Catherine Barmby

Catherine Isabella "Kate" Barmby (née Watkins; c. 1816/1817 – 26 December 1853) was an English utopian socialist and feminist writer on women's emancipation. She wrote for the New Moral World journal and covered topics including women's reduced access to employment, millennialism, and women's suffrage.

Early life Barmby was the second daughter of Bridstock Watkins and belonged to the lower-middle class. Little is known of her early life or education, but her instruction allowed her to become a writer and lecturer.

Career The New Moral World was the official journal of the Owenite radical socialist movement and was first issued in December 1834 after its predecessor The Pioneer ceased publication in July 1834. She continued writing for this journal for more than five years.

Barmby's articles for the New Moral World covered feminist demands and the general Owenite concerns of the time, such as women's reduced access to employment and the danger that private property supposes for family life, as well as explanations and reflections on Robert Owen's views. Barmby herself became a central figure in the Communist Church movement.

After the demise of the Communist Church, Barmby resumed her writing. Her 1843 tract The Demand for the Emancipation of Women, Politically and Socially was an early work arguing the case for women's enfranchisement.

Death Barmby died of asthma and consumption on 26 December 1853 at Bridge Hill, Topsham, Devon. Her husband survived her and died in 1881.