List of women in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

This is a list of notable women, living and dead, from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the United Kingdom. Notability is based on achievements that have had a verifiable impact or public output or participation in a significant event, in the fields of art, literature, business, industry, science, culture, sport, education, politics, war, philanthropy, medicine and a range of other topics.

Notable women from Cornwall are also listed in the article List of people from Cornwall.

A

 * Constance Agar-Robartes, First World War nurse
 * Victoria Amran, founder of the Cornish Food Box Company, business woman
 * Candy Atherton, ex-MP for Falmouth and Camborne

B

 * Morwenna Banks, actor
 * Antonia Barber, writer of fiction
 * Frances Basset, 2nd Baroness Basset
 * Maria Branwell, mother of English writers Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë and Charlotte Brontë
 * Michaela Breeze, Commonwealth champion weightlifter
 * Dame Alida Brittain, harpist
 * Mary Bryant, famous prisoner who escaped Australian penal colony
 * Katharine Burdekin, novelist, feminist, sister of Rowena Cade

C

 * Rowena Cade, creator, builder and founder of the Minack Theatre
 * Elizabeth Carne, scientist and banker
 * Vera Carne, First World War Women's Land Army
 * Helena Charles, Cornish nationalist
 * Evelyn Clements, munitions worker
 * Ithell Colquhoun, artist and writer
 * Myrna Combellack, researcher and translator of Beunans Meriasek
 * Judith Cook, journalist and campaigner
 * Selina Cooper, suffragist
 * Margaret Ann Courtney, folklorist and poet

D

 * Phyllis Doherty, folk singer, First World War commandant of Women's Volunteer Motor Corps
 * Anne Dowriche, poet
 * Daphne du Maurier, novelist and writer

F

 * Liz Fenwick, writer, novelist
 * Elizabeth Forbes, artist and storyteller
 * Anna Maria Fox, a promoter of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society
 * Caroline Fox, writer

G

 * Susan Elizabeth Gay, writer
 * Ann Glanville, 19th-century champion rower
 * Helen Glover, rower, Olympic gold medallist 2012
 * Julia Goldsworthy, politician
 * Queen Gwendolin, medieval legendary figure

H

 * Melissa Hardie-Budden, writer, founder of the Hypatia Trust, philanthropist
 * Faith Harris, sailor, secretary to Railway Purchasing Mission
 * Barbara Hepworth, sculptor and artist
 * Alice Hext, gardener and philanthropist
 * Corona Hicks, women's rights campaigner
 * Rose Hilton, artist
 * Emily Hobhouse, peace activist and human rights campaigner
 * Salome Hocking, novelist
 * Barbara Hosking, civil servant and broadcaster

I

 * Iseult, figure in Arthurian legend

J

 * Loveday Jenkin, Cornish nationalist politician; councillor for Crowan and Wendron
 * F. Tennyson Jesse, writer
 * Jane Johnson, writer

K

 * Ann Kelley, writer and photographer
 * Marguerite Kesteloot, Belgian refugee, strawberry grower
 * Laura Knight, artist

L

 * Mary Lang, writer, photographer, sailor, diarist
 * Cassandra Latham, white witch
 * Janet Leach, artist
 * Katharine Lee (Kitty Lee Jenner; 1853–1936), writer
 * Margaret Lidgey, bal captain, First World War mine manager
 * Alice de Lisle, Lord of Alverton, founder of Penzance market
 * Moura Lympany, musician, concert pianist

M

 * Margo Maeckelberghe, artist
 * Jessica Mann, novelist and journalist
 * Charlotte Mary Matheson, writer
 * Margaret Mellis, St Ives school artist
 * Chesten Marchant, last monoglot Cornish-speaker (died 1676)
 * Anna Maria Murphy, writer, playwright, poet, storyteller
 * Sherryl Murray, MP for South East Cornwall

N

 * Sarah Newton, MP for Truro and Falmouth
 * Thandie Newton, actor

P

 * Gertrude Parsons, novelist
 * Cassie Patten, British Olympic swimmer
 * Susan Penhaligon, actor
 * Dolly Pentreath, last Cornish speaker according to tradition
 * Thomasine, Lady Percival, benefactress and founder of a school
 * Annie Phillips, autograph collector
 * Elizabeth Philp, singer, music educator and composer
 * Rosamunde Pilcher, novelist
 * Litz Pisk, movement pioneer and instructor
 * Beatrice Pole-Carew, First World War host for convalescent soldiers (portrait)
 * Margaret Steuart Pollard (Peggy), Cornish language poet
 * Agnes Prest, Protestant martyr

Q

 * Mabel Quiller-Couch, editor, compiler and children's writer

R

 * Joan Rendell, historian
 * Jean Rhys, writer
 * Mary Richards (prisoner of war), First World War prisoner of war in Germany
 * Edith Jane Rouncefield, First World War nurse in First Aid Nursing Yeomanry and co-founder of Mevagissey Museum
 * Jenny Rowe, lawyer and civil servant
 * Hilda Runciman, MP for St Ives
 * Mary Snell Rundle, nursing educator

S

 * Angie Sage, writer, novelist
 * Sweet Saraya, professional wrestler
 * Kristin Scott Thomas, actor
 * Penelope Shuttle, poet
 * Jemma Simpson, 800m runner
 * Emma Smith, writer
 * Hannah Stacey, free-diver
 * Emily Stackhouse, scientist

T

 * Mary Ann Tocker, early radical who exposed corruption in the Stannary Courts, 1818
 * Sheila Tracy, writer, broadcaster, musician, trombonist, singer
 * Enys Tregarthen, children's writer
 * Sharon Tregenza, writer, novelist
 * Kate Tremayne, writer, novelist

V

 * Annabel Vernon, champion rower (2008 Olympics)
 * Clara Coltman Vyvyan, née Rogers, an author and the wife of the 10th Vyvyan baronet

W

 * Serena Wadham, feminist activist and photographer
 * Frances Wall, professor of applied mineralogy, first female Head of Camborne School of Mines,University of Exeter
 * Mary Wesley, writer, novelist
 * Mary Williams (nurse), First World War Voluntary Aid Detachment hospital organiser
 * Venetia Williams, racehorse trainer
 * Mary Wolverston aka Lady Killigrew, alleged pirate
 * Brenda Wootton, Cornish poet and singer
 * Lilian Wyles, First female police detective in Scotland Yard