Eleanor Barton

Eleanor Barton (née Stockton; 13 July 1872 – 9 March 1960) was a British co-operative movement activist from Manchester.

Early life and family

Barton was born in Manchester, the daughter of William Stockton, a prison warden born from Shropshire, and Julia [née Farrar] Stockton from Liverpool. Her maternal grandmother, born in Ireland, also lived with them while Eleanor was growing up. Little is known of her early life, but it is believed her family was active in the labour movement in Manchester.

Activism In 1894, she married Alfred Barton, a librarian and active anarchist at the time, and the two moved to Sheffield.

Barton went on a speaking tour of the United States in 1919, invited by the Labor Party of America, talking about child welfare. In 1921, she became assistant secretary of the guild, then secretary in 1925, serving until 1937. She spent her time in office refocusing the guild away from handicrafts and towards education and the social sciences.