Women Writers' Suffrage League
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The Women Writers' Suffrage League (WWSL) was an organisation in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
formed in 1908 by
Cicely Hamilton Cicely Mary Hamilton (née Hammill; 15 June 1872 – 6 December 1952), was an English actress, writer, journalist, suffragist and feminist, part of the struggle for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom. She is now best known for the feminist ...
and Bessie Hatton. The organisation stated that it wanted "to obtain the Parliamentary Franchise for women on the same terms as it is, or may be, granted to men. Its methods are the methods proper to writers – the use of the pen." The organisation viewed itself as a writers' group rather than a
literary society A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies typically promote research, publish newslet ...
. Membership was not based on literary merit, but instead was granted to anyone who had published and sold a written work. Members also paid an annual subscription fee of 2s. 6d. The league was inclusive and welcomed writers of all genders, classes, genres, and political persuasions provided they were in favor of
women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
. By 1911 the league was composed of
conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...
, liberals and
socialists Socialism is an economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and socia ...
, women of power and women who worked hard and members of the military. The league disbanded on 24 January 1919 following the passing
Representation of the People Act Representation of the People Act is a stock short title used in Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Mauritius, Pakistan, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, ...
in February 1918, granting women over the age of 30 the right to vote. The offices of the League were located at 55 Bernes St, Oxford St, W. This group made clear their hatred for
androcentrism Androcentrism (Ancient Greek, ἀνήρ, "man, male") is the practice, conscious or otherwise, of placing a masculine point of view at the center of one's world view, culture, and history, thereby culturally marginalizing femininity. The related a ...
, reading and revising well known works that marginalised women. They discussed current problems within society and came to a common conclusion; after the meetings they made these problems public so that people would be aware of what was happening. They sought to influence political and social changes through literature.


Activities

The WWSL had members from across the political spectrum, and therefore did not participate in some political demonstrations. Activities of the WWSL included: * Annual General Meetings * At-Homes held in members's homes or in hotels and offices, during which the WWSL goals and activities were discussed * Plays and pageants, together with the Actresses's Franchise League * Fundraisers, including a bookstall at the
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 founded in 1903. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and p ...
exhibition * Literary contests for the best suffrage literature * A library at a military hospital in Endell Street, London, set up by
Elizabeth Robins Elizabeth Robins (August 6, 1862 – May 8, 1952) was an actress, playwright, novelist, and suffragette. She also wrote as C. E. Raimond. Early life Elizabeth Robins, the first child of Charles Robins and Hannah Crow, was born in Louisville, ...
, Bessie Hatton, and
Beatrice Harraden Beatrice Harraden (24 January 1864 – 5 May 1936) was a British writer and suffragette. Life Harraden was born in Hampstead, London on 24 January 1864, to parents Samuel Harraden, a Cambridge-educated businessman who exported musical instrume ...
. More than 100 members of the WWSL also marched in the "Great Demonstration" of 21 June 1908, which was organised by the
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 founded in 1903. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and p ...
. Members of the WWSL wore scarlet and white badges with quills. Members also joined marches in July 1910 and June 1911.


Contributions in newspapers

Members of the WWSL contributed to the following newspapers: * ''
Voting Voting is the process of choosing officials or policies by casting a ballot, a document used by people to formally express their preferences. Republics and representative democracies are governments where the population chooses representative ...
'' * ''
Common Cause Common Cause is a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C., with chapters in 35 states. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican, who was the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the administration of President Lyndon ...
'' * ''
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 ...
'' * ''Votes for Women'' * ''Women's Suffrage News'' * ''Women's Suffrage Journal'' * ''Women's Suffrage'' * ''Women's Franchise'' * ''Women's Dreadnought'' * ''The Independent Suffragette'' They also tried to take part in a public debate with the editorials of a conservative newspaper that went against the suffrage.
Elizabeth Robins Elizabeth Robins (August 6, 1862 – May 8, 1952) was an actress, playwright, novelist, and suffragette. She also wrote as C. E. Raimond. Early life Elizabeth Robins, the first child of Charles Robins and Hannah Crow, was born in Louisville, ...
, the League's first president, became famous for her defense of the cause against the anti suffragist
Mrs. Humphry Ward Mary Augusta Ward (''née'' Arnold; 11 June 1851 – 24 March 1920) was a British novelist who wrote under her married name as Mrs Humphry Ward. She worked to improve education for the poor, setting up a Settlement in London. She was a staun ...
in the Times.


Plays

The WWSL gave the following plays together with the
Actresses' Franchise League The Actresses' Franchise League was a women's suffrage organisation, mainly active in England. Founding In 1908 the Actresses' Franchise League was founded by Gertrude Elliott, Adeline Bourne, Winifred Mayo and Sime Seruya at a meeting in ...
: * How the Vote was Won * Votes for Women * A Pageant of Great Women * A chat with Mrs Chicky * Press Cutting Along with
Actresses' Franchise League The Actresses' Franchise League was a women's suffrage organisation, mainly active in England. Founding In 1908 the Actresses' Franchise League was founded by Gertrude Elliott, Adeline Bourne, Winifred Mayo and Sime Seruya at a meeting in ...
they composed works, pageants and shows, some to pay tribute to Shakespeare for integrating in his works the qualities of women. One play written by
Beatrice Harraden Beatrice Harraden (24 January 1864 – 5 May 1936) was a British writer and suffragette. Life Harraden was born in Hampstead, London on 24 January 1864, to parents Samuel Harraden, a Cambridge-educated businessman who exported musical instrume ...
and Bessie Hatton, Shakespeare's Dreams, featured several of Shakespeare's characters (including Portia, Viola, Perdita, Lady Macbeth, Rosalind, Kate, Beatrice, Puck, Ariel, and Cleopatra) coming to the sleeping poet, giving him flowers, and reciting some of their famous lines.


