Death of Wollstonecraft

Death of Mary Wollstonecraft on 10 September 1797. Mary Shelley, Wollstonecraft’s second daughter, was born on August 30th, after which complications from childbirth set in. Wollstonecraft developed a fever, and died on September 10th. She was buried at St. Pancras Churchyard. Image: William Blake's frontispiece to the 1791 edition of Mary Wollstonecraft's Original Stories from Real Life. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Ghislaine McDayter, "On the Publication of William Godwin’s Memoirs of the Author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, 1798"

Anne K. Mellor, "On the Publication of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman"

Peterloo massacre

On 16 August 1819, at St. Peter’s Field, Manchester, more than 60,000 workers gathered to demonstrate in favor of an expansion of suffrage in England. In an attempt to disperse the crowd and arrest the organizers of the demonstration, local cavalry and members of the 15th Hussars and 88th Foot attacked the crowd, killing a dozen protestors and injuring as many as 600. Though Wellington was not involved, the incident was dubbed “Peterloo” because of his persistent opposition to reform in the House of Lords. Image: Richard Carlisle, To Henry Hunt, Esq., as chairman of the emeeting assembled in St. Peter's Field, Manchester, sixteenth day of August, 1819, and to the female Reformers of Manchester and the adjacent towns who were exposed to and suffered from the wanton and fiendish attack made on them by that brutal armed force, the Manchester and Cheshire Yeomanry Cavalry, this plate is dedicated by their fellow labourer, Richard Carlile: a coloured engraving that depicts the Peterloo Massacre (1 October 1819), Manchester Library Services. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Related Articles

James Chandler, “On Peterloo, 16 August 1819″

Sean Grass, “On the Death of the Duke of Wellington, 14 September 1852″

First Chartist Petition

On 14 June 1839, the First Chartist Petition was presented to the House of Commons. The Petition was summarily rejected without a hearing on 12 July 1839. The Petition sought universal male suffrage, a secret ballot, and parliamentary reform. Image: Engraving depicting a Chartist riot from 1886 book True Stories of the Reign of Queen Victoria by Cornelius Brown. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Chris R. Vanden Bossche, "On Chartism"

Related Articles

Jo Briggs, “1848 and 1851: A Reconsideration of the Historical Narrative”

Second Chartist Petition

Presentation of the Second Chartist Petition to the House of Commons on 2 May 1842. Like the first Chartist Petition, which was presented in June 1839, this was rejected without a hearing on the next day, 3 May 1842. Image: Engraving depicting a Chartist riot from 1886 book True Stories of the Reign of Queen Victoria by Cornelius Brown. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Chris R. Vanden Bossche, "On Chartism"

Related Articles

Jo Briggs, “1848 and 1851: A Reconsideration of the Historical Narrative”

Chartist Rally, Kennington

On 10 April 1848, Chartists rally on Kennington Common, south London. Image: Poster advertising the "Monster" Chartist Demonstration, held on 10 April 1848, proceeding to Kennington Common, Rodney Mace, British Trade Union Posters: An Illustrated History. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Led by Feargus O’Connor, an estimated 25,000 Chartists meet on Kennington Common planning to march to Westminster to deliver a monster petition in favor of the six points of the People’s Charter. Police block bridges over the Thames containing the marchers south of the river, and the demonstration is broken up with some arrests and violence. However, the large scale revolt widely predicted and feared fails to materialize.

Articles

Jo Briggs, “1848 and 1851: A Reconsideration of the Historical Narrative”

Chris Vanden Bossche, "On Chartism"

Petition for Reform of Married Women’s Property Law

On 14 March 1856, presentation of the Petition for Reform of the Married Women’s Property Law, 1856. The petition began the joint effort by lawmakers and public women to grant married women control of their own wealth.

