantial contributions to society, who dont make it into the history books. These
women are often dismissed because of their privileged position and wealth. They achieved
success through different means. By using their wealth and appealing to their circles of
important contacts, they had the ability to provide resources and leadership to further important
causes of the time such as womens education, health, politics and the plight of the poor. This
article examines the contributions made by one of these women, Janet, Lady Clarke.
ECONOMIC DEPRESSION
Melbournes land boom collapsed in 1888
and a severe drought in the same year
exposed how fragile a pastoral based
economy could be. By 1893 banks were
crashing in Victoria and other parts of the
country as British investors pulled out of an
unstable financial system.i The economic
collapse revealed the extent of the poverty in
which most small farmers and city workers
lived. Unemployment drastically rose and
charities were overwhelmed. The depression
was country-wide and it is estimated that
approximately one third of the population
was unemployed.ii Although the depression
lifted in the mid-1890s another severe
drought hit the country and lasted until
1905, this meant that less money came to the
Government through wealth and taxes and
government spending was severely reduced,
again affecting jobs and living conditions in
the cities.iii

This was also a time of womens activism and

Australias leading feminists, including Vida
Goldstein, Annette Bear-Crawford, Mary Lee,
Maybanke Anderson and Edith Cowan to
name only a few, were bringing attention to
the problems caused by womens oppression
in relation to their freedom, education,
working conditions, political participation,
and unjust divorce and property laws. This
involved lobbying, advocacy and activism.iv
However, behind the scenes, many other
women worked just as hard, but in different
ways to further womens causes and ease the
effects of poverty.
WEALTH AND PRIVELGE
Janet Clarke (nee Snodgrass) was born in
Yea, country Victoria and married into wealth
and privilege when she became the second
wife of William Clarke on 21st January 1873.
She had been the governess to the children
during his first marriagev. In 1874 William

inherited his fathers vast fortune and

property, which allowed them to travel
overseas and lend their support to various
charitable, artistic, religious and educational
causes. Through their position, powerful
friends and philanthropy the Clarkes were
recognised as important national and
international figures.vi In 1882 William
became the first Australian born person to
receive a baronetcy when it was awarded by
Queen Victoria for services to the colony.
EDUCATION A WOMENS RIGHT
It was my very earnest desire to
assist in providing the most liberal and
advanced education for women that
could be procured in this colony ..I
think very strongly that every woman
should take pride in cultivating her
intellect and learning all that is
possible.
Janet Lady Clarke, 1899

Janet Clarke had a particular interest in the

advancement of women, and a means to
empower women was formal education. This
interest influenced Sir William to provide the
funds for the establishment of Merton Hall,
now Melbourne Girls Grammar School.vii
However it was the support she gave to the
University of Melbourne that sees her name
remembered today in relation to education for

women. The first and largest philanthropic

gift in her own name was for the
establishment of Trinity College Hostel at the
University of Melbourne. Founded in 1886
and later named Janet Clarke Hall in her
honour, it is the oldest womens residential
college in Australia and also one of the oldest
womens colleges in the World. It was the
pioneer for higher education for Australian
women.viii
An editorial in the Age newspaper on 16 April
1891 stated in part ..the liberality of Lady
Clarke and others will place the destiny of
many Victorian girls in their own hands.
In 1904 Lady Clarke helped secure the future
of the university when it was discovered that
the accountant had stolen funds over a long
period of time. On the verge of bankruptcy
the then Premier, Thomas Bent, promised
twelve thousand pounds for building works if
the same amount was raised through public
subscription. Janet Clarke took on the
presidency of the campaign with passion,
raising 13,326 by May 1905 through her
contacts and leadership abilities. The work of
Thomas Bent and Janet Lady Clarke was
acknowledged by the Chancellor at the 1905
Commencement Ceremony.ix

Figure 2: Janet Clarke Hall (Circa 1920s) from Picture Collection at the State Library of Victoria

SPEAKING OUT
National Council of Women
Janet Clarkes interest in the status of
women was also evident in her formation and
leadership of the National Council of Women
(NCW). In London in 1899 she attended the
Quinquennial meeting of the International
Council of Women where the then president,
Lady Aberdeen, asked her to form a NCW in
Victoria.
The
Victorian
Branch
was
subsequently formalised at Clivedon (the
Clarkes East Melbourne residence) on 19
March 1902 where she was elected president,
a position she held until her death in 1909.x
The Victorian Branch brought together four
womens associations The Womens
Christian
Temperance
Union,
Young
Womens Christian Association, Jewish
Womens Guild and the Austral Salon.xi The
NCW was concerned with wide ranging issues
relating to womens social reform and the
legal status of women, believing that women
had a large contribution to make in relation
to the establishment of social policy. The
initial aims of the Council were to establish
bonds between various existing womens
societies, advance the interests of women and
children, and to consult on issues in relation
to the welfare of the family, the State and the
Commonwealth.xii
Projects undertaken after inauguration
included a campaign to replace male prison
officers in womens prisons with police
matrons, and in 1907 the establishment of a
rehabilitation, care and education centre for
those suffering from particular health
problems The Talbot Colony of Epileptics.
This was a significant advance as these
patients previously would have been placed
in asylums and reformatories.
Australian Womens National League
Furthering her political interests, The AWNL
was officially launched at Clivedon on 10 May
1904 and Janet Clarke was elected as its first
president, she also held this post until her
death.
One of the main aims of the AWNL was to
encourage its members to use their voting
power to overcome the threat of socialism,
which the League and Janet Clarke saw as
one of Australias biggest threats.xiii In 1905
in a speech to AWNL members, Janet Clarke
announced that with other organisations with
the same political beliefs the Anti-Socialist
Alliance had been formed with a voting
membership of 27,000.xiv
Under Janet Clarkes leadership the AWNL

heralded a shift in Australian womens

politics. It became an inclusive and powerful
organisation establishing a womens political
club, which encouraged womens political
education and supported their attendance at
Commonwealth
conferences.
It
also
published an informative magazine, The
Woman, and provided administrative roles in
thirty suburban and sixty-nine regional and
rural branches.xv
FOR THE GOOD OF ALL
Janet Lady Clarke was not only a
marked figure in every social and charitable
movement, but she was an active,
unostentatious and liberal friend to the poor
and struggling.
Punch Magazine, Melbourne, 29 April, 1909

Janet Clarkes wide circle of influential

friends enabled her to garner support for
many of her charitable interests. She took an
active interest in providing for the poor and
sick and in the period following the collapse
of the land boom. Food was provided daily at
her own expense for many of the people
around the area of Clivedon who found
themselves facing destitution. Food was
distributed from Clivedon itself and also from
the school at the corner of Hoddle Street and
Victoria Parade.xvi
Another of her passions was the plight of the
city newsboys. Some of these boys were the
only providers for their families and were
extremely poor. Janet Clarke headed a
committee that was dedicated to raising
money to alleviate the plight of these boys. A
hall was set up in the city where they could
attend classes and be provided with food,
clothing and small comforts. Appeals to the
public were regularly made.

Figure 3 Letter from Secretary News Boys Association the

Argus Newspaper, Melbourne, 4 June 1904

Womens health was a major concern of Lady

Clarke and she provided leadership on
various committees concerned with raising
the standards of care available. Most notably,
she was the president of the Royal Womens
Hospital from 1901 to 1903, during a
tumultuous time which brought her and the
Committee into conflict with the medical staff
over cleanliness and conditions at the
hospital.xvii She was also responsible for
raising much-needed funds when, needing
the support of the general public, organised a
Self-denial Week, which raised 6,130 in a
very short time.xviii
Her interests in furthering health-care
concerns also extended to work on other
committees, including the Charity Organisation Society, the Melbourne District
Nursing Society and the Hospital for Sick
Children. Other interests included the
Austral Salon and she was president of the
Alliance Franaise and the Dante Society.
HELD IN HIGH ESTEEM
Through her philanthropy and obvious work
for the community, Janet Clarke was a
popular woman in her own time. The Herald
newspaper held a poll in May 1905 asking
readers to nominate the ten best citizens of
Victoria. The meaning of the word best was

left to the readers to decide upon. The final

results were published in the Herald on 31
May 1905. The first three placegetters were:
1. Sir
John
Madden
(LieutenantGovernor and former Chief Justice)
3342 votes
2. Janet, Lady Clarke - 3221 votes
3. Mr T Bent MLA (Premier of Victoria)
2842 votes.
The only other woman to make the list was
Miss Sutherland (friend of poor women and
children) who came fifth with 2508 votes.xix
Janet Clarkes death on 28 April, 1909 was
widely reported in the press and all the
Melbourne newspapers published detailed
obituaries covering her family, popularity,
charitable,
artistic
and
educational
achievements. Her funeral on 29 April was
also covered extensively and in great detail by
the press. There was a huge funeral
procession and traffic was halted around St
Pauls Cathedral. Many ordinary people lined
the route from Clivedon to the Cathedral,
wanting to pay their last respects to an
inspirational woman.xx

