The National Council of Women exists to co-ordinate the voluntary efforts of women across Great Britain. Founded as the National Union of Women Workers, it said that it would "promote sympathy of thought and purpose among the women of Great Britain and Ireland".

History

It was founded in 1895. It changed its name to the National Council of Women of Great Britain & Ireland in 1918. In 1928 it changed its name to the National Council of Women of Great Britain. Its early archives are held in the

London Metropolitan University London Metropolitan University, commonly known as London Met, is a public research university in London, England. The University of North London (formerly the Polytechnic of North London) and London Guildhall University (formerly the City ...

: Trades Union Congress Library Collections. Pearl Adam wrote the History of the National Council of Women of Great Britain in 1945.

Notable members

Presidents

:1895:

Louise Creighton Louise Hume Creighton (née von Glehn; 7 July 1850 – 15 April 1936) was a British author of books on historical and sociopolitical topics, and an activist for a greater representation of women in society, including women's suffrage, and in t ...

:1897: Mrs Alfred Booth :1899: :1900: Mrs Arthur LytteltonNUWW Annual Reports 1899-1901 TUC Library Collections, London Metropolitan University GB1924 HD6079 :1901: Mrs Arthur Lyttelton :1902:

Constance de Rothschild Cyril Flower, 1st Baron Battersea (30 August 1843 – 27 November 1907) was a British Liberal politician and patron of art. Background and education Flower was the third of 18 children (the second of 12 sons) of Philip William Flower, of Furze D ...

:1903: Mary Clifford :1905:

Elizabeth Cadbury Dame Elizabeth Mary Cadbury ( Taylor; 24 June 1858 – 4 December 1951) was a British activist and philanthropist. Her husband was George Cadbury, the chocolate manufacturer. Early life Born in Peckham Rye, Southwark, London, Middlesex, she wa ...

:1907: Mrs Edwin Gray :1909: :1910: Laura Ridding :1911: Mrs Alan Bright :1913: :1916: Maria Ogilvie Gordon :1920:

Maud Palmer, Countess of Selborne Beatrix Maud Palmer, Countess of Selborne (11 April 1858 – 27 April 1950) was a British people, British political and women's rights activist. Early life Born in Marylebone as Beatrix Maud Gascoyne-Cecil, she was the eldest child of futu ...

:1921: Frances Balfour :1923: Mrs George Morgan :1925:

Henrietta Franklin Henrietta "Netta" Franklin, CBE born Henrietta Montagu (9 April 1866 – 7 January 1964) was a British educationist and suffragist. She championed the Parents' National Educational Union and the ideas of Charlotte Mason. Life Franklin was born ...

:1928: Florence Ada Keynes :1931: Lady Trustram Eve :1933:

Eva Hartree Eva Hartree (née Rayner) (24 December 1873 – 9 September 1947) was the first woman to be Mayor of Cambridge, in 1924–25. Early life Hartree was born Eva Rayner in Stockport in 1873, the daughter of a Jewish doctor, Edwin Rayner and his ...

:1937: Ruth Balfour :1938: A. F. Johnston :1940: E. Wilhelmina Ness :1941: Home Peel :1943: E. Wilhelmina Ness :1945: :1953: Kathleen Freeman :1955: Mrs Stanley Moffat :1957:

Eva Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading Eva Violet Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading (; 6 August 1895 – 14 August 1973) was a British philanthropist, Zionist activist, children's welfare advocate, and writer. Among other roles, she served as Vice President of the World Jewish Congress ...

:1959:

Joan Robins Joan Rafferty Robins OBE (23 November 1908 – 7 April 1994) was a British television personality and author, best known for her cookery programmes. Born in Battersea, in London, as Joan Godfrey, she was brought up in a Catholic family and ...

:1962: Norah Dean :1964:

Kathleen Baxter (Mary) Kathleen Baxter, née Young, (30 May 1901 – 25 October 1988) was an English women's rights activist. Born in Bradford to a Roman Catholic family, Kathleen Young was educated at St. Joseph's Catholic College, Bradford and the Society ...

