Jane Pirie

Jane Pirie (27 March 1779 – 6 March 1833) was a Scottish woman who opened an exclusive girls' school in Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh in 1809 and who became involved in a libel court case about lesbian sex, which was found 'not proven'.

This was a result of being accused of displays of "inordinate affection" with the co-founder of the school, Marianne Woods (1781–1870). Her accuser was Jane Cumming, a pupil and a granddaughter of Lady Helen Cumming Gordon, who alleged that the two women "engaged in irregular sexual practices" and "lewd and indecent behavior."

Lady Cumming Gordon spread rumours of these allegations. Jane Cumming was the first pupil to leave the school, and within days, all the other pupils had left as well. This risked financial as well as reputational damage for Pirie and Woods.

The court cases heard details from pupils statements of the alleged sexual behaviour but the Law Lords disagreed with each other on the reliability of this evidence, given that alternative 'facts' about bed sharing, which was common between women at the time, had been stated by the complainants (Pirie and Woods). Lord Meadowbank stated (in what would now be considered racism), that it was notarious that British children could be adversely influenced by lewd gossip of Indian servants. He also stated that lesbian sex would be "equally imaginary with witchcraft, sorcery, or carnal copulation with the devil".

Pirie, who was living in Gladstone's Land, during this period, later took her sister to court over the division of their parent's property, eventually moved to live with her sister in Glasgow, where she died, aged 54 in 1833. Two Hollywood films were inspired by this story: These Three in 1936 which starred Miriam Hopkins, Merle Oberon and Joel McCrea, and The Children's Hour in 1961, both directed by William Wyler, which set the story in the United States and starred Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine and James Garner