Articles

Jill Rappoport, “Wives and Sons: Coverture, Primogeniture, and Married Women’s Property”

Related Articles

Rachel Ablow, “‘One Flesh,’ One Person, and the 1870 Married Women’s Property Act”

Anne D. Wallace, “On the Deceased Wife’s Sister Controversy, 1835-1907″

English Woman’s Journal first published

March 1858 saw the first issue of England’s first feminist monthly magazine, the English Woman's Journal. Aimed primarily at a middle-class audience, the magazine promoted new employment and educational opportunities for women, and featured a mix of political and social commentary, reportage of current events, poetry, book reviews, and a correspondence column. Image: Photograph of Bessie Rayner Parkes Belloc (date unknown). This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Janice Schroeder, “On the English Woman’s Journal, 1858-62″

Birth of Clemence Annie Housman

Detail from Newspaper photo of Clemence Housman circa 1910. Wikimedia Commons

Clemence Annie Housman was born in Bromsgrove, England, on November 23, 1861, to Edward Housman and Sarah Jane Williams Housman. Her name was chosen because her birth day fell on Saint Clement’s Day in the liturgical calendar; notably, Clemence was fascinated by sainthood throughout her life. Clemence was the third child and oldest girl in a family of seven children, the eldest of whom was the well-known poet, A .E. Housman (1859-1936). Clemence was very close to the second youngest of her siblings, Laurence (1865-1959), with whom she lived and worked her entire life. In addition to writing novels, Clemence was a wood engraver and an activist in the feminist movement for female suffrage.(Oakely, Inseperable Siblings)

Opening of Girton College at Cambridge

https://editions.covecollective.org/sites/default/files/chronology-uploads/Girton_College%2C_Cambridge_-_geograph.org_.uk_-_87878.jpg

In 1869 the college of Girton at the University of Cambridge was founded by Emily Davies. Girton was the first women's college at Cambridge. Originally, Girton College was located at Hitchin, then shortly after opening moved to Girton where the campus remains today. Just two years later, in 1871, Henry Sidgwick opened a second college and residence for women in Cambridge which relocated to Newnham Hall and became known as Newnham College in 1875. In more recent times, the University of Cambridge opened two more women's colleges. New Hall opened in 1954 and Lucy Cavendish College opened in 1986.

Although Girton paved the way for women at Cambridge, Girton began admitting men into the school in 1977, while Newnham, New Hall and Lucy Cavendish all remain strictly women's colleges. In an article titled "English and American Colleges for Women," published in 1877, the writer talks about how even though Girton was a school at the University of Cambridge the students from Girton did not receive a University degree. In another article titled "Women at the University of Cambridge," it states that women did not receive degrees or full status until 1947. Women's acceptance into college was a step forward in the suffrage movement, giving women the right to attend classes, become more independent and have more job opportunities. When women finally received full status and degree, it became and an even bigger step forward, giving women and men a more equal education.

I received all of my information from articles "Women at the University of Cambridge," and "English and American Colleges for Women." All of the mapsites are women's colleges that I learned about in these articles along with Cambridge itself. 

Elaine D. Trehub. "Women at the University of Cambridge." The Victorian Web, November 27, 2016,         www.thevictorianweb.org/history/education/trehub/3.html

"English and American Colleges for Women." New York Times (1857- 1922), Feburary 18, 1877 pp. 6. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/93591529?...

Association for the Education of Women at Oxford

A photo of multiple colleges at Oxford University, taken from above.

In June of 1878, the Association for the Education of Women at Oxford (the A.E.W.), was formed. This association resolved issues that had been taking place since 1866, when the first few Oxford women attended lectures. These women had to have special permission to attend lectures and the lectures they attended were given by friends or relatives. A few years later, in 1873, classes were offered for women, but they were still looked at as an experiment rather than an actual Oxford education. By 1879, with the help of the A.E.W., women could have an Oxford Education. Women had the option of attending Oxford while residing in a private home or attending one of the two residental colleges. The women who attended while residing in private were attending what became known as St. Anne's college in 1942, but it was not recognized as a college until 1952. Lady Margaret Hall and Somerville were both founded in 1879 as residential colleges at Oxford. St. Hugh's women's college was founded at Oxford in 1884 and St. Hilda's women's college was founded at Oxford in 1893. Today, only Somerville and St. Hilda's remain women's colleges. Allowing women to attend classes was a step toward the right direction in the suffrage movement. Education was still very limited to women, but with time the limitations became lighter, letting women continue to move forward in the suffrage movement. 

I received all of my information from the articles "Women at the University of Oxford," and "Report of the Degrees for Women Syndicate." 

