Remarkable Scots women recognised

Jean Redpath , Scottish Folk musician and songwriter.

The move comes as the attraction calls on the public to vote for the first female figurehead to be introduced into its Hall of Heroes.

Musician Jean Redpath, prominent campaigner Chrystal Macmillan and doctors Sophia Jex-Blake and Elsie Inglis make up part of a shortlist of 14 names that recognises the achievements of remarkable women who have shaped Scotland in so many ways.

An internationally renowned folk singer, educator, and musician, Jean Redpath was for many the voice of Scots traditional song. Despite not having any formal training, her understanding led her to become a great ambassador for traditional Scottish music. She was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame in 2008.

Chrystal Macmillan was a barrister, politician, suffragist, pacifist, and the first female science graduate from the University of Edinburgh. In 1908, she became the first woman to plead a case before the House of Lords

She also campaigned for the right of women to vote. The University of Edinburgh named their school of Social and Political Science in her honour - The Chrystal Macmillan Building.

Sophia Jex-Blake’s tenacity was crucial in gaining a place for women in medicine. She was refused entry to Harvard because she was a woman and denied entry to the University of Edinburgh because she was the only female candidate; she recruited other women and they gained admission - a pivotal moment - however they suffered at the hands of male students and were effectively barred from graduating. After qualifying in Switzerland, she founded a medical practice in Edinburgh and founded the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women.

An internationally respected doctor, a pioneer surgeon and physician, founder of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals for Home and Foreign Service, philanthropist and champion of votes for women, Elsie Inglis’ dedication to women’s medicine has left a lasting legacy. In the unwelcoming male-dominated world of medicine, she qualified as a physician, established a maternity hospital and midwifery resource centre in Edinburgh, before founding Women’s Hospitals in war zones across Europe.

People are being invited vote for the candidate they would most like to see recognised.

Voting takes place online at www.nationalwallacemonument.com, or in person at the Monument, and the deadline is March 31.