Anne Lister's Journals
Anne Lister
1791-1840
Anne Lister wrote over four million words in her numerous journals throughout her life.[1] She starts these journals when she was sixteen in 1806, and continue writing until her death.[2] She recorded a wide range of information involving her daily life. The topics ranged from her travels, estate management, education, flute-playing, weather discussions, and her relationships with others.[3] The topic that has often caught modern day historian’s attention is the coded segments of the journals. Lister created her own code to hide certain aspects of her life, including her sexual attractions and relations with women. The journals have been considered “the Dead Sea Scrolls of lesbian history”[4] of sorts. Lister’s journals allow an interesting look at an early nineteenth-century woman as she records her identity through providing for herself, exploring her sexual and gender identity, and moving through a British social elite society.
[1] Anne Lister, The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, ed. Helena Whitbread (London: Little, Brown Book Group: 2010): xi.
[2] Dannielle Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),” Women’s Writing 11, no. 2 (2004): 202.
[3] Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),” 206.
[4] Chris Roulston, “The Revolting Anne Lister: The U.K.’s First Modern Lesbian,” Journal of Lesbian Studies 17, no. 3-4 (2013): 267.
HSTR370 Digital Project
ANNE LISTER'S JOURNALS
Mackenzie Ives
June 2017
ANNE LISTER
"Ah, my Isabel, you have indeed loved me truly &, after all, perhaps it may be fate that you & I shall get together at last. But on this subject, I dare not think. God knows what is best.” Monday 16 June 1817
The Journal Presentation
Helena Whitbread edited together Lister’s journals from 1816 to 1824 within The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister. Throughout the collection, she gives context to what is occurring around the same dates as the entries. Some sections of the entries were written using a code made out of Greek letters, with the intentions that no one should be able to decipher the texts.[1] Within these portions are entries that Lister wanted to keep private from other eyes, often discussing her relationships with other women or about her clothes. There is a possibility that Lister originally planned on destroying these journals before she died, however, her unexpected death while travelling in Russia prevented such actions. The journals remained at her residence in Shibden Hall.[2]
A descendant of hers, John Lister, would later find these books once he inherited the estate and decided to start publishing parts of them in 1887.[3] John was unable to translate the coded portion himself, and enlisted help from his friend Arthur Burrell, who was an antiquarian.[4] Once they were capable of breaking the code, they were now able to read Anne Lister’s details on her identity as a lesbian, and the two men decided these portions could not be published. The society and culture surrounding the topic of homosexuality would not allow such openness and acceptance that Lister had with her sexuality, as laws were being put into place to make such interactions and relationships illegal. While Burrell suggested the journals be destroyed, John decided to hide them instead.[5] The journals would be discovered again in 1933, and once again the decision would be made to keep secret the coded entries, so the name would not have a bad reputation and should remain unspoken.[6] The few who knew of Lister’s relationships continued to keep the secret in hopes to prevent scandal from occurring in Halifax.[7] The coded entries began being translated and published in the late 1960s, including the mentions of her relationships. This publication would occur around the same time as when homosexuality would be decriminalized in England in 1967.[8] The journals needed over a decade before Lister’s thoughts and feelings she felt necessary to code to protect herself from the society that was disapproving and hurtful towards lesbians reached an era where people were searching for this kind of history to find first-hand accounts of such relationships.
[1] Anne Lister, The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, ed. Helena Whitbread (London: Little, Brown Book Group: 2010):xi.
[2] Lister, The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, xii.
[3] Lister, The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, xii.
[4] Chris Roulston, “The Revolting Anne Lister: The U.K.’s First Modern Lesbian,” Journal of Lesbian Studies 17, no. 3-4 (2013): 269.
[5] Roulston, “The Revolting Anne Lister: The U.K.’s First Modern Lesbian,” 270.
[6] Roulston, “The Revolting Anne Lister: The U.K.’s First Modern Lesbian,” 270.
[7] Lister, The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, xv-xvi.