Ending

The
Representation of the People Act Representation of the People Act is a stock short title used in Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Mauritius, Pakistan, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, ...
passed in 1918, granting women over the age of 30 the right to vote. Although this did not meet the stated goal of the WWSL, which was to earn women the right to vote that was equal to the men's right to vote (men over the age of 21 were enfranchised by the Act), the league nevertheless disbanded on 24 January 1918.


Notable members

The WWSL had over 100 members, including several notable female suffrage authors: *
Elizabeth Robins Elizabeth Robins (August 6, 1862 – May 8, 1952) was an actress, playwright, novelist, and suffragette. She also wrote as C. E. Raimond. Early life Elizabeth Robins, the first child of Charles Robins and Hannah Crow, was born in Louisville, ...
- First President *
Marie Belloc Lowndes Marie Adelaide Elizabeth Rayner Lowndes (née Belloc; 5 August 1868 – 14 November 1947), who wrote as Marie Belloc Lowndes, was a prolific English novelist, and sister of author Hilaire Belloc. Active from 1898 until her death, she had a re ...
- Vice President *
Margaret Nevinson Margaret Wynne Nevinson (née Jones; 11 January 1858 – 8 June 1932) was a British suffrage campaigner and author. She was one of the radical activists who in 1907–8 split from established suffragist groups to form the Women's Freedom Le ...
- Treasurer *
Cicely Hamilton Cicely Mary Hamilton (née Hammill; 15 June 1872 – 6 December 1952), was an English actress, writer, journalist, suffragist and feminist, part of the struggle for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom. She is now best known for the feminist ...
* Bessie Hatton *
Beatrice Harraden Beatrice Harraden (24 January 1864 – 5 May 1936) was a British writer and suffragette. Life Harraden was born in Hampstead, London on 24 January 1864, to parents Samuel Harraden, a Cambridge-educated businessman who exported musical instrume ...
*
May Sinclair May Sinclair was the pseudonym of Mary Amelia St. Clair (24 August 1863 – 14 November 1946), a popular British writer who wrote about two dozen novels, short stories and poetry. She was an active suffragist, and member of the Woman Writers' S ...
*
Alice Meynell Alice Christiana Gertrude Meynell (née Thompson; 11 October 184727 November 1922) was a British writer, editor, critic, and suffragist, now remembered mainly as a poet. She was considered for the position of Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom ...
*
Olive Schreiner Olive Schreiner (24 March 1855 – 11 December 1920) was a South African author, anti-war campaigner and intellectual. She is best remembered today for her novel '' The Story of an African Farm'' (1883), which has been highly acclaimed. It dea ...
*
Sarah Grand Sarah Grand (10 June 1854 – 12 May 1943) was an Irish-English feminist writer active from 1873 to 1922. Her work revolved around the New Woman ideal. Early life and influences Sarah Grand was born Frances Elizabeth Bellenden Clarke in Ros ...
*
Violet Hunt Isobel Violet Hunt (28 September 1862 – 16 January 1942) was a British author and literary hostess. She wrote feminist novels. She was a member of the Women Writers' Suffrage League. She also participated in the founding of International PE ...
*
Edith Ayrton Edith Chaplin Ayrton Zangwill (1 October 1874 – 5 May 1945) was a British author and activist. She helped form the Jewish League for Woman Suffrage. Early life Ayrton was born in Empire of Japan, Japan to the scientist William Edward Ayrton ...
*
Edith Ellis Edith Mary Oldham Ellis (née Lees; 9 March 1861 – 14 September 1916) was an English writer and women's rights activist. She was married to the early sexologist Havelock Ellis. Biography Ellis was born on 9 March 1861 in Newton, Lancash ...
* Evelyn Sharp * Gertrude Warden *
George Paston Emily Morse Symonds (1860 – 12 September 1936), known as an author by her pen name George Paston, was a British author and literary critic. Her last novel, ''A Writer of Books'', was published in 1898 and generally agreed to be her best. The ...
* Madeline Lucette Ryley The active participation of men, as honorary associates of the league, also differentiated the WWSL from late-twentieth-century feminist literary groups.


See also

*
Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom A movement to fight for women's right to vote in the United Kingdom finally succeeded through acts of Parliament in 1918 and 1928. It became a national movement in the Victorian era. Women were not explicitly banned from voting in Great Brita ...
*
Suffrage drama Suffrage drama (also known as suffrage plays or suffrage theatre) is a form of dramatic literature that emerged during the British women's suffrage movement in the early twentieth century. Suffrage performances lasted approximately from 1907-1914 ...


References


Further reading

* Stowell, Sheila. 1994.
A stage of their own: feminist playwrights of the suffrage era
'. Ann Arbor, Mich: Univ. of Michigan Press.


External links



{{Authority control 1908 establishments in the United Kingdom British literature Feminist organisations in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1908 Organizations for women writers Suffrage organisations in the United Kingdom British suffragists