Elaine D. Trehub. "Women at the University of Oxford." The Victorian Web, November 27, 2016,     www.victorianweb.org/history/education/trehub/4.html

"ART.X.-1. Report of the Degrees for Women Syndicate." The Quarterly Review, vol 186, no. 372, 1897, pp. 529-551. ProQuest, 

 https://search- proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/2482551?accountid=13158 

All mapsite locations placed from information given in the articles 

Exhibition of the Rational Dress Society

Rational Dress Fashion Plate (Dresses with Divided Skirts)

The exhibition put on by the Rational Dress Society in 1883 captures the innovative spirit of the Society itself. Established in 1881, the society would put together their exhibition two years later in Prince's Hall, a public event space located on Piccadilly Street in London. This event would be the culmination of the Society's main goal: to promote and encourage dress reform among men and women, who would meet in separate groups to organize lectures, publications, and other public projects. The Society defined rational dress according to the following five qualifications: freedom of movement, absence of pressure over any part of the body, not more weight than is necessary for warmth, and both weight and warmth equally distributed, grace and beauty combined with comfort and convenience, and not departing too conspicuously from the ordinary dress of the time. A further goal of the 1883 Exhibition was to create both a supply and demand for rational dress by introducing the public and clothing trades to qualifying articles, and informing the public where such garments could be obtained. Ultimately the ideas of the Rational Dress Society did have an impact on the way clothing for both men and women was viewed. Despite this impact, it would be the natural change in fashion trends from 1900-1920 that would allow for clothing that more closely mirrored the requirements of rational dress, ending with the boyish and loosely flowing silhouettes of shorter 1920's dresses. This time period mirrored that of Woman's Suffrage campaign that ended with women obtaining the vote in 1918.

Though it is rare to find publications from the Society that are within easy access, Google Books offers a free digitized version of the pamphlet from the event entitled The Exhibition of the Rational Dress Association Catalogue of Exhibits and List of Exhibitors. This primary source offers fashion plates depicting rational dress costumes shown at the exhibit, and detailed explanations of how the judges determined the winners of each category. In 2000 Ohio State University put together an exhibit of dress reform during the Victorian period that covers rational dress and beyond. This exhibit was created from Ohio State's Historic Costume and Textiles Collection, and is entitled Reforming Fashion, 1850-1900: Politics, Health, and Art. One of the best places to find opinions of and reactions to the ideas of the society were the newspapers and editorials published, such as this early article from the year the Rational Dress Society formed from Mcmillion's Magazine called Rational Dress Reform and another editorial from The Times of India just a year later entitled The Rational Dress Society

Crawford v. Crawford and Dilke

On 12 February 1886, in Crawford v. Crawford and Dilke, Donald Crawford wins the divorce suit he brought against his wife, Virginia, on the grounds of her adultery, although the accusation that Sir Charles Dilke was her lover is not proven. By the law of the time, the decree would not become final for six months; during the intervening period before it is rendered absolute, challenges to the verdict may be entertained. Image: Photo of Sir Charles Dilke from an Ogdens Cigarette card. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Mary Jean Corbett, "On Crawford v. Crawford and Dilke, 1886"

Launch of Atalanta

L.T. Meade (1844-1914). Author and first editor of Atalanta. Credits: Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/23653/23653-h/images/meade.jpg

Under the editorship of L.T. Meade and Alicia A. Leith, Atalanta was a monthly girls' periodical magazine containing fiction, literary essays, and articles related to girls' issues. Atalanta's first publishing company was Hatchards (1887-1890). Other publishing companies Trischler and Co. (1890-1892), Marshall Bros (1892-1896), and Marshall Russel and Co. Ltd. (1896-1898) published later editions. L.T. Meade was among the writers in early issues, along with Frances Hodgson Burnett, H. Rider Haggard, Grant Allen, Amy Levy, John Strange Winter, and Walter Besant. In the fiction section, Atalanta offered both serialized and short stories, focusing on domestic dramas such as Mrs. Molesworth's "Neighbours" (October 1887-March 1888), and adventures such as H.E. Hamilton King's A Tale of Three Lions (October-December 1887). In the literary articles section, early publications featured Anne Thackeray on Jane Austen, Mary Ward on E.B. Browning, Charlotte Yonge on John Keble, Andrew Lang on Walter Scott. Poems were also featured in this magazine, across various themes such as sentimental, seasonal, religious, and historical subjects.  