[8] Roulston, “The Revolting Anne Lister: The U.K.’s First Modern Lesbian,” 271.
ANNE LISTER
“Burnt… Mr Montagu’s farewell verses that no trace of any man’s admiration may remain. It is not meet for me. I love, & only love, the fairer sex & thus beloved by them in turn, my heart revolts from any other love than theirs.”
Monday 29 January 1821
ANNE LISTER
“I have almost made up my mind always to wear black.”
Sunday 1 June 1817
Lister and Gender Identity
Lister’s journals also discuss her gender identity, often with connections back to her sexual identity. Lister often desired to be completely self-sufficient in her life. Early in her journals, she deliberates how she would like to go off somewhere and make money for herself.[1] She kept records of the estate and her father’s finances, and also kept track of her own spending through her journals. She would later start her own coal-mining business.[2] Lister did not want to be co-dependent on others for her own expenses, but until she inherited the Shibden Hall, she would have to rely on her aunt and uncle.[3] Lister took great pride in her efforts of self-teaching, as women were not allowed within University classes at the time, often discussing her studying within the journals. She focused heavily on the classics, working hard to learn these topics.[4]
Another aspect of Lister’s journals that were often coded was her discussion of clothes. Her appearance is often mentioned throughout the journals, mainly with many people considering Lister to look too masculine in appearance. Both her dress and personality cause many people to note this to her, often as something that she should be ashamed of.[5] Mariana started to internalize these opinions and began to scold Lister for such appearances, wanting her to be more feminine.[6] She often discussed the changing of her clothes to match the weather as well.[7] One notable quality of Lister’s wardrobe is her decision to wear all black. This choice was made soon after Mariana was married, and can be considered a form of mourning for their relationship. Lister had hopes that she and Mariana would be able to live together, and this dream was slowly crushed after the wedding.[8] Her ritual of black clothing can be seen as a way to demonstrate her love for Mariana in her expression.[9]
[1] Anne Lister, The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, ed. Helena Whitbread (London: Little, Brown Book Group: 2010): 7.
[2] Chris Roulston, “The Revolting Anne Lister: The U.K.’s First Modern Lesbian,” Journal of Lesbian Studies 17, no. 3-4 (2013): 271.
[3] Lister, The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, 14.
[4] Lister, The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, 14.
[5] Dannielle Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),” Women’s Writing 11, no. 2 (2004): 208-9.
[6] Roulston, “The Revolting Anne Lister: The U.K.’s First Modern Lesbian,” 274.
[7] Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),” 210.
[8] Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),” 211.
[9] Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),” 212.
ANNE LISTER
“What a comfort is this journal. I tell myself to myself & throw the burden on my book & feel relieved.”
Monday 31 May 1824
Bibliographic Citations
Lister, Anne. The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister. Edited by Helena Whitbread. London: Little, Brown Book Group, 2010.
Orr, Dannielle. “’I Tell Myself to Myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister.” Women’s Writing 11, no. 2 (2004): 201-222.
Rotundo, E. Anthony. “Romantic Friendship: Male Intimacy and Middle-Class Youth in the Northern United States, 1800-1900.” Journal of Social History 23, no. 1 (1989): 1-25.
Roulston, Chris. “The Revolting Anne Lister: The UK First Modern Lesbian.” Journal of Lesbian Studies 17, no. 3-4 (2013): 267-278.
How Journals Can be Used
Journals and diaries are often considered to be used for private reasons, without any outside viewership.[1] Both were especially useful for nineteenth-century women, allowing them to present their identities in a safer place.[2] Lister’s use of code allowed her to be even freer with her discussions as there was less risk of discovery. Women are not passive members when it comes to their identities, and journals allow them space to maintain some agency in self-representation.[3] These journals, therefore, allow themselves to be used as useful historical tools when it comes to lives of women in history.[4] However, due to the private nature of the initial writing, judging the texts by their grammatical and literary quality is not fair to the author who may not intend to write in this style.[5] Lister’s journals were edited by her as well as she set up a management system, which would affect the contents within.[6] Lister’s journals become useful for showing the complex life of women. Her growth is evident throughout many categories within her journal, as she negotiated with herself on what her identity is and what she valued most. Within lesbian history, the journals allow an incredible insight into what her experiences surrounding this identity meant in early nineteenth-century. Lister was navigating the world which she felt alone within and creating her own expression of identity in order not to change who she was in the face of opposition from societal expectations of her marrying a man. She chooses her own path and recorded the episodic scenes as she continued down her path.
