Caroline Ashurst Stansfeld
Caroline Stansfeld | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Caroline Ashurst Stansfeld | |
| Born | 28 January 1816 |
| Died | 29 March 1885 (aged 69) |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Joseph James Stansfeld |
| Relatives | William Ashurst (father) Eliza Ann Ashurst Bardonneau (sister) Matilda Ashurst Biggs (sister) Emilie Ashurst Venturi (sister) |
Caroline Ashurst Stansfeld (/ˈstænsfiːld/ STANSS-feeld; 28 January 1816 – 29 March 1885) was a member of an important family of radical activists in mid-nineteenth-century England who supported causes ranging from women's suffrage to Italian unification. In 1844, she married Sir James Stansfeld (1820–1898), the future MP for Halifax and preeminent political advocate for the movement to repeal the Contagious Diseases Acts. She maintained a close friendship with Italian nationalist Giuseppe Mazzini, who wrote to her frequently and 1,500 of his letters to the family have been published in E.F. Richards’ collection: Letters to an English Family.