Figure 4 The Funeral Procession Leaving Clivedon Punch Magazine, Melbourne 5 May 1909 p.14

Shortly after Janet Clarkes death a committee of 40 people was formed to consider a suitable
memorial that would recognise her considerable contributions to the nation. Funded by public
subscription of 1,400 and after consultation with artists and trustees of the public library, it
was decided to erect a pagoda in the Queen Victoria Gardens. This pagoda would be a public
space and large enough for musical performances and military bands.

Figure 5 A view of the Janet, Lady Clarke memorial pavilion from the pond in the foreground c.1939. From Picture
Collection at the State Library of Victoria

The memorial was formally presented on 4 September 1913 in front of a large crowd by
Archdeacon Hindley who said:
the memorial would speak to all generations of a lady
who was proud of the city of Melbourne and
did much to promote the well-being of her fellow citizensxxi

Endnotes:
i

M. Peel & C Twomey, A History of Australia, New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010 p. 122
Ibid p. 123
iii
Ibid
iv
Ibid p. 119
v
Clarke, Janet Marion 1851-1909, The Australian Womens Register, Australian Womens Archive Project,
http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE1134b.htm
Updated 16 September 2003, accessed 8 October 2015
vi
Annette Lewis, Janet Lady Clarke Leader in the Good Work, Melbourne, Deakin University, 2010 p.6
vii
University of Melbourne, Janet Lady Clarke, A lifetime of giving, Melbourne, The University of Melbourne, 2009 p.3
viii
Ibid p.4
ix
Geoffrey Blainey, A Centenary History of The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, University Press, 1957, p. 126
x
Lewis p. 194
xi
Ibid
xii
Jane Carey, National Council of Victoria, The Australian Womens Register, Australian Womens Archive Project,
http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0501b.htm Updated: 9 June 2011, accessed 8 October 2015
xiii
Lewis, p.p. 208-210
xiv
Ibid
xv
Ibid p. 223
xvi
Argus Newspaper, Melbourne 29 April, 1909
xvii
Lewis, Chapter 6
xviii
C.E.Sayers The Womens.A Century of Service 1856-1956, Melbourne, Renwick Pride, 1956
xix
Herald Newspaper, Melbourne 31 May 1905
xx
Lewis, p. 224
xxi
Lewis, p. 226
ii

Figures:
1 Portrait of Lady Janet Clarke c 1904 University of Melbourne Archives
2 Janet Clarke Hall (Circa 1920s) from Picture Collection at the State Library of Victoria
3 Letter from Secretary News Boys Society the Argus Newspaper, Melbourne, 4 June 1904
4 The Funeral Procession Leaving Clivedon Punch Magazine, Melbourne 5 May 1909 p.14
5 A view of the Janet, Lady Clarke memorial pavilion from the pond in the foreground c.1939. From Picture Collection
at the State Library of Victoria
Bibliography
Blainey, Geoffrey, A Centenary History of The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, University Press,
1957
Davidson, Graeme, The Rise and Fall of Marvellous Melbourne, Melbourne, Melbourne University Press, 1978
Lewis, Annette, Janet Lady Clarke Leader in the Good Work, Melbourne, Deakin University, 2010
Munns, Joy Rupertswood, A Living History, Melbourne, J Munns, 1987
Peel, M & Twomey, C, A History of Australia, New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010
Sayers, C.E, The Womens.A Century of Service 1856-1956, Melbourne, Renwick Pride, 1956
University of Melbourne, Janet Lady Clarke, A lifetime of giving, Melbourne, The University of Melbourne, 2009
Newspapers
Age, 16 April, 1891
Argus, 4 June 1904, 5 October 1904, 9 April 1909
Geelong Advertiser, 14 April 1904
Herald, 31 May 1905
Punch 29 April, 1909, 5 May 1909
Internet
http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs Australian Womens Register, Clarke, Janet Marion 1851-1909, National
Council of Women
http://trove.nla.gov.au newspaper articles, images of Lady Clarke,
http://www.slv.vic.gov.au images Lady Clarke Memorial, Janet Clarke Hall
http://archives.unimelb.edu.au/ Image Lady Clarke, Janet Clarke Hall