[1] Chris Roulston, “The Revolting Anne Lister: The U.K.’s First Modern Lesbian,” Journal of Lesbian Studies 17, no. 3-4 (2013): 272.
[2] Dannielle Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),” Women’s Writing 11, no. 2 (2004): 202.
[3] Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),” 207.
[4] Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),” 203.
[5] Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),” 202-3.
[6] Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),” 206.
Homosexuality and Relationships in 19thCentury
Anne Lister was very insistent that she would never marry. While discussing the topic with her uncle, she states “I took care to say, however, that I never intended to marry at all.”[1] However, she is quite clear of her preference towards women. Much focus is put on Lister’s passionate relationships with several women mentioned throughout her journals. Some of these women were Mariana Lawton (referred to as M---- in the journal), Anne Belcombe, Isabella Norcliffe, and Anne Walker. Lister managed the more intimate details of her relationships with the coded system she developed.[2] The code allowed her to disguise a part of her life that the contemporary society was unlikely to accept.[3] Lister could also maintain agency of her relationships through the coded record. Despite her intentions to never marry, she did dream of a domestic life with her partners, especially Mariana. However, she was not capable of supporting Mariana at the time.[4] Lister states “I cannot live happily without female company, without someone to interest me,”[5] implying that while she may be breaking societal rules about marriage, she did desire to spend her life with someone she loves.
In the early nineteenth-century, there was a lack of a word for Lister’s relationships. Discussions of the sexual acts were usually connected to other words such as buggery or sodomy. Conversely, these words focus more on the specific sexual acts that are not limited to same-gender relations. There was a lack of a model, as many thought the only one necessary would be heterosexuality.[6] These were not identities like how modernly the word lesbian is used. These relationships were also often labelled “unnatural act.”[7] Many of the terms also focused in on male same-gender relations instead of female like Lister. Regardless, these kinds of labels and discussions did not leave much room for identity. Lister’s actions for adding code to her journal to document her relationships would be affected by this attitude within her society.
At one point, Lister would contract a sexually transmitted inflection from Mariana, who received it due to her husband’s affairs. Lister would later pass on the STI to Isabella.[8] Lister goes through many steps to try to get diagnosed and treatment for her venereal infection without disclosing her relationships with other women.[9] She other plays on misconceptions of how the infection is passed around, although that doctor misdiagnosed her, and would later pretend to be Mariana in the sense of talking about her sexual relationship with her husband.[10] Lister showed agency through taking on responsibility and trying to help her lovers, while also continuing on her relationships in a safe manner.[11]
[1] Anne Lister, The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, ed. Helena Whitbread (London: Little, Brown Book Group: 2010): 17
[2] Dannielle Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),” Women’s Writing 11, no. 2 (2004): 207.
[3] Lister, The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, xx.
[4] Chris Roulston, “The Revolting Anne Lister: The U.K.’s First Modern Lesbian,” Journal of Lesbian Studies 17, no. 3-4 (2013): 272-3.
[5] Lister, The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, 70-71.
[6] E. Anthony Rotundo, “Romantic Friendship: Male Intimacy and Middle-Class Youth in the Northern United States, 1800-1900,” Journal of Social History 23, no. 1 (1989): 9.
[7] Rotundo, “Romantic Friendship: Male Intimacy and Middle-Class Youth in the Northern United States, 1800-1900,” 9.
[8] Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),” 213.
[9] Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),” 213.
[10] Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),”215-6.
[11] Orr, “I tell myself to myself’: Homosexual Agency in the Journals of Anne Lister (1791-1840),” 218.