Old records mostly wrote about men: kings, lords and soldiers. That doesn't mean women weren't here! These are women connected to Greenwich, Woolwich, Eltham and Charlton that we know about. Can you find out about more?
PC
Philippa of Clarence
1355–c. 1377
Born here
A medieval English princess, also known as Philippa of Eltham. She was born at Eltham Palace on 16 August 1355, and was Countess of Ulster in her own right.
EW
Elizabeth Woodville
c. 1437–1492
Given the palace
Queen of England as the wife of King Edward IV. He completed and enlarged the palace at Greenwich, and in 1466 he granted it to her.
M
Mary I
1516–1558
Born here
Born at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich on 18 February 1516, the daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. She was baptised at the Church of the Observant Friars in Greenwich, and was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.
E
Elizabeth I
1533–1603
Born here
Born at Greenwich Palace on 7 September 1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She was Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 until 1603, the last monarch of the House of Tudor. An oak tree in Greenwich from the 1100s is where she had a picnic.
HM
Henrietta Maria
1609–1669
Given the Queen's House
Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I. In 1629 he gave her the Queen's House at Greenwich, which was built between 1616 and 1635.
EN
Edith Nesbit
1858–1924
Lived here
A writer and poet who published her books for children and others as E. Nesbit, and a co-founder of the Fabian Society. She lived at Well Hall, Eltham, from 1899 to 1920, and it appears in several of her books, such as The Red House.
SS
Sylvia Syms
1934–2023
Born here
An English stage and screen actress, born in Woolwich, who grew up in Well Hall, Eltham. Her films include Ice Cold in Alex (1958), and she played the dressmaker Olive Woodhouse in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
BE
Bernardine Evaristo
Born here
An author born in Eltham in 1959 and raised in Woolwich. Her novel Girl, Woman, Other jointly won the Booker Prize in 2019, making her the first black woman to win the Booker. In 2022 she was given the Freedom of the Borough of the Royal Borough of Greenwich.