Local Suffrage Supporters
Mapping of supporters
An exciting project based on my research has now been completed by volunteers from Cheltenham Local History Society.
KNOW YOUR PLACE (KYP) is a website displaying a range of historic maps of Gloucestershire, including tithe maps from the 1840s, the 1855 Cheltenham Old Town Survey, Ordnance Survey maps from 1844-1865, and town plans from 1879-1888, with modern street maps for comparison purposes.
For more information of how to access this, go to https://cheltlocalhistory.org.uk/database/transcriptions/
Below are the details of activists and supporters identified so far. The majority are from the Cheltenham area, but with separate lists for Cirencester and Stroud.
One major source of information is the local newspaper and national suffrage newspaper accounts of activities: these can help to identify the high-profile activists. But a unique source of information for the Cheltenham area is the 1912 book of signatures of women and men presented in gratitude to their M.P. James Agg-Gardner for introducing the second reading of a women's suffrage bill that year. This identifies many more who could not emerge from the newspaper accounts. Their details have been derived from the 1901 and 1911 censuses.
Notes on the table:
Most of the columns relate to household information in one or both of the censuses. This has been linked to the period when they were active or appear in suffrage sources
Women with no occupation are put in social context by giving their husband or father's occupation as appropriate
Organisation indicates the women's suffrage organisation(s) to which the person was attached. WSS/NUWSS (Women's Suffrage Society) - non-militant, CUWFA (Conservative and Unionist Women's Franchise Association) - non-militant, WSPU (Women's Social and Political Union) - militant, WFL (Women's Freedom League)- militant
1912 Sig - 'x' indicates that person had signed the Agg-Gardner book (applicable to Cheltenham area only)
Activity - 'x' indicates that he or she has been identified as taking some active role
Census - primary source(s) of personal information
Final column shows other bits of relevant information, particularly where there is evidence that the 1911 census was evaded.
To search the data, click on the icon at the top right hand corner of the sheet to enable a separate window.
