Mary Anne Baikie

Mary Anne 'Milanne' Traill was the youngest daughter of Thomas Traill of Holland House, Papa Westray. In 1902 in Edinburgh, she married Alfred Baikie of Tankerness. ==Suffragist leadership ==

Baikie chaired the first official public meeting in Orkney to form a society for women's suffrage, on 25 October 1909. This followed a preliminary meeting at the home of James and Bina Cursiter, when Chrystal Macmillan, the suffragist champion of women's rights to a university education, had visited Orkney, a month before. Baikie spoke at the launch in Kirkwall Town Hall, saying: I do not come as a political woman, but I have come as a friend of the cause of women, because of my sincere conviction, held since my early youth, that the suffrage will raise the status, and improve the condition of all women – particularly the women workers. She proceeded to argue that from Magna Carta and the British constitution women were not precluded from voting, but that legal reforms in 1832 deprived women of these rights. Baikie referred to thirty debates in Parliament from private members' bills to pledges from election candidates, none of which had prevailed. Her logic was that this outcome was because women did not have the vote, therefore any political promises could be made then broken with impunity. Baikie suggested that the "Orcadian's high intelligence will recognise the justice of the claim of women for political recognition, and will heartily support the cause". By March 1910, one hundred and sixteen signatures were collected in favour of women's suffrage, including 50% of the town councillors, and sent to the MP for Wick Burghs constituency (which included Kirkwall (Burgh)). In 1911, the Stromness WSPU branch merged with OWSS. == Link to national suffrage movement ==

Under Baikie's chairmanship, the society could host a debate for both sides of the argument without acrimony. By June 1910, Baikie was also developing a local Tankerness group, and an onerous 10-day tour by Wilhemina Hay Lamond (later known as Elizabeth Abbott) from the Edinburgh National Society for Women's Suffrage, In December 1911, Baikie convened another public meeting (including a social soirée) where she explained the Conciliation Bill and suffragist position, reported as "a brilliant speech, characterised by a sweet spirit of reasonableness, which was as convincing as it was enjoyable." Orcadian members grew eventually to 100 by 1916, A special "Orcadian Banner" designed by local artist, Stanley Cursiter and Shetlander Christina Jamieson was carried at the Women's Coronation Procession in London by Baikie's niece, Miss Courtenay, with the other representative groups of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies. amendment which was also to add after the word "person" the phrase "of either sex". Baikie's speech also outlined the various options on age, and property and the differences this would make to the eligible women voters in England, compared to Scotland & Ireland, who had different positions regarding women's property ownership. Her conclusion was this Act would be unlikely to calm the anger among women who had campaigned for so many years. Other speakers mentioned the Scandinavian "blood" of Orcadians as Denmark or Norway, women already had the vote, and could soon stand for public office on the same conditions as men. In 1914, the Orcadian group asked the Kirkwall Burgh council to send a senior representative to the National Suffrage Societies event at the Albert Hall, London as other Scottish cities were sending their Lord Provost and office bearers to meet the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith. == Legacy ==

In 1911, Robert Gallon painted an oil portrait of Baikie entitled Mary Anne Baikie (Milanne), née Traill. The portrait hangs in The Orkney Museum, which is in Kirkwall's Tankerness House, the former home of the Baikies of Tankerness. Gallon also painted her daughter, Margaret Traill Baikie, on a pony at the Hall of Tankerness; this too is in The Orkney Museum. In 2018, to mark International Women's Day and the centenary of (some) women's right to vote, the Northlight Gallery in Stromness presented an animated short film called A Gude Cause Maks a Strong Erm. The film was written by Orkney-based journalist Fiona Grahame, painted and animated by Martin Laird, with a musical score by James Watson and narration by Kim Foden. The film had an advertising poster in the form of a Cubist-style graphic abstract of Baikie's portrait, painted by Laird. After touring film festivals it won the Most Creative/Original award at the Scottish Short Film Festival in Glasgow. == See also ==