Clara Codd

Clara Margaret Codd (10 October 1876 – 3 April 1971) was a British writer, suffragette, socialist feminist, and theosophist. She went to jail for the suffragettes and then devoted her life to the Theosophical Society.

Early life

Codd was born at Pill House in Bishops Tawton, Devon, in 1876. She was the first child of Henry Frederick Codd and Clara Virginia (née Botto) Codd. She had nine younger siblings and she was taught at home by a number of governesses. She was employed as a governess, a costume model and she travelled to play the violin and piano. She was converted to Theosophy after hearing the first President of the Theosophical Society, Henry Steel Olcott, give a talk in Geneva. By 1903 she had returned to the UK where she joined the Theosophical Society. She worked in Bath as a teacher. Nearby was the home of Mary Blathwayt who was another suffragette. Her parents lived at Eagle House in Batheaston. Nearly all the prominent British suffragettes visited the house and Codd would stay over and sleep in the same bed as Annie Kenney. 60,000 people attended the event and she was one of the 37 people arrested. She was sentenced to a month in prison. Christabel Pankhurst was keen to find her a job but Codd refused the offer. In 1909 she planted a tree at Eagle House. She appeared to then drift away from the group.

She worked briefly as a teacher before she became more involved with the Theosophical Society. She then went to their headquarters in Adyar in India for two years. Codd never left this work as she lectured for the society around the world for the rest of her life.

Death Codd died in Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot, Berkshire, in 1971.

Works On Lecturing (1921) So Rich a Life (1951) The Way of the Disciple (1964) The Mystery of Life (1963) Trust your Self to Life (1968)