Marie Corbett (née Gray; 30 April 1859 – 28 March 1932) was an English

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 ...

, local government worker and supporter of 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 ...

Family

Marie Gray was born in Kennington, London, the daughter of George and Eliza Gray from

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. T ...

.''Who was Who''; OUP, 2007 George Gray was a successful businessman who became rich through importing fruit and producing confectionery. He and his wife Eliza were strong supporters of the Liberal Party who championed many progressive causes. In 1881, Marie Gray married Charles Corbett, a barrister. Corbett was later elected Liberal MP for East Grinstead sitting from

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

until January 1910. They had two daughters and a son. Their daughters were Dame

Margery Corbett Ashby Dame Margery Irene Corbett Ashby, ( Corbett; 19 April 1882 – 15 May 1981) was a British suffragist, Liberal politician, feminist and internationalist. Background She was born at Danehill, East Sussex, the daughter of Charles Corbett, a bar ...

, an international feminist campaigner and Liberal Parliamentary candidate, and Cicely Corbett Fisher, a suffragist and workers' rights activist.

Politics

Marie Corbett shared her parents' and her husband's politics and was a stalwart member of the

Women's Liberal Federation The Women's Liberal Federation was an organisation that was part of the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom. History The Women's Liberal Federation (WLF) was formed on the initiative of Sophia Fry, who in 1886 called a meeting at her house of fi ...

(WLF). She was a member of the Burgess Hill branch from 1905-09 Elizabeth Crawford, ''The women’s suffrage movement: a reference guide, 1866-1928''; UCL Press, 1999, p. 141 and was sometime President of the Danehill and East Grinstead branch. Charles Corbett strongly supported votes for women. He was a partisan in Parliament of 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 ...

and a vigorous campaigner outside. In 1913, he helped to form the East Grinstead branch of the

Men's League for Women's Suffrage The Men's League for Women's Suffrage may refer to: *The Men's League, United States women's suffrage group, also known as the Men's Equal Suffrage League and the Men's League for Women's Suffrage *The Men's League for Women's Suffrage (United King ...

. Like her husband and her famous daughter, Marie Corbett was more radical on women's suffrage issues than the mainstream WLF. She was a friend of

Louisa Martindale Louisa Martindale, (30 October 1872 – 5 February 1966) was an English physician, surgeon, and writer. She also served as magistrate on the Brighton bench, was a prison commissioner and a member of the National Council of Women. She served ...

and close to other Liberal feminists. In 1904, with Margery and her other daughter Cicely, she travelled to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

to attend an International Women's’ Suffrage conference and in 1907, again with Margery, she left the WLF to form the Liberal Women's Suffrage Group.Cheryl Law, ''Women: A Modern Political Dictionary''; I B Tauris, 2000 pp. 44-45 The Corbett family's opinions and campaigning on the question of votes for women often attracted hostility in the traditionally conservative area of East Grinstead. Marie and her two feminist daughters were among those such as Helen MacRae, Lilla Durham, and Mary Sackville who founded the East Grinstead Suffrage Society associated with the Women's Social and Political Union suffragettes and often made public speeches on the subject of women's rights in East Grinstead High Street. At one point, the group were pelted with rotten food on a parade in the town. East Grinstead was traditionally a safe

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

seat and the crowds were usually very hostile. A survey carried out in 1911 suggested that less than 20% of the women in East Grinstead supported women having the vote in parliamentary elections. This may have been one factor in Charles Corbett's loss of his seat in the January 1910 general election where the

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

candidate was said to have inflicted a crushing defeat. In 1908, Marie Corbett became honorary secretary of the Forward Suffrage Movement Within the Women's Liberal Federation, a group founded by

Eva McLaren Eva Maria McLaren (née Müller; 1852 – 16 August 1921) was an English suffragist, writer and campaigner. She served as Superintendent of the Franchise department of the World's Woman's Christian Temperance Union. She was actively associated wit ...

and Frances Heron Maxwell to concentrate the suffrage efforts of Liberal women inside the Liberal Party and through the WLF.Peter Gordon, David Doughan, ''Dictionary of British Women’s Organisations, 1825-1960''; Woburn Press, 2001, p. 54 As a delegate of this group she attended a congress in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

in 1913 organised by the

International Women's Suffrage Alliance The International Alliance of Women (IAW; french: Alliance Internationale des Femmes, AIF) is an international non-governmental organization that works to promote women's rights and gender equality. It was historically the main international org ...

Local government welfare work

Mrs Corbett championed poor relief. She was a member of the

Uckfield Uckfield () is a town in the Wealden District of East Sussex in South East England. The town is on the River Uck, one of the tributaries of the River Ouse, on the southern edge of the Weald. Etymology 'Uckfield', first recorded in writing as ...

Board of guardians Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the po ...

for 36 years, one of the first women poor law guardians and was also recorded as being the first woman to serve as a Rural district councillor in Uckfield. As part of her work she saw to it that all children were removed from the

Workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse' ...

and placed with

foster parents Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family ...

. She was a founder of the

Ashdown Forest Ashdown Forest is an ancient area of open heathland occupying the highest sandy ridge-top of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is situated some south of London in the county of East Sussex, England. Rising to an elevation o ...

Boarding-Out Committee for Poor Law Children. She also co-founded and was Secretary of the East Grinstead Women's Soroptimist Society.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corbett, Marie 1859 births 1932 deaths Liberal Party (UK) politicians English women in politics English suffragists People from Kennington