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Glasgow and West of Scotland Association for Women's Suffrage

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Suffrage Campaigning- National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS)1908-1918 (23070340306)
Dr Elizabeth Pace
Edward Caird
Marion Gilchrist (doctor) 1894
Portrait of Thomas Martin Lindsay

The Glasgow and West of Scotland Association for Women’s Suffrage was an organisation involved in campaigning for women’s suffrage, based in Glasgow, with members from all over the west of Scotland.

Formation

The association met for the first time in 1902, in the home of founding president Mrs Greig, at 18 Lynedoch Crescent, Glasgow. Further meetings (until 1909) were held in the offices of the Scottish Council for Women's Trades at 58 Renfield Street. Greig was, for many years president of the Glasgow Women's Liberal Association,[1] and, along with fellow members Alice McLaren, Elizabeth Margaret Pace, Grace Paterson & Margaret Irwin (trade unionist) was also a member of the GCWT.[2]

18 Lynedoch Crescent, Glasgow

Activities

The organisation is considered to be a non-militant suffrage association. Their methods of influence included drawing-room meetings, addressed by prominent male and female suffragists, as well as networking with other organisations, such as The Primrose League, West of Scotland Women's Liberal Unionist Association, Scottish Women's Liberal Federation, Glasgow Council for Women's Trades & British Women's Temperance Association.

The close links between the Glasgow Council for Women's Trades have been noted by Elspeth King: "There is no doubt that the Suffrage Society of 1902 was essentially the child of the Scottish Council for Women's Trades. The frenetic attempts of the executive committee to persuade the Countess of Aberdeen, Ishbel Hamilton-Gordon, Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair to accept the presidency was due to the fact that she had been President of the parent body since its inception, and President of the International Council of Women since 1893."[3] The countess was unable to accept the presidency, presumably owing to her workload.

Elspeth King notes that the social status of the members was a key driver of their activities. " [It] helped to attract the support of a succession of Liberal Lord Provosts and Town Councillors, and Members of Parliament." [4]

From the earliest days, members of the organisation travelled throughout the West of Scotland, addressing meetings and facilitating the setting up of branches of the organisation, in places such as Greenock,[5] Motherwell [6] and Kilmacolm,[7] the latter in cooperation with the Kilmacolm Women's Liberal Association. They also took their campaign with them as they travelled doon the watter to the Clyde coastal resorts, such as Helensburgh, Troon, Saltcoats, Dunoon and Rothesay.[8][9][10] A branch of the association was established in Greenock, in 1904.[11]

In November 1907, a deputation met with the Prime Minister, Lloyd George at the North British Station Hotel. "He was asked by Mrs Hunter for a pledge that the Government would bring in a women's suffrage Bill before this Parliament came to the end of its career." [12][13]

During the war, the organisation suspended political campaigning, running a series of lectures instead. In the advertisements, they identified themselves as "non-party, non-militant" and "law-abiding", in order to distinguish themselves from the more militant groups, such as the Women's Social and Political Union.[14][15]

Evolution

After the Representation of the People Act 1918 was passed, the Association quickly moved on to promoting women candidates in local government elections. The Women's Local Representation Joint Committee was formed of a number of different organisations with similar aims. These were the Voter's Council, the Women's Educational Union, the Glasgow Women's Citizen's Association, a body formed by members of the Women's Freedom League, the National Council of Women, and the Glasgow Society for Women's Suffrage. It was chaired by Mary Anderson Snodgrass who would go on to be a Town Councillor and Bailie of the city of Glasgow.[16] This coalition of organisations had the role of a pressure group, promoting legislation favourable to women.[17]

In 1933, the societies were dissolved for financial reasons, however, the women continued to meet in Queen Margaret Union at University of Glasgow until the 1960s.[18]

Notable members

Members included:[19][20]

Further reading

  • King, Elspeth (1978) The Scottish Women’s Suffrage Movement. Glasgow. People’s Palace Museum
  • Leneman, Leah (1995) A Guid Cause: The Women’s Suffrage Movement in Scotland. Edinburgh. Mercat Press.
  • Leneman, Leah (2000) The Scottish Suffragettes. Edinburgh. National Museums of Scotland. 190166340x
  • Pedersen, Sarah (2017) The Scottish Suffragettes and the Press. London. Palgrave MacMillan. 9781137538338

See also

References

  1. ^ Leneman, Leah (1995). A Guid Cause: The Women's Suffrage Movement in Scotland. Aberdeen University Press. p. 260. ISBN 1873644485.
  2. ^ King, Elspeth (1978). Papers on the Glasgow and West of Scotland Association for Women's Suffrage. Glasgow: People's Palace Museum. p. 11.
  3. ^ King, Elspeth (1978). The Scottish Women's Suffrage Movement / ... compiled by Elspeth King to accompany the Government sponsored 'Right to Vote' exhibition organised to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act, from 9th September- 7th October 1978, Peoples Palace Museum, Glasgow Green. Glasgow: People's Palace Museum. p. 12.
  4. ^ King, Elspeth (1978). The Scottish Women's Suffrage Movement / ... compiled by Elspeth King to accompany the Government sponsored 'Right to Vote' exhibition organised to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act, from 9th September- 7th October 1978, Peoples Palace Museum, Glasgow Green. Glasgow: People's Palace Museum. p. 12.
  5. ^ Greenock Telegraph and Clyde Shipping Gazette Thursday 17 November 1904
  6. ^ Motherwell Times Friday 13 January 1905
  7. ^ Greenock Telegraph and Clyde Shipping Gazette 20 December 1906
  8. ^ Leneman, Leah (1995). A Guid Cause: The Women's Suffrage Movement in Scotland. Aberdeen University Press. p. 48. ISBN 1873644485.
  9. ^ "The Vote". 6 July 1912.
  10. ^ King, Elspeth (1978). The Scottish Women's Suffrage Movement / ... compiled by Elspeth King to accompany the Government sponsored 'Right to Vote' exhibition organised to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act, from 9th September- 7th October 1978, Peoples Palace Museum, Glasgow Green. Glasgow: People's Palace Museum. p. 4.
  11. ^ "Greenock Telegraph and Clyde Shipping Gazette". 17 November 1904.
  12. ^ Shields Daily News 22 November 1907
  13. ^ Fotheringham, Ann. "Thanks for the Memories: Glasgow's Votes for Women celebration at Mitchell". Evening Times. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  14. ^ Daily Record Wednesday 28 October 1914
  15. ^ Daily Record Wednesday 28 October 1914 p2
  16. ^ Glasgow and West of Scotland Association for Women’s Suffrage Collection, Mitchell Library, Glasgow 891036/7
  17. ^ King, Eslpeth (1978). The Scottish Women's Suffrage Movement / ... compiled by Elspeth King to accompany the Government sponsored 'Right to Vote' exhibition organised to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act, from 9th September- 7th October 1978, Peoples Palace Museum, Glasgow Green. Glasgow: People's Palace Museum. p. 4.
  18. ^ King, Elspeth (1978). The Scottish Women's Suffrage Movement / ... compiled by Elspeth King to accompany the Government sponsored 'Right to Vote' exhibition organised to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act, from 9th September- 7th October 1978, Peoples Palace Museum, Glasgow Green. p. 4.
  19. ^ King, Elspeth (1980) Papers of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Association for Women's Suffrage. Glasgow. People’s Palace Museum.
  20. ^ Executive committee minute books of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Association for Women’s Suffrage, Mitchell Library, Glasgow
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