2018 marks
the 100
th anniversary of British women (over the age of 30) first
gaining the right to vote in parliamentary elections, so to honour this I’ve
delved into the Archives and uncovered the 1906 diary of Ethel Wedgwood, wife
of Josiah Clement Wedgwood M.P. This diary provides invaluable insight into
Ethel’s social and political activities and, crucially, her first hand
encounters with the Suffragist movement.
Ethel Wedgwood’s diary 1906 (UGSD188) Special Collections and Archives,
Keele University Library
Josiah Clement Wedgwood was particularly active in politics,
representing Newcastle-under-Lyme in parliamentary debate for over 35 years. Politics
was naturally high on the agenda for discussion within the family, and Ethel
was very much involved in her husband’s political career, recording her daily
observations in the House of Commons within her diaries.
At the time of Ethel’s writings, the National Union of Women’s
Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) had only just begun to adopt more militant tactics. These
new tactics are observed in many of Ethel’s diary entries, in which she details
the controversial nature of “Pankhurst & Co.” (most likely referring to
Christabel Pankhurst, Emmeline’s daughter), who would frequently interrupt
political meetings and generally, in Ethel’s opinion, act like “insufferable
nuisances”.
We can quite clearly deduce from her writings that Ethel was
not too fond of the Suffragists and their aggression, most evident through her
concern that the controversial tactics of the group would “set half the country
against” the women’s plight, and instead preferring to defend the rights of her
“Staffordshire Women” through respectable debate.
Ethel’s qualms with Pankhurst and her Suffragettes
illustrate the extent of opposition that these women faced, not just from men,
but from people of any gender and class. Even so, while their controversial
tactics may not have made them many friends among politicians, it is impossible
to deny the effect that the Suffragettes had on the public consciousness, using
their commitment and determination to force women’s suffrage to the forefront
of political and social discussion. Without them, we would not be where we are
today!
An extract from Ethel Wedgwood’s 1906 diary (UGSD188) Special Collections
and Archives, Keele University Library
