Mary Callender

Mary Callender, middle name Doris, was born in Toxteth, Liverpool in 1891. Her father, John, was a cotton merchant. Mary was the penultimate of five children with two elder sisters and brother and a younger sister. The family were prosperous and were early investors in the Wavertree Garden City, a forward-thinking development of houses in the city of Liverpool. When the 1911 census was taken Mary was living in Lincolnshire as a pupil although of what is not noted.

A member of the WSPU, a group of women were organised to travel to London to be part of the March 1912 window smashing campaign. Among them was Mary and Dorothy Abraham (see earlier blog). Mary was arrested for maliciously damaging a plate glass window, the property of Lazarus Phillips in the Brompton Road valued at £10. Initially Mary refused to speak when she appeared in court until she was remanded to Holloway Prison when she enquired why she could not be convicted there and then. It was explained it was more convenient to deal with the matter the following day. When Mary appeared in court she was discharged.

Mary returned to Wavertree and continued to be an active member of the WSPU. In April 1913 she arranged a talk at Wavertree Town Hall.  

​In 1925 Mary married Reuben North from South Africa where the couple settled and had three children. She died in 1936.