"New Aspect of the Woman Question"

In March 1894, Sarah Grand's “The New Aspect of the Woman Question” was published. The essay in North American Review, vol.158, no.448, March 1894, pp.270–6 has been credited with identifying the "New Woman."

Articles

Meaghan Clarke, “1894: The Year of the New Woman Art Critic”

Annie Londonderry's Bicycle Trip Around the World

1895 portrait of Annie not long after the completion of her trip

Annie Kopchovsky (AKA Londonderry) was not the likeliest candidate to bring fame to the bicycling feats of the New Woman and make the adoption of athletic clothing acceptable for women, however, after her fifteen-month bicycle trip around the world she was cemented as a celebrity. At the time of her trip, she weighed 100lbs., stood a mere 5-foot-3, and had never ridden a bicycle before. What the public did not know was that she was a Jewish mother of three children under six, and she chose the name Londonderry to hide her recognizably Jewish name- this was large to protect her from anti-semitism and reproach for leaving her husband and children. The challenge that Annie had undertaken began when two men made a bet that a woman could not match the around the world bicycle trip of Thomas Stevens completed in 32 months. 

Ultimately Annie's journey was a success launching her into international fame. She would later go on a series of public speaking tours and would emphasize that giving up a skirt in favor of a bicycling costume in the first days of her trip was a large part of her success. Due to her fame, Annie became a symbol of the new woman internationally and d a model of the bicycling costume that included no cumbersome skirts. In addition to public speaking, Annie was often featured in advertisements in her bicycling costume and famous bicycle and began a writing career. She would write, "I am a journalist and a 'new woman' if that term means that I believe I can do anything a man can do."

My first two sources have a close connection to Annie as they were written by Peter Zheutin whose great-grandfather was Annie's older brother Bennet. The two articles are Chasing Annie and Annie Londonderry's Extraordinary Ride. To fully understand Annie's daring in appearing in public in riding costumes it is vital to understand the historical context behind the movement. The article From Bustles to Bloomers: Exploring the Bicycles Influence on American Women's Fashion 1880-1914 written by Julia Christie-Robin, Belinda T. Orzada, and Dilia Lopez-Gydosh offers a comparative look on views of how much influence the bicycle had on women's fashion. As for primary sources, many appear in newspapers and magazines such as this article about The Short Skirt Leauge from The London Journal Ladies Supplement, and this article detailing the Aims of the Short Skirt League from the New York Times.

Foundation of the NUWSS

The Great Pilgrimage, 1913

In November of 1897, two suffragist organizations, the National Central Society for Women's Suffrage and the Central Committee of the National Society for Women's Suffrage, united to form a group known as the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). This new group would be the largest organization of suffragists in Britain. The group was placed under the leadership of Millicent Fawcett, who would lead the new organization for more than twenty years, and establish them as a major political influence. The group advocated for suffrage politically, but avoided the more violent tactics of suffragettes, leading to a fracturing in the group that would produce the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). They also allowed men to be members of the organization, in contrast with more extremist groups. To advance their cause, the group engaged in campaigning against political parties that refused to address suffrage, and for those politicians who sought to address the issue. One of their early coordinated actions was a boycott of the Liberal Party in the election of 1906. Their attacks on the Liberal Party are thought to be a contributing factor in the party's replacement by the Labour Party. The NUWSS also coordinated a large march for suffrage in 1907, which was so plagued by rain that it came to be known as "the Mud March". They continued to engage in political advocacy, going so far as to raise funds to fight anti-suffrage candidates in the election of 1912. In 1913 the NUWSS organized their largest march ever, dubbed by newspapers "The Great Pilgrimage". The organization continued on a similar course until it was reorganized and renamed as the National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship (NUSEC) in 1919. 

The linked sources are useful for establishing core tenets of the organization. The first is a retrospective on women's marches, which includes useful information about two of the major marches coordinated by the NUWSS. The second is a set of scans of pamphlets issued by the NUWSS. These pamphlets break down some of the major talking points of the NUWSS for Victorian readers, allowing modern readers insight into both their key talking points and how they presented those talking points. The final article is an in-depth analysis of the contributions of NUWSS to the cause of suffrage, with specific emphasis put upon their leader Millicent Fawcett.

