The National Society for Women’s Suffrage (NSWS) was founded by Lydia Becker in November 1867 with the purpose of uniting the local women’s suffrage groups and coordinating their activities (Smith 9).  At its formation, the NSWS brought together three local suffrage committees: the London National Society for Women’s Suffrage, the Manchester National Society for Women’s Suffrage and the women’s suffrage society of Edinburgh (van Wingerden 16). The actions of each society, both prior to and following the creation of the NSWS, reflected the desire for female representation in parliament and greater women’s rights (Levine 44). Members of the different suffrage societies organized petitions, deputations, and meetings in order to campaign for these objectives.

The NSWS was formed during the debate over the proposed amendment to the 1867 Reform Act, which called for women’s enfranchisement. It gave the societies the advantage of mutual support and cooperation with each other while allowing them to be autonomous. Each committee was able to act independently, maintain its own committee, and manage its funds (Horowitz Murray & Stark 360). To maintain their initiatives, the societies relied on support from the public. The suffrage societies minimized financial barriers to encourage participation and gain financial support for their organizations. For the London Society, the minimum annual contribution to be a member of was one shilling, which granted access to the Society’s publications. Those contributing £1. 1s. annually were granted membership for the General Committee, which consisted of those with distinguished roles and titles (Horowitz Murray & Stark 313-314). By making the society accessible to all, it provided an opportunity to regain expenditures from collecting signatures throughout the kingdom.

Prior to the formation of the NSWS, the London Society for Women’s Suffrage focused on supporting John Stuart Mill, a liberal politician, on his campaign to give women power in Parliament. After receiving support from Mill, an informal group of women began campaigning for women’s rights by creating petitions and gathering support. After two weeks of campaigning, the women collected 1,499 signatures supporting female enfranchisement, which exceeded Mill’s minimum of 100 signatures (Smith 8). Between the ‘Ladies’ Petition’ and the introduction of a women’s suffrage amendment to the 1867 Reform Bill, more petitions were created, and the informal group became the London National Society for Women’s Suffrage in July 1867 (Smith 10).

 The Manchester Society for Women’s Suffrage was founded by Elizabeth Wolstenholme in August 1867. The Manchester Society was more radical than the London Society and consisted of suffragists of both genders. (Smith 9) Prior to founding the society, Wolstenholme, an active advocate for women’s rights, worked to advance opportunities for women’s education and gathered support for the Ladies’ Petition. Another prominent member of the Manchester Society was Lydia Becker. Before becoming the secretary of the Manchester Society, Becker campaigned against the Contagious Disease Acts and participated in the Married Women’s Property Committee. She later became the first secretary for the NSWS and directed its parliamentary campaign (Smith 9). Jacob Bright, a member of parliament and the Manchester Society, also played an influential role in the women’s suffrage movement. He actively campaigned for married woman’s property and the repeal of the Contagious Disease Acts and had an active role in giving women voting rights (van Wingerden 11).

 Despite campaigns from each society, Mill’s proposal for women’s enfranchisement was rejected by a majority vote of 123 (van Wingerden 14). During the Parliamentary election in November 1867, one woman was able to vote, giving the members of the NSWS an opportunity to find a loophole to the law. This led to over 7,700 women from around Britain, under the leadership of Lydia Becker, to make claims for their right of enfranchisement (Fawcett 10). They cited the Lord Brougham’s Act passed in 1850 in their arguement for females being included under the term “man”, as it defined words indicating masculine gender as inclusive of women unless explicitly stated (Fawcett 10). Despite Parliament ruling that women did not fall under the categorization of “man”, 230 women remained on the electoral rolls, giving them the ability to vote in the upcoming election (van Wingerden 21). This participation led to the amendment of the 1869 Municipal Corporations (Franchise) Act by Jacob Bright. This granted women the right to vote in local elections by acknowledging them as those required to pay taxes.

The actions of the NSWS set precedents for future movements to support women’s rights. The adoption of the Municipal Corporations Act amendment in 1869 led to the 1870 Education Act, which granted women the right to vote for local school boards (Smith 10). At the same time, Lydia Becker created the Women’s Suffrage Journal, which provided updates on events affecting women, supported the need for suffrage, and provided instructions for taking action (Smith 23-24). In 1872, the NSWS split into two different societies: the Central Committee of the NSWS and the London National Society for Women’s Suffrage (Levine 44). After merging to reform the central committee in 1877, the National Central Society for Women’s Suffrage broke away in 1888. The societies rejoined to form the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies in 1892, which later became a prominent body in the feminist movement (Smith 19). 

Resources

Fawcett, Millicent Garrett. Women’s Suffrage; a Short History of a Great Movement. London. T.C. & E.C. Jack, 1912.

Horowitz Murray, Janet & Stark, Myra. The Englishwoman’s Review of Social and Industrial Questions. New York, Garland Publishing, 1980.

Horowitz Murray, Janet & Stark, Myra. The Englishwoman’s Review of Social and Insustrial Questions. New York, Garland Publishing, 1985.

Levine, Philippa. Victorian Feminism, 1850-1900. Gainesville, University Press of Florida, 1989.

Smith, Harold. The British Women's Suffrage Campaign 1866-1928: Revised 2nd Edition. Harlow, Pearson Longman, 2007.

van Wingerden, Sophia. The women's suffrage movement in Britain, 1866-1928. New York, St. Martin’s Press, 1999.

Image Citation

"National Society for Women's Suffrage Manchester Branch" LSE Library, 5 Dec. 2017, https://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/24978186628/in/photostream/. Accessed 2 October 2020.