How Warwickshire women fought for the vote

Between discussing the pressing problem that is the gender pay gap and coming to terms with the growing number of offenders revealed through the #MeToo movement, the nation came together on February 6 to celebrate the centenary of the first women who were given the vote.

But if you were in the vicinity of the university and didn’t have access to social media on February 6, you may have missed the anniversary of this landmark moment in history. To put it simply, if you haven’t seen every variation of #Suffrage100 trending on Twitter, you would be forgiven for not realising the magnitude of the celebration taking place.

Unlike other major universities in the country, Warwick did not have any specific events dedicated to the centenary of the Representation of the People Act. As a relatively young university that was not physically present during the political turmoil that preceded the vote, it is not imperative for the university to shine a light on the local area. It is a shame, nevertheless, that the only way students would be able to learn about the surrounding area is by going to an exhibition at the Modern Records Centre on campus.

The area surrounding the university had many prominent figures of first-wave feminism

In a similar fashion to other pivotal moments in history, the focus of the average citizen is mostly directed to the capital – in this case, London. This is not an awful place to start; some of the most forward-thinking and important women leading up to 1918 were born in or around London. However, to look purely at the capital of the country and thus ignore the local residents would be insulting to the thousands of women who took part in the fight towards the female vote and universal suffrage.

The area surrounding the university had many prominent figures of first-wave feminism. With a location so near to Birmingham, it is undeniable that women in the area were taking part in the action. In Leamington Spa especially, these efforts were clearly present.

The first recorded moment of an explicitly feminist speech in the town was in 1890, when Florence Balgarnie of the Manchester National Society for Women’s Suffrage arrived in the vicinity of the area. The town stayed relatively silent on the topic of female suffrage until 1907 with the formation of the National Union for Women’s Suffrage Society, or NUWSS as it has been referred to ever since.

On a national stage, the NUWSS was quickly gaining traction

The NUWSS was formed in London in 1897. Its members were known as the suffragists, and campaigned peacefully for the vote. The Leamington branch of this organisation was increasingly active, with Mary Louise Vellacott as a key figure. She quickly became the Secretary of the Leamington branch of the NUWSS.

Through her constant letters to the local paper, The Leamington Courier, Vellacott echoed the aims of the NUWSS, affirming that they were campaigning peacefully for a change in life. In a passionate speech to the Stratford crowd in 1907, Vellacott reminded the people of the “the great educative effect that the franchise had on those who exercised it [in Australia and New Zealand]”.

Alongside Miss Vellacott was Mary Dormer Harris, a shy yet powerful woman of the area who fought for women to be recognised in the arts. Although a suffragist at heart, she supported in awe the suffragettes of the area. Some of her correspondence includes letters to Christabel Pankhurst and George Bernard Shaw. Overall, Miss Harris was an extraordinary figure in local history, being the first woman to present a paper to the Warwickshire Archaeological society and the first woman to give a speech at the Leamington Literary Society.

Despite their political differences, the suffragists and the suffragettes in the area lived peacefully and in harmony

On a national stage, the NUWSS was quickly gaining traction but to some activists this wasn’t nearly enough. The group decided to split into smaller factions, creating the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) as a result. The group, led by Emmeline Pankhurst, focused on more violent and vocal means in order to achieve their goals.

They were more commonly known as the suffragettes. This movement quickly spread to Warwickshire, where an association was co-founded in 1910 by Miss Bertha Ryland. They were able to build strong ties to the spa town, and campaigned in it quite frequently too. One of their most well-known schemes included Ms Ryland and another campaigner at the time, Laura Ainsworth, who both spent the night in Victoria Park waiting to protest against the Earl of Crewe.

Along with the notable differences between the suffragettes and the suffragists in the area, Leamington residents were also observing the rise of the Conservative and Unionist Women’s Franchise Association (CUWFA), the third largest suffrage organisation in the country prior to the Great War.

The CUWFA proved popular in the Warwickshire area, and this local county contained more branches of such organisations than anywhere else in the nation. The secretary in Leamington at the time was Miss Hulbert, who occupied the lodging at 12 The Parade.

Despite their political differences, the suffragists and the suffragettes in the area lived peacefully and in harmony, as their goal was ultimately the same.

One hundred years after women in the area fought for their right to vote, some of the issues have remained unsolved

The women listed in this article were real, but the process of finding them was more difficult than basing research on the metropolitan capital. Luckily for residents of Leamington and Warwick, Dr Sarah Richardson of the History department is dedicating her time to creating an interactive map of the area that will showcase these incredible women and many more.

Speaking to the Leamington Observer, Dr Richardson remarked, “What we’ve found in Warwickshire demonstrates the number and strength of different organisations active in a medium sized town and just how many women were involved – women like vicars’ wives and teachers.”

Celebrating the centenary of the first official feminist movement in the country while simultaneously experiencing the day-to-day life that women have to face in Britain today can be jarring. One hundred years after women in the area fought for their right to vote, some of the issues have remained unsolved. Despite comprising five different constituencies, the Warwickshire County has never had a female Member of Parliament. One way to make Miss Velacott, Miss Harris and Miss Hulbert proud after all these years would be to finally elect a worthy female MP. It’s the least that could be done.