Lethbridge, Lucy. "The women’s March: How the Suffragettes Changed Britain."FT.Com, 2018. ProQuest, http://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.....

“NUWSS Pamphlets.” The British Library, The British Library, 3 Aug. 2017, www.bl.uk/collection-items/nuwss-pamphlets.

Rubinstein, David. “Millicent Garrett Fawcett and the Meaning of Women's Emancipation, 1886-99.” Victorian Studies, vol. 34, no. 3, 1991, pp. 365–380. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3828580.

Formation of the Women's Social and Political Union

WPSU Headquarters

The Women’ Social and Political Union was formed by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1903 in order to start protesting for women’s right to vote in England. While the main concern was to gain women access to vote, they also fought for women’s suffrage in general including more work opportunities. The women in the union were the first to be deemed Suffragettes. The title came from the term suffragist, which was peaceful protest of woman’s suffrage. The definition of a suffragette is “a woman who is fighting for a right to vote with organized protest”. However, these protests were often violent and considered anything but peaceful. The Suffragettes started fires, vandalized political buildings, were sexually assaulted and restrained by the police, as well as caused uproar during voting periods. If imprisoned, the strikes did not stop. Once in prison, the Suffragettes would often refuse to eat, and the prison would then have to force feed the women. The protesting went on for fourteen years before finally dissolving in 1917. Emmeline Pankhurst died on June 14, 1928 and did not see the fruit of her efforts. Less than a month after Pankhurst’s death the law gave women the same right to vote as men. Several suffragette-based organizations succeeded the Women’s Political and Social Union. Including the Women’s Freedom League and the East London Federation of Suffragettes.

Supplemental Materials:

The article by Karen Smith gives a good, brief overview of the WPSU, as well as several other related articles for more in-depth research. It also includes an image of Pankhurst and her daughter, Christabel, as well as a link to video footage of during the time of the WPSU.  Lance delves into the argument of non-violence as opposed to the violent and more bold position that the Women’s Political and Social union had undertaken. He uses research on the topic to present the idea that the WPSU did indeed get women the right to vote using their tactics. This article in particular is a harder read to digest, as it involves research into the subject matter. There is a biography of Emmeline Pankhurst included, that details her life specifically as it relates the Women’s Social and political union. I included a link to a short timeline of important events during the span of the fourteen years the WPSU was active. Overall these materials are short and concise. They provide important insight into the key events and martyrs of the WPSU.

Women's Political and Social Union

Strategy Choices of WPSU

WPSU Timeline

Emmeline Pankhurst Biography

Smith, Karen Mannes. “Women's Social and Political Union.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 17 Mar. 2017, www.britannica.com/topic/Womens-Social-and-Political-Union.

Lance, Keith Curry. “Strategy Choices of the Women’s Political and Social Union, 1903-18.” Social Science Quarterly, vol. 60, no. 1, 1979, pp. 51–61. JSTOR.

Kettler, Sara. “Emmeline Pankhurst.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 27 Feb. 2018, www.biography.com/people/emmeline-pankhurst-9432764.

Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act

Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act passed on 28 Aug 1907. Although there are minor clauses and clarifications, the Act's opening and primary clause is simply this: "[n]o marriage heretofore or hereafter contracted between a man and his deceased wife’s sister, within the realm or without, shall be deemed to have been or shall be void or voidable, as a civil contract, by reason only of such affinity." Image: The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Articles

Anne Wallace, “On the Deceased Wife’s Sister Controversy, 1835-1907″

H.H. Asquith as Prime Minister

H.H. Asquith was the Prime Minister of England from 1908 to 1916. Asquith was 1st earl of Oxford and Asquith. He was a member of the Liberal party and ran for Prime Minister under this party.  While Asquith was Prime Minister, he faced many controversies. The Conciliation bill to give women the right to vote were brought up during his time as Prime Minister and while promising that there would be facilities for a bill such as this in Parliament, he instead favored a bill for universal manhood suffrage. These facilities that H.H. Asquith promised for a conciliation bill for women to gain the right to vote was mainly referring his support and a place politically in Parliament that would allow such a bill to be passed. There were many more controversies during Asquith’s political career such as his interactions with political extremists as well as anarchists. It is because of these many opponents of his time as Prime Minister that his political career is looked upon in a negative light. Such opponents included the suffragettes who placed a great amount of blame on Asquith for the Conciliation bills not being passed. The suffragettes had every right to place this blame on Asquith since he led them to believe that he would welcome such a bill and instead favor suffrage for all men.  Asquith was also the acting Prime Minister for the beginning of World War I as well as passing the Parliament Act of 1911 which dealt with the House of Lords.  

