16 Facts About Edith Hacon

Edith Hacon, known as Rhyllis Llewellyn Hacon, later Mrs "Amaryllis" Robichaud, was an international socialite, an artists' model and a leading Scottish suffragist.

Edith Hacon was vice-president of the Dornoch branch of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies and president of the Women's Liberal Association.

Edith Hacon's parents died when she was a young woman.

Edith Hacon became a socialite in London in her 20s when she worked as a model for Selwyn Image, Charles Shannon and other artists and used the alias 'Amaryllis'.

Edith Hacon was called 'Muriel' in the poems of Arthur Symons.

Edith Hacon was assaulted by her elder cousin and was turned out of their house because she was pregnant.

Edith married barrister and art collector, and investor in the Vale Press, William Llewellyn Hacon and became known as Rhyllis Llewellyn Hacon.

In 1912, Edith Hacon was a member and president of the Women's Liberal Association at Dornoch, and they hosted a tour of leaders from the Scottish women's organisations, encouraging local support for the women's suffrage cause.

In 1914, Edith Hacon became vice-president of the Dornoch National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies branch and she was able to report that half of the electors had signed their petition in support of women's suffrage, whilst campaigning at the Northern Burghs by-election that year.

At the start of the First World War, Edith Hacon volunteered with Margaret Davidson for a role in Dr Elsie Inglis's WW1 Scottish Women's Hospital at Royaumont.

Edith Hacon began as an orderly but 'Mrs Hacon' became the housekeeper and called herself 'Head of Char'.

Edith Hacon supervised the kitchen, and seamstress work, making and repairing uniforms and organised hockey matches and tea to keep up morale, and made a rag doll for one of the wounded soldiers.

Edith Hacon served for three years, and was awarded a Silver Medal "Medaille des Epidemics" by the French Government, and both the British War Medal and Victory Medal.

In 1918, Edith Hacon married a Canadian forester Private William Robichaud in the Canadian Forestry Corps France; he later became a timber merchant.

Edith Hacon's friend Margaret Davidson was a witness at their wedding.

Edith Hacon died on 28 August 1952 in Glasgow but is buried next to William Llewellyn Edith Hacon in Dornoch.