Old records mostly wrote about men: kings, lords and landowners. That doesn't mean women weren't here! These are women connected to Waltham Forest that we know about. Can you find out about more?
EW
Elizabeth Woodcocke
Lived here
In the 1660s she and her husband, Sir William Batten, Surveyor of the Navy, had a house in Wood Street, Walthamstow.
AM
Agnes Marshall
1852–1905
Grew up here
A cook, businesswoman and inventor, known as the 'Queen of Ices' for her ice cream and other frozen desserts. She is often regarded as the inventor of the modern ice cream cone. She was raised by her grandmother in Walthamstow.
GL
Gulielma Lister
1860–1949
Born here
A botanist and mycologist who was an international authority on Mycetozoa. She was born at Sycamore House on High Road, Leytonstone, and spent her life in Leytonstone and at the family's summer house in Lyme Regis, where she did much of her field work.
LA
Louisa Aldrich-Blake
1865–1925
Born here
A surgeon born in Chingford. She was the first British woman to obtain a Master of Surgery degree, and a statue of her stands in Tavistock Square, London.
ML
Muriel Lester
1883–1968
Born here
A social reformer, pacifist campaigner and writer, born at Gainsborough Lodge in Leytonstone. She was a founding member and secretary of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation.
FC
Fanny Cradock
1909–1994
Born here
A television cook, restaurant critic and writer, born at her grandparents' house on Fairlop Road, Leytonstone. She often appeared on television with her long-term partner, Johnnie Cradock.
BS
Beryl Swain
1936–2007
Grew up here
A motorcycle road racer, brought up in Walthamstow. In 1962 she was the first woman to compete in a TT race for solo motorcycles on the Isle of Man. A blue plaque marks her former home in Walthamstow.
AP
Asha Philip
born 1990
Born here
A sprinter born in Leyton. In 2007, aged 16, she became the first British woman to win a global 100 metres title at any age group, and in 2016 she won an Olympic bronze medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay.