The Women's National Anti-Suffrage League (1908–18) was established in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 21 July 1908. Its aims were to oppose women being granted the

vote Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holde ...

in parliamentary elections, although it did support their having votes in local government elections. It was founded at a time when there was a resurgence of support for the

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

movement.

Origins

anti-suffrage Anti-suffragism was a political movement composed of both men and women that began in the late 19th century in order to campaign against women's suffrage in countries such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. T ...

correspondence had taken place in the pages 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 ...

'' through 1906–07, with further calls for leadership of the anti-suffrage movement being placed in ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' in February 1908. Possibly as early as 1907, a letter was circulated to announce the creation of a National Women's Anti-Suffrage Association and inviting recipients to become a member of the Central Organising Committee or a member. It was issued under the names of thirty peeresses who became prominent anti-suffragists, as well as a number of peers and MPs. However, the first meeting of the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League only took place the following year on 21 July, at the Westminster Palace Hotel with Lady Jersey in the Chair. Seventeen people were nominated to the central committee at this meeting, including Mrs Humphry Ward in the chair of the Literary Committee and

Gertrude Bell Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE (14 July 1868 – 12 July 1926) was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist. She spent much of her life exploring and mapping the Middle East, and became highly ...

as secretary. Other members were Mrs Frederic Harrison (

Ethel Bertha Harrison Ethel Bertha Harrison (27 October 1851 – 1916) was a British anti-suffrage essayist. Life Harrison was born in London in 1851 to a merchant William Harrison and Anne Tonge Lake. They were a rich couple owing to trade with the West Indies and ...

Sophia Lonsdale Sophia Lonsdale (1852-1936) was a British philanthropist and social activist. Life Lonsdale was the daughter of John Gylby, canon of Lichfield and Sarah Martineau, née Jardine. Her elder sister, Margaret Lonsdale, would be a nurse and writer. S ...

Violet Markham Violet Rosa Markham (October 1872 – 2 February 1959) was a writer, social reformer, campaigner against women's suffrage and administrator. She grew up near Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Actively involved in community and welfare work, she held ...

Beatrice Chamberlain Beatrice Chamberlain (25 May 1862 – 19 November 1918) was a British educationalist and political organizer. Life Chamberlain was born in Edgbaston in 1862. Her father was Joseph Chamberlain, a local industrialist who later became Mayor of Birm ...

and

Hilaire Belloc Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc (, ; 27 July 187016 July 1953) was a Franco-English writer and historian of the early twentieth century. Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist. H ...

MP. A branch of the League was formed in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in 1909.

Aims

The League's aims were to oppose women being granted the parliamentary franchise, though it did support their having votes in local and municipal elections. It published the ''Anti-Suffrage Review'' from December 1908 until 1918. It gathered 337,018 signatures on an anti-suffrage petition, and founded the first local branch in Hawkenhurst in Kent. The first London branch was established in South Kensington under the auspices of

Mary, Countess of Ilchester Mary Fox-Strangways, Countess of Ilchester (born Mary Eleanor Anne Dawson; 1852–1935) was an Anglo-Irish noblewoman, an anti-suffragist and a leading figure in London society. She was the wife of Henry Fox-Strangways, 5th Earl of Ilchester. L ...

. Soon after, in May 1910, a Scottish branch was organised into the Scottish National Anti-Suffrage League by the Duchess of Montrose. By December of that year there were 26 branches or sub-branches in the country, a total which grew to 82 by April 1909 and 104 in July 1910. It was announced that 2000 subscriptions had been received by Dec 1908, rising to 9000 in July 1909. The League's principal arguments against the concession of the Parliamentary vote to women were:

Merger

In 1910, the group amalgamated with the Men's National League for Opposing Women's Suffrage to form the

National League for Opposing Woman Suffrage The National League for Opposing Woman Suffrage was founded in London in December 1910 to oppose the extension of the voting franchise to women in the United Kingdom. It was formed as an amalgamation of the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League a ...

with

Lord Cromer Earl of Cromer is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, held by members of the Baring family, of German descent. It was created for Evelyn Baring, 1st Viscount Cromer, long time British Consul-General in Egypt. He had already been cr ...

as president and Lady Jersey as Vice-President. The merger was in effect a takeover, with the president of the former organisation, Lord Cromer, becoming president of the new one. In 1912

Lord Curzon George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), styled Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and then Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman ...

and

Lord Weardale Philip James Stanhope, 1st Baron Weardale (8 December 1847 – 1 March 1923), was a British Liberal Party politician and philanthropist. Background and early life Stanhope was born in Marylebone, London. A member of an important political fami ...

became joint presidents. The organisation continued its activities and the publication of the ''Anti-Suffrage Review'' until 1918 when both came to an end as women's suffrage was granted by the Representation of the People Act 1918.

References

{{reflist Organizations established in 1908 Anti-suffragist organizations Women's organisations based in the United Kingdom 1908 establishments in England 1910 disestablishments in England Organizations disestablished in 1910

Origins

Aims

Merger

Archives

See also

References