Early feminist Lady Florence Dixie honoured with plaque
The Market Bosworth Society nominated her for the honour, and its chairman Nigel Palmer described her as "a woman ahead of her time."
"She explored Patagonia at the age of 23, which was quite a trip in those days, and wrote a book about her travels, which was probably unheard of for a young lady of that age," he said.
"She wrote a book called 'Gloriana, or the ‘Revolution of 1900' which correctly predicted there would be a female prime minister before 1999.”
"She also reported on the Boer War for the Morning Post, and the aftermath of the Zulu War."
Lady Florence Dixie was president of the British Ladies' Football Club when it formed
in 1895 -
"There is no reason why football should not be played by women, and played well too, provided they dress rationally and relegate to limbo the straitjacket attire in which fashion delights to attire them," she wrote in 1895.
The honour is part of a green plaque scheme in Leicestershire which recognises important people from the county.
Click here for photographs of the unveiling.
There are more facts about Lady Florence in the DGSA Archive, available for members to study at our Annual Reunions.
Gloriana, or The Revolution of 1900, Redeemed in Blood & Across Patagonia, three of the books by Lady Florence, available from various suppliers on the Internet.
Peter Loseby, a former DGSA Committee Member and active member of the Market Bosworth Society prepared this article about Lady Florence for an interview by BBC East Midlands Today. Click here to read.