The accompanying articles show H.H. Asquith’s political stance as Prime Minister as well as a look into his time as Prime Minister. The Britannica article on Asquith offers a more general view of Asquith’s life and the dates which he served as Prime Minister as well as other events in his life.  The article “The Women’s Suffrage Movement in England” shows on pages 604-605 how Asquith claimed he welcomed a women’s suffrage bill but did not favor it when it was brought up. The article entitled “H. H. Asquith and Britain's Manpower Problem, 1914–1915” by John Gordon Little shows Asquith’s time as Prime Minister and particularly how he handled his involvement in World War I.  Little’s article brings up a key point about Asquith’s political career which is how over time his actions have been portrayed in a negative light. The article shows a deeper view of Asquith’s liberal views and his stance on issues such as compulsory military service. The newspaper article entitled “Mr. Asquith and the Anarchists” shows the political unrest during his time as Prime Minister. This article shows how Asquith dealt with Anarchists at this time and how Anarchists were defined at this time. The article shows that other political unrest at this time apart from the suffragette movement. However, this article is about H.H. Asquith before he was Prime Minister when he was Home Secretary. The article allows a view of another controversial event that Asquith handled during his political career.  

H.H. Asquith

https://www.britannica.com/biography/H-H-Asquith-1st-earl-of-Oxford-and-Asquith

Robert Norman William Blake, Baron Blake. “H.H. Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 8 Sept. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/H-H-Asquith-1st-earl-of-Oxford-and-Asquith.

Women's Suffrage Movement in England

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1944309.pdf

Turner, Edward Raymond. “The Women's Suffrage Movement in England.” The American Political Science Review, vol. 7, no. 4, 1913, pp. 588–609. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1944309.

H. H. Asquith and Britain's Manpower Problem, 1914–1915

https://www-jstor-org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/stable/pdf/24423466.pdf?refreqid=search%3A5a1e56697f28d224d69bb6ec9a3fb054

LITTLE, JOHN GORDON. “H. H. Asquith and Britain's Manpower Problem, 1914–1915.” History, vol. 82, no. 267, 1997, pp. 397–409. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24423466.

Mr. Asquith and the Anarchists

https://hdl.handle.net/2027/coo.31924057525291?urlappend=%3Bseq=730

“Mr. Asquith and the Anarchists .” The Spectator , 18 Nov. 1893.

The Grille Protest

Beginning on the 12th of October in 1908, the Women's Freedom League prepared for a Special Effort Week.  They began by posting on public buildings in England, calling out the goverment to remove the sex disability in the existing parliamentary franchise and demanding liberation for women.  They were successful in posting their proclamations in Westminster on houses of cabinet ministers, public buildings, and letter boxes; but had not been successful at the House of Commons (Parliament).  Reports were said that this was because of it being too well guarded to be reached by any woman.  This of course didn't stop the WFL, it caused them to take more drastic actions.  On October 28th two ladies, Helen Fox and Muriel Matters, chained themselves onto the metal screen in the Ladies' Gallery, in view of the House of Commons (Parliament).  While other members spread out and littered the floor of the House of Commons with papers advocating women's suffrage.  

The article that I used for the Grille Protest was by Laura Mayhall.  She goes into depth about the events prior to the Grille Protest and the effect that happened afterwards. This article also goes on to explain other events inspired by this successful protest.  

Laura E. Nym Mayhall. “Defining Militancy: Radical Protest, the Constitutional Idiom, and Women's Suffrage in Britain, 1908-1909.” Journal of British Studies, vol. 39, no. 3, 2000, pp. 340–371. JSTOR

Muriel Matters

Muriel Matters Society. Don Dunstan Foundation, https://murielmatterssociety.com.au/home-page/who-was-muriel-matters/.

