Reverend Claude Hinscliff (1875–1964) was a British

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

Education and early career

Hinscliff studied for his licentiate in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

. He matriculated in 1893 and was awarded a scholarship after performing well in the admissions exam. As a student he coxed for the university boat club. A member of Hatfield Hall, he graduated in 1896. As reported in 15 June 1897 edition of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', he was ordained a deacon in the

Diocese of Norwich The Diocese of Norwich is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Church of England that forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. History It traces its roots in an unbroken line to the diocese of the Bishop of the East A ...

and attached to Parham and

Hacheston Hacheston is a village and a civil parish in the East Suffolk district, in the English county of Suffolk. The population of the parish at the 2011 census was 345. It is located on the B1116 road between the towns of Wickham Market and Framlingha ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

. In December 1899 he was ordained a priest at

St George in the Meadows, Nottingham St George in the Meadows is a parish church in the Church of England in The Meadows, Nottingham, England. The church is Grade II listed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as it is a building of special architectural or histo ...

. By 1905 he was Vicar of Bobbing in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

Involvement with women's suffrage

Hinscliff is most notable for his involvement in the British suffrage movement. He founded the Anglican

Church League for Women's Suffrage The Church League for Women's Suffrage (CLWS) was an organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom. The league was started in London, but by 1913 it had branches across England, in Wales and Scotland and Ireland. Aims an ...

in 1909, and was its secretary for a long time. He and fellow member Charles Baumgarten (and, according to the ''

Church Times The ''Church Times'' is an independent Anglican weekly newspaper based in London and published in the United Kingdom on Fridays. History The ''Church Times'' was founded on 7 February 1863 by George Josiah Palmer, a printer. It fought for the ...

'', the

Archdeacon of Lewisham The Archdeacons in the Diocese of Southwark are senior clergy in the Church of England in South London and Surrey. They currently include: the archdeacons of Southwark, of Reigate (formerly of Kingston-on-Thames) and of Lewisham & Greenwich ( ...

Charles Escreet Charles Ernest Escreet (20 February 1852 - 3 March 1919) was an Anglican priest: the Archdeacon of Lewisham from 1906 to 1919. Life Escreet was educated at Tonbridge School and Wadham College, Oxford. He was ordained in 1875 and began his care ...

), conducted the funeral service of

Emily Davison Emily Wilding Davison (11 October 1872 – 8 June 1913) was an English suffragette who fought for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, votes for women in Britain in the early twentieth century. A member of the Women's Social and Polit ...

in St. George's, Bloomsbury, where Baumgarten was vicar.

Later life

By 1913 he had become very uncomfortable with the militancy of

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

s, which included arson attacks on churches, and as a result the Church League began to distance itself from the

WSPU The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1918. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership an ...

. He resigned his position as honorary organiser in 1914 on doctor's orders, having been diagnosed with

myocarditis Myocarditis, also known as inflammatory cardiomyopathy, is an acquired cardiomyopathy due to inflammation of the heart muscle. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, chest pain, decreased ability to exercise, and an irregular heartbeat. The ...

in 1911. He then worked in Europe. In 1920 he served on the staff of the Serbian Relief Fund and by March of the following year was established as British Chaplain in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

. He soon moved on to

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, where he served as the British Chaplain in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

from 1921-1924.

Legacy

His 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 ...

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:Hinscliff, Claude British suffragists Alumni of Hatfield College, Durham 20th-century English Anglican priests Durham University Boat Club rowers