:1966:

Joan Boulind Olive Joan Boulind CBE (née Siddall; 24 September 1912 – 29 July 2004) was an academic, fellow and tutor at Hughes Hall, Cambridge. She was appointed a CBE in 1975. She was married to Henry Frederick Boulind (1906–1970) and mother of Richa ...

:1968:

Guinevere Tilney Sir John Dudley Robert Tarleton Tilney, (19 December 1907 – 26 April 1994) was a British Conservative politician. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Wavertree from 1950 until his retirement at the February 1974 general election. ...

:1970: :1972: Margaret Lampard :1974: Kay Fox :1976: Helen Waldsax :1978: Diane Reid :1980:

Margaret Wingfield Margaret Elizabeth Wingfield (19 January 1912 – 6 April 2002) was a British Liberal Party politician and President of the Liberal Party from 1975 to 1976. Background Wingfield was educated at Freiburg University and the London School of Econo ...

:1984: Mary Mayne :1986: Evelyn Fairfax Martin :1988: Rosalind Preston :1990: Elizabeth Bavidge :1992: Patience Purdy :1994: Jean Clark :1996: :2008: Sheila Eaton :2012: Elsie Leadley :2014: Gwenda Nicholas :2017: Andrena Telford

Other members

Eminent members have included: *

Henrietta Barnett Dame Henrietta Octavia Weston Barnett, DBE (''née'' Rowland; 4 May 1851 – 10 June 1936) was an English social reformer, educationist, and author. She and her husband, Samuel Augustus Barnett, founded the first "University Settlement" at To ...

Nina Boyle Constance Antonina Boyle (21 December 1865 – 4 March 1943) was a British journalist, campaigner for women's suffrage and women's rights, charity and welfare worker, and novelist. She was one of the pioneers of women police officers in Britain ...

Lucy Cavendish Lucy Caroline Cavendish, also known as Lady Frederick Cavendish ( Lyttelton; 5 September 1841 – 22 April 1925), was a pioneer of women's education. A daughter of George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton, she married into another aristocratic fa ...

Emily Janes Emily Janes (14 February 1846 – 26 October 1928) was a British women's rights activist. Born in Tring in Hertfordshire, Janes was educated at a school in Chesham before undertaking voluntary work, initially managing various clubs associat ...

Antonella Kerr, Marchioness of Lothian Antonella Kerr, Marchioness of Lothian (born Antonella Reuss Newland; 8 September 1922 – 6 January 2007), also known as Tony Lothian, was an Italian-born British aristocrat, journalist and writer. Lady Lothian was the founding president ...

* Margaret MacDonald *

Ray Michie, Baroness Michie of Gallanach Janet Ray Michie, Baroness Michie of Gallanach (''née'' Bannerman; 4 February 1934 – 6 May 2008) was a Scottish speech therapist and Liberal Democrat politician. She served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Argyll and Bute for 14 years, from ...

Dorothy Peto Dorothy Olivia Georgiana Peto OBE KPFSM (15 December 1886 – 26 February 1974) was a pioneer of women policing in the United Kingdom who served as the first attested woman Superintendent in the London Metropolitan Police, from 1930 to 1946. ...

* Beatrice Webb *

Florence Mildred White Florence Mildred White (10 December 1873 – 29 December 1957) was an English Police officer, policewoman. She was likely to have been the first documented Women in law enforcement, woman to join a police force in England and Wales, and to be P ...

Margaret Wintringham Margaret Wintringham (née Longbottom; 4 August 1879 – 10 March 1955) was a British Liberal Party politician. She was the second woman, and the first British-born woman, to take her seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. Early ...

References

External links

National Council of Women of Great Britain
Women's rights in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1895 Women's organisations based in the United Kingdom London Metropolitan University {{fem-org-stub