The Dangers of Forcible Feeding

On October 8th 1909, an article called "The Dangers of Forcible Feeding" was published in the News Paper Votes For Women. The newspaper itself was founded in October 1907,  it was the offical news paper for the Women's Social and Political Union (WPSU). The news paper was a monthly issue with weekly additions to keep up-to-date. In the article "The Dangers of Forcible Feeding" was published as a way for people to be informed about the cruelty of forced feeding. The article also contained signatures from men and women who pratice madicine to have someone intervene and prevent anymore forced feedings from happening.

The image shown is just one of the many ways women in the suffragette movement were forceably fed, another way they were fed was by having the woman held down to the ground while the tube was inserted through the nose and down the throat. This image in particular was used to show the people as well as goverment officals how suffragettes were being treated while in the care of the prison's docotrs and care takers. The main goal was to have people vote to stop the force feedings done to suffragette members.

The Dangers of Forcible Feeding

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=IMJZBBnUFLgC&dat=19091008&printse...

Statement by Mrs. Mary Leigh

This article is from the "Votes for Women" newspaper. This was posted in their October 15th edition, the article is a statement by Mrs. Mary Leigh to her Solicitor. The article is about Mary Leigh's experience at Winston Green Gaol with forced feeding since September 22nd to October 2nd. She explains what happened durring her first forced feeding, with how she was informed anout how she was going to be forced feed along with all of the different ways that she was forced fed. The article also includes her argument to get a fellow suffragette released because she had a weak heart and then how after every force feeding they checked her heart.

Forcible Feeding

Conciliation Bills

The Conciliation Bill was a bill that would give women who owned property as well as some married women the right to vote in England. If the bill had been passed it would have extended the right to vote to an estimated 1,000,00 women.  The bill was brought up to the House of Commons on three separate occasions in 1910, 1911 and 1912.  The bill gained a lot of support from women’s suffrage movements such as the Women’s Social and Political Union. The bill was rejected each year it was brought up to the House of Commons and in 1913 it was decided by constitutional suffragists that the bill would need to be rewritten completely to fit with the standards that the government was forcing on the bill for it to be passed. After it was decided that the bill would need to be completely rewritten the supporters of the Conciliation bills were left back where they started with no bill at all and no apparent hope for women to gain the right to vote.  The bills were rejected in favor of the universal manhood suffrage bill. Many of the suffragettes and women’s suffrage supporters blamed the Prime Minister at the time H.H. Asquith for the rejection of the bills because he promised if re-elected he would give “facilities in the new Parliament for the passing of a Women’s Suffrage Bill.” 

The articles related to the Conciliation bills are mainly news articles from the times the bill was proposed to the House of Commons. The journal article “The Women’s Suffrage Movement in England” shows the obstacles faced by suffragists and suffragettes while trying to get the bill passed as well as why the bill was not passed. In this article from pages 604-607, the conciliation bill is discussed from the conception of the bill to the bill’s eventual defeat. The article also discusses H.H. Asquith’s role in the bill as well as his promise to help the bill in parliament that he did not keep.  The House of Commons favoring a universal manhood suffrage bill is also discussed in this article. The newspaper article Great Britain. There is again a Woman's Suffrage Bill before Parliament shows the actions taken by the suffragettes at the time as well as defining who the bill would give suffrage to. The newspaper article also addresses the Prime Minister at the time H.H. Asquith’s promise during his campaign as well as the journal article. This article shows the attitude at the time towards this bill with the portion talking about the support of the bill from the suffragettes as well as the language used to talk about the last conciliation bill that was rejected.  The newspaper article from the New York Times The English Conciliation Bill offers a unique look at the bill since it is from an American newspaper. The article is a letter to the editor offering a view that women in England needed to rally more for the bill since the percentage of women supporting the bill had dropped.  This article also offers a great definition of what the bill was meant to do and who it was meant to give suffrage to, which was mainly women who held property. The other New York Times article entitled Commons Refuse the Vote to Women offers a look at when the bill was rejected in 1912 for the last time. The article shows the statistics of how many voted in favor of the bill and how many opposed the bill. The article also offers a look at how Parliament in 1912 tried to justify why the bill was rejected by blaming Irish nationalists. 

