Sybil Margaret Thomas, Viscountess Rhondda, (née Haig; 25 February 1857 – 11 March 1941) was a British suffragette, feminist, and philanthropist.

Early life and marriage

She was born in Brighton, the daughter of George Augustus Haig, a merchant and landowner from Pen Ithon, Radnorshire,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, and his wife, Anne Eliza Fell. Her father was of Scottish descent and was a cousin of

Douglas Haig Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, (; 19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928) was a senior officer of the British Army. During the First World War, he commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until ...

. Her sister was the suffragette Janet Boyd. On 27 June 1882 she married David Alfred Thomas, a wealthy Welsh industrialist who later became

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Merthyr Boroughs. Their principal residence was

Llanwern Llanwern is a community in the eastern part of the City of Newport, South East Wales. Llanwern is bounded by the M4 and Langstone to the north, Ringland, Lliswerry and the River Usk to the west, the River Severn to the south and the city bo ...

, Monmouthshire.

Politics

In the 1890s Sybil Thomas became president of the Welsh Union of Women's Liberal Associations, which was strongly feminist and pro- female suffrage. She was also a prominent moderate in 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 ...

. Her sisters

Janet Janet may refer to: Names * Janet (given name) * Janet (French singer) (1939–2011) Surname * Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table * Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psych ...

and Charlotte were also prominent suffragettes and both went to prison for acts of violence in the name of the cause. Her daughter, Margaret Haig Thomas, became one of the most prominent British feminists of the inter-war years. Under their influence, Sybil joined the more militant

Women's Social and Political Union 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 ...

. In 1914 she was sentenced to one day's imprisonment after holding a public meeting outside the

Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north ban ...

First World War

In 1916 her husband was ennobled as Baron Rhondda. 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 ...

, Lady Rhondda served as chairman of the Women's Advisory Committee of the National War Savings Committee and turned part of Llanwern into a military hospital, as well as assisting her husband in his war work (as Food Controller from 1917–18). In 1918 her husband became Viscount Rhondda. He died shortly afterwards and Lady Rhondda devoted the rest of her life to feminist and philanthropic projects.Biography, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

Honours

Lady Rhondda was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 1920 civilian war honours for her work with the National War Savings Committee. She died on 11 March 1941.

Footnotes

References

*Biography, ''

'' *Obituary, ''

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'' (f ...

'', 12 March 1941 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhondda, Sybil Thomas, Viscountess 1857 births 1941 deaths People from Brighton People from Radnorshire British suffragists British feminists British philanthropists Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire British viscountesses Women of the Victorian era British women in World War I Members of the Workers' Socialist Federation Socialist feminists