2018
SE6052 : Rainbow plaque to Anne Lister at Holy Trinity Church, York
taken 6 years ago, near to York, England
Rainbow plaque to Anne Lister at Holy Trinity Church, York
This rainbow-edged blue plaque was erected in July 2018 in the churchyard of Holy Trinity, Goodramgate. It commemorates Anne Lister's "marital commitment" to her partner Ann Walker. Anne Lister is sometimes described as the "first modern lesbian".
Having previously exchanged rings and made marriage vows, the couple attended the Easter Sunday Service at Holy Trinity on 30 March 1834, where the couple received communion side by side. The couple interpreted this as a blessing of their marriage.
The wording on the plaque is:
"Anne Lister
1791-1840
Gender-nonconforming entrepreneur. Celebrated marital commitment, without legal recognition, to Ann Walker in the church. Easter, 1834".
There were subsequently objections to the wording of the plaque which described her as "gender-nonconforming". An online petition claimed the description had nothing to do with sexuality and that it did not describe her as a lesbian.
York Civic Trust said following a meeting with the Churches Conservation Trust, York LGBT Forum and York LGBT History Month a joint decision was made to change the wording on the plaque.
Having previously exchanged rings and made marriage vows, the couple attended the Easter Sunday Service at Holy Trinity on 30 March 1834, where the couple received communion side by side. The couple interpreted this as a blessing of their marriage.
The wording on the plaque is:
"Anne Lister
1791-1840
Gender-nonconforming entrepreneur. Celebrated marital commitment, without legal recognition, to Ann Walker in the church. Easter, 1834".
There were subsequently objections to the wording of the plaque which described her as "gender-nonconforming". An online petition claimed the description had nothing to do with sexuality and that it did not describe her as a lesbian.
York Civic Trust said following a meeting with the Churches Conservation Trust, York LGBT Forum and York LGBT History Month a joint decision was made to change the wording on the plaque.
Blue Plaques
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker.
The world's first blue plaques were erected in London, England in the nineteenth century to mark the homes and workplaces of famous people.
The original blue plaque scheme started in the 1860s, is now run by English Heritage in London. It is believed to be the oldest such scheme in the world.
There are currently about 850 plaques in London.
![Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]](https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/somerights20.gif){kind=small}
TIP: Click the map for more Large scale mapping
- Grid Square
- SE6052, 2495 images (more nearby 🔍)
- Photographer
- Phil Champion (more nearby)
- Date Taken
- Saturday, 17 November, 2018 (more nearby)
- Submitted
- Thursday, 31 January, 2019
- Subject Location
-
OSGB36:
SE 6045 5202 [10m precision]
WGS84: 53:57.6445N 1:4.8100W - Camera Location
-
OSGB36: SE 6045 5202
- View Direction
- South-southwest (about 202 degrees)