Great Britain. There is again a Woman's Suffrage Bill before Parliament

http://gerritsen.chadwyck.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/fulltext/fulltext.do?area=documents&id=Gerritsen-GP103_Volume_5_Issue_7-16&pagenum=1&resultNum=4&entries=154&source=config.cfg&queryId=../session/1541369362_5445&backto=FULLREC&fromPage=fullRec

Margaret Heitland : Great Britain. There is again a Woman's Suffrage Bill before Parliament . . .; International women's news. Vol. 5, Iss. 7 (1911) pg. 52

The English Conciliation Bill

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1911/03/02/104779920.pdf

Gardiner, Margaret Doane. “The English Conciliation Bill.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Mar. 1911, www.nytimes.com/1911/03/02/archives/the-english-conciliation-bill.html.

Commons Refuse the Vote to Women

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1912/03/29/100357878.pdf

Marconi Transatlantic Wireless Telegraph to The New York Times. “COMMONS REFUSE THE VOTE TO WOMEN; Conciliation Bill Defeated by 222 to 208 Votes -- Ministers on Opposite Sides.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Mar. 1912, www.nytimes.com/1912/03/29/archives/commons-refuse-the-vote-to-women-con...

The Women's Suffrage Movement in England

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1944309.pdf

Turner, Edward Raymond. “The Women's Suffrage Movement in England.” The American Political Science Review, vol. 7, no. 4, 1913, pp. 588–609. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1944309.

Universal Manhood Suffrage Bill

Universal manhood suffrage was introduced in Parliament instead of the Conciliation bill giving women the right to vote in 1911. This bill would allow all men to vote to remove the prior restrictions such as being required to be a landowner. Parliament and the Prime Minister at this time H.H. Asquith’s decision to favor this bill and not the conciliation bill made many people angry. Suffragettes were the most outspoken in opposition to this bill as they were working to get women who owned property the right to vote and were rejected in favor of manhood suffrage.  This was viewed as a betrayal to the suffragettes because H.H. Asquith said while running for re-election as Prime Minister that he would facilitate a Conciliation bill that gives women the right to vote in Parliament. H.H. Asquith after announcing the universal manhood suffrage bill said he still would facilitate a conciliation bill, but it did not pacify the suffragettes.  

The article “The Englishwoman: Militancy and the Reform Bill” talks about the universal manhood suffrage bill on page 242 and describes the bill and the trouble associated with the bill. The suffragettes saw as well as many other people that with this bill being passed it was unlikely that a Conciliation bill would be passed.  The newspaper article “Great Britain. At this crucial period in the fight for Woman's Suffrage” shows the early stages in getting the universal manhood suffrage bill passed. This article shows that the Labor party was not in favor of the universal manhood suffrage bill and talks about the Women’s Social and Political Union’s involvement. The article “The Women’s Suffrage Movement in England” on page 606 gives a more detailed look at when the bill was introduced and the reaction from suffragettes to the bill as well as the attitude about H.H. Asquith after the introduction of the bill. 

Great Britain. At this crucial period in the fight for Woman's Suffrage

http://gerritsen.chadwyck.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/fulltext/fulltext.do?area=documents&id=Gerritsen-GP103_Volume_6_Issue_6-19&pagenum=1&resultNum=35&entries=154&source=config.cfg&queryId=../session/1541417064_13996&backto=RESULTS&fromPage=searchResults

The Secretary of the W S P U : Great Britain. At this crucial period in the fight for Woman's Suffrage...; International women's news. Vol. 6, Iss. 6 (1912) pg. 52-53

The Englishwoman: Militancy and the Reform Bill

http://gerritsen.chadwyck.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/fulltext/fulltext.do?area=documents&id=Gerritsen-GP58_Volume_15_Issue_45-20&pagenum=2&queryId=..%2Fsession%2F1541417064_13996&resultNum=3&entries=154&source=config.cfg&fromPage=fullRec&browseType=&expandtolevel=&expandId=&zoom=100

P Whitwell Wilson : Militancy and the Reform Bill; The Englishwoman. Vol. 15, Iss. 45 (1912) pg. 242

The Women's Suffrage Movement in England

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1944309.pdf

Dilke, Emilia F. S. “Woman Suffrage in England.” The North American Review, vol. 164, no. 483, 1897, pp. 151–159. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25150939.