An astonishing woman known to some as Anne Lister, and others as ‘Gentleman Jack’, came to Edinburgh almost 200 years ago.
Known as Britain’s ‘first modern lesbian’, she’s been the feature of a hit BBC drama (Gentleman Jack) which explores her extensive diaries that detail a lifetime of lesbian relationships. Now, the Georgian House in Edinburgh is hosting a walking tour of Anne’s time in the Scottish capital.
Historic England claim Anne Lister to the country's first modern lesbian. They describe her as: "A successful woman entrepreneur and landowner, she kept an extensive diary, partly in code, running to four million words."
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Anne came to Edinburgh in 1828, with her companion Sibella MacLean - a noblewoman from the Ilse of Mull. Her two and a-half-month tour of Scotland was detailed in depth in her diaries.
On May 19, 1828, Anne arrived in the capital by stagecoach from East Lothian and met Sibella at the Black Bull Inn at the Grassmarket. They got lodgings together in George Street, and went out to explore the city.
After a trip up Arthur’s Seat, she wrote in her diary: “I went round a little and got to the top in ten minutes, as fast as I could.
“Wind very high, dared not stand but sat a while on the topmost crag admiring the fine views all around me. Well worth the trouble, amply repaid.
“No traveller should miss it. The city as on a map at my feet.
“The firth of Forth very fine. Descended in ten minutes, right down in a straight line down the crag, never dreaming of it being so bad. Ladies should not attempt it, but go round.”
Anne Lister died in 1840, and to her knowledge these words have never been read by anyone. She created a secret code, using a mixture of Greek letters and algebraic signs in order to write candidly about love affairs which would have been unthinkably transgressive to the society in which she lived.
These diaries were found by John Lister, a relative of Anne, in the late 19th century. Being a gay man himself, he hid the diaries in a floorboard of Shibden Hall - a home which once belonged to Anne which was now in his name.
It wasn't until the 1960s that the secret codes were eventually revealed when a researcher named Vivian Ingham found, decoded and transcribed the pages of Anne's diaries.
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In 1828, Anne wrote an entry that has now become well known: “I love, and only love, the fairer sex and thus beloved by them in turn, my heart revolts from any other love than theirs.”
The true love of Anne’s life, Marianna Belcombe, was not of the same social class as Anne and had to marry a much older man for his money. The women’s hopes of being together were never fully realised, and they could never make it work.
After this relationship failed, Anne pursued a woman from a neighbouring estate named Ann Walker. Anne and Ann conducted a ‘marriage ritual’ in 1834, and gradually untied their land and business.
In 1840, the couple went travelling in Russia and Anne passed away on the trip - continuing her lifelong habit of shocking those around her. She caught a fever while away, and was laid to rest in Halifax parish church, Yorkshire.
Now, almost 200 years later, the Edinburgh event is celebrating the life of Anne Lister - on a walk around the spots she visited in the capital.
Promoting the event, the Georgian House said: “Ever wondered what it would have been like to, in Anne’s own words ‘only love the fairer sex’ two hundred years ago?
“Retrace Anne’s footsteps through the grand Georgian streets of Edinburgh’s UNESCO World Heritage New Town. Explore the untold stories of women’s circles, secret codes and stolen kisses between the ladies of the landed gentry.
“We know so much about Anne because of the five million words she left behind in a series of diaries. About one fifth of these are written in a code of her own devising. They detail her intimate connections with women and her desire for a long-term partner.”
Stef Lauer of Hands On Consulting, who will be leading the tours, said: “Anne Lister was a phenomenal woman. A mountaineer, scholar, traveller, you name it – she broke society’s strict rules about how a woman should live and love.
“She was also authentically herself – living a lesbian life at a time it would be unthinkable to do so. With the support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, I am so excited to be able to bring some of Anne’s Scottish stories and adventures to a wide audience in and around Edinburgh.”
The walk, which will take place on March 3 and 4, will kick off at 1.30pm on both days. After a sold out event last year, book your tickets now here.
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