Catherine Elizabeth Marshall (29 April 1880 – 22 March 1961) was a suffragist and campaigner against

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. She moved from women's votes to peace and worked in Geneva supporting the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

Early life and education

Marshall was born on 29 April 1880, in

Harrow on the Hill Harrow on the Hill is a locality and historic village in the borough of Harrow in Greater London, England. The name refers to Harrow Hill, ,Mills, A., ''Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) and is located some half a mile south of the mod ...

. Her father, Francis Marshall, taught mathematics at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

and her mother Caroline had also been a teacher. She was educated privately and then at

St Leonards School St Leonards School is an independent boarding and day school for pupils aged 4–19 in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Founded in 1877 as St Andrews School for Girls Company, it adopted the St Leonards name upon moving to its current premises, the s ...

in Scotland for three years. Marshall inherited her interest in the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

although she would later become disillusioned that their values of equality did not include women. She joined the

London Society for Women's Suffrage The Fawcett Society is a membership charity in the United Kingdom which campaigns for women's rights. The organisation dates back to 1866, when Millicent Garrett Fawcett dedicated her life to the peaceful campaign for women's suffrage. Originall ...

but she did not get involved. By 1908 her father had retired and they moved to the

Lake District The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...

where Marshall and her mother joined the

National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies The National Union of Women Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), also known as the ''suffragists'' (not to be confused with the suffragettes) was an organisation founded in 1897 of women's suffrage societies around the United Kingdom. In 1919 it was ren ...

(NUWSS) and created the Keswick branch. Marshall was demonstrating what became best practice by establishing a stall in Keswick market to sell suffrage literature and raise awareness. In 1911, she joined the core group at the heart of the NUWSS working with

Kathleen Courtney Dame Kathleen D'Olier Courtney, DBE ( – ) was a leader in the suffragist movement in the United Kingdom. Life Kathleen D'Olier Courtney was born the youngest of five daughters and the fifth of seven children of Lieutenant (later Major) David ...

who had been elected honorary secretary. Catherine led the press department and represented the group at a meeting in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. When Edith Palliser was ill she took over as parliamentary secretary skilfully inspiring local groups to lobby their M.P.s whilst she applied direct pressure to key figures. Palliser resigned and Marshall took on her role. The NUWSS was effectively led by Courtney and Marshall. Marshall was involved with senior Liberal party politicians who claimed to support women's suffrage but in effect did little. In August 1913, she returned to Keswick and stayed until the following February. In February 1915, the Women's International Congress took place in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

. This was a conference she had helped organise. Marshall was convinced that peace could be established by recognising the consent of the people and refusing models built of force and power. In March 1915, she resigned from her positions with the NUWSS. She established her country's part of the

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is a non-profit non-governmental organization working "to bring together women of different political views and philosophical and religious backgrounds determined to study and make kno ...

. left, left to right: Marshall, Sir George_Paish,_Jane_Addams,_Cornelia_Ramondt-Hirschmann.html" ;"title="Jane_Addams.html" ;"title="George Paish, Jane Addams">George Paish, Jane Addams, Cornelia Ramondt-Hirschmann">Jane_Addams.html" ;"title="George Paish, Jane Addams">George Paish, Jane Addams, Cornelia Ramondt-Hirschmann, Jeanne Melin – Emergency Peace Conference at the Hague "Conference for a New Peace" in 1922 She was an organiser for the No-Conscription Fellowship. She started a relationship with Clifford_Allen,_1st_Baron_Allen_of_Hurtwood, Clifford Allen, Chairman of the No-Conscription Fellowship, who was imprisoned as a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

three times. In 1917, he became so ill that he was released from prison and he and Marshall set up house together, Marshall was also ill, but from overwork. Marshall hoped that their relationship would continue, but Allen ended their partnership.Jo Vellacott, ‘Marshall, Catherine Elizabeth (1880–1961)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 31 Aug 2017
/ref> Marshall recovered from her overwork threw herself again into ensuring peace. She was a delegate in Zurich at the Women's International Congress. The congress attracted delegations from many of former countries who had been at war. The congress was able to review the model for the new

. Following the formation of the League of Nations, Marshall spent a lot of time in Geneva working for the

. This was an influential group and

Jane Addams Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860 May 21, 1935) was an American settlement activist, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, and author. She was an important leader in the history of social work and women's suffrage ...

was to get a Nobel prize for her work with them. Marshall moved on in the 1930s to help people who were escaping from the growth of the Nazis in Germany.

Posthumous recognition

Her papers are held at the

National Library of Ireland The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ga, Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is the Republic of Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland is ...

. Her name and picture (and those of 58 other women's suffrage supporters) are on the

plinth A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In c ...

of the

statue of Millicent Fawcett The statue of Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square, London, honours the British suffragist leader and social campaigner Dame Millicent Fawcett. It was made in 2018 by Gillian Wearing. Following a campaign and petition by the activist Caroline C ...

Parliament Square Parliament Square is a square at the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster in central London. Laid out in the 19th century, it features a large open green area in the centre with trees to its west, and it contai ...

, London, unveiled in 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Catherine 1880 births 1961 deaths English conscientious objectors English suffragists People educated at St Leonards School International Congress of Women people English activists