Elizabeth Clarke Wolstenholme-Elmy facts for kids
Elizabeth Clarke Wolstenholme-Elmy was a very important woman who fought for women's rights in the United Kingdom. She spent her whole life campaigning and organizing for change. She also wrote essays and poems using the names E and Ignota.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Elizabeth Wolstenholme grew up in areas that are now part of Greater Manchester. She was born in Cheetham Hill in 1833. Her mother died soon after she was born, and her father, a Methodist minister, died before she was 14.
Her older brother, Joseph Wolstenholme, was able to go to university and became a mathematics professor. But Elizabeth was only allowed to study for two years at Fulneck Moravian School. Even with limited schooling, she kept learning on her own. She became the headmistress of a private boarding school for girls in Boothstown. Later, she moved her school to Congleton in 1867.
Fighting for Girls' Education
Elizabeth was upset about the poor quality of education for girls. In 1862, she joined the College of Preceptors, an organization for teachers. There, she met Emily Davies. Together, they worked hard to make sure girls could go to higher education, just like boys.
In 1865, Elizabeth started the Manchester Schoolmistresses Association. A year later, she spoke to the Taunton Commission. This group was looking at how to improve grammar schools. Elizabeth was one of the first women ever to speak to a Parliamentary committee in the UK.
She also helped form the North of England Council for Promoting the Higher Education of Women. Elizabeth and Emily Davies had different ideas about how women should be tested for higher education. Elizabeth wanted a curriculum that would help women get jobs, while Emily wanted women to study the same subjects as men.
Campaigning for Women's Right to Vote
In 1866, Elizabeth started the Manchester Committee for the Enfranchisement of Women. This began 50 years of strong campaigning for women's suffrage, which is the right for women to vote.
In 1871, she stopped running her school. She became the first person to be paid to work for the women's movement. Her job was to talk to Parliament about laws that were unfair to women. People called her 'the Scourge of the Commons' or the 'Government Watchdog' because she took her job so seriously.
When other women's suffrage groups struggled, Elizabeth helped keep the Manchester committee going. In 1877, the women's suffrage campaign became more organized as the National Society for Women's Suffrage. Elizabeth was a founding member of the Women's Franchise League in 1889. She later left that group and started the Women's Emancipation Union (WEU) in 1891.
The Women's Emancipation Union (1891–1899)
Elizabeth started the WEU in September 1891. This group worked for four main types of equality between men and women:
- Equal rights and duties as citizens.
- Equal chances in education and personal growth.
- Equal opportunities in the workplace.
- Equality in marriage and as parents.
The WEU held many public meetings and conferences. They encouraged women from all social classes to stand up for their rights. They also pushed for politicians to support women's suffrage.
After a law called the Local Government Act 1894 was passed, the WEU encouraged women who owned property to run for local government positions or at least to vote. More than 100 WEU organizers were elected to local roles, like Poor Law Guardians.
The WEU eventually closed in 1899 after losing funding.
Working with the WSPU
Elizabeth Wolstenholme was a friend of Emmeline Pankhurst, who was a leader of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). The WSPU was known for its more active and sometimes "militant" methods. Some people now see the WEU as an early example of this more direct approach.
Elizabeth was on stage with Keir Hardie and Emmeline Pankhurst at a big meeting in Trafalgar Square in 1906. She also wrote about other important suffrage events. In the 1911 Coronation Procession, she was called 'England's oldest' suffragette. However, Elizabeth left the WSPU in 1913 because she felt their actions were becoming too violent and could harm people.
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Other Important Work
Elizabeth was not just focused on one issue. She wanted equality for women in many areas of life.
She was the secretary for the Married Women's Property Committee from 1867. This group worked to pass the Married Women's Property Act 1882, which allowed married women to own their own property and money. Before this, anything a married woman earned or owned belonged to her husband.
In 1869, she asked Josephine Butler to lead a campaign against unfair laws that affected women's health. This campaign was successful in 1886. In 1883, Elizabeth also worked for the Guardianship of Infants Committee, which led to a law in 1886 that gave mothers more rights over their children.
Personal Life
Elizabeth met Benjamin John Elmy, a silk mill owner and supporter of women's rights, when she moved to Congleton. They became very close partners. Benjamin was interested in social issues and understood the difficulties faced by women workers.
In the early 1870s, Elizabeth and Benjamin started living together. At the time, this was unusual and went against social expectations. To avoid further problems, they had a civil marriage ceremony in 1874. However, Elizabeth still had to leave her job in London.
They moved to Buxton House in Buglawton, where their son, Frank, was born in 1875. Benjamin Elmy also continued to support women's rights. In 1897, he started the first Male Electors League for Female Suffrage, a group for men who supported women's right to vote.
Later Years and Legacy
Elizabeth and Benjamin remained married until his death in 1906. Elizabeth Wolstenholme-Elmy died on March 12, 1918.
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Elizabeth's important work has been recognized in many ways. A blue plaque was placed on her home, Buxton House, in Congleton. Her name and image are also carved into the base of the statue of Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square, London. This statue honors many women who fought for suffrage.
In April 2021, a new road in Congleton was named Wolstenholme Elmy Way to honor Elizabeth and her husband. A charity called Elizabeth's Group was started in 2019 to raise her profile. They raised money for a statue of Elizabeth, which was unveiled on International Women's Day in March 2022.
Images for kids
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Social Science Congress 1879. The three women are captioned "Devotees of social science".
See also
In Spanish: Elizabeth Wolstenholme Elmy para niños
