Glasgow and West of Scotland Association for Women's Suffrage facts for kids
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The Glasgow and West of Scotland Association for Women’s Suffrage was a group that worked to get women the right to vote. It was based in Glasgow, Scotland, but had members from all over the west of Scotland. This group believed in peaceful ways to achieve their goals.
Contents
How the Group Started
The association first met in 1902 at the home of its first president, Mrs. Greig, in Glasgow. The next year, they officially joined the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, a large national group working for women's voting rights. Many of their early meetings were held at the offices of the Scottish Council for Women's Trades. Mrs. Greig was also the president of the Glasgow Women's Liberal Association. Other founding members, like Alice McLaren, Elizabeth Margaret Pace, Grace Paterson, and Margaret Irwin, were also part of the Glasgow Council for Women's Trades. This shows how closely connected these groups were.
What the Group Did
This group was known for being non-militant, meaning they did not use violence or extreme actions. They welcomed men as members, but women led and organized the association.
Their main ways of influencing people included:
- Meetings at home: They held small meetings in people's homes, where important speakers, both men and women, talked about women's suffrage.
- Working with other groups: They connected with many other organizations, like The Primrose League and the British Women's Temperance Association, to gain support for their cause.
Historian Elspeth King noted that the Glasgow Suffrage Society was very much connected to the Scottish Council for Women's Trades. The leaders of the suffrage group tried to get the Countess of Aberdeen, Ishbel Hamilton-Gordon, Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair, to be their president. This was because she was already president of the Scottish Council for Women's Trades and the International Council of Women. However, she was too busy to accept.
The social standing of the members was also important. It helped them get support from important local leaders, like Lord Provosts (city mayors), Town Councillors, and Members of Parliament.
The group's members traveled all over the West of Scotland. They gave speeches and helped set up local branches in towns like Greenock, Motherwell, and Kilmacolm. They even took their campaign to popular holiday spots along the Clyde coast, such as Helensburgh and Dunoon. A branch was set up in Greenock in 1904.
In November 1907, a group from the association met with the Prime Minister, Lloyd George. Mrs. Hunter asked him to promise that the government would introduce a bill to give women the right to vote before the current Parliament ended.
During World War I, the association stopped its political campaigning. Instead, they organized a series of lectures. They made sure to advertise themselves as "non-party, non-militant" and "law-abiding." This helped them stand out from more radical groups, like the Women's Social and Political Union, who sometimes used more aggressive tactics.
What Happened Next
After the Representation of the People Act 1918 was passed, which gave some women the right to vote, the association quickly changed its focus. They started working to help women get elected to local government positions.
They formed a group called the Women's Local Representation Joint Committee. This committee included members from several other organizations with similar goals, such as the Glasgow Women's Citizen's Association. Mary Anderson Snodgrass chaired this committee. She later became a Town Councillor and a Bailie (a type of local official) in Glasgow. This combined group acted as a pressure group, pushing for laws that would benefit women.
In 1933, the association and similar societies were closed down because of money problems. However, the women continued to meet at the Queen Margaret Union at the University of Glasgow until the 1960s.
Important Members
Here are some of the people who were important members of the association:
- Janie Allan
- Mrs. Greig (who was the first chair of the executive committee and a former president of the Glasgow Women's Liberal Association)
- Nellie Hunter
- Margaret Irwin (trade unionist)
- Dr. Alice McLaren
- Dr. Elizabeth Margaret Pace
- Grace Paterson
- Mary Anderson Snodgrass
- Professor Edward Caird
- Marion Gilchrist (Doctor)
- Dr. Thomas Martin Lindsay
See also
- Feminism in the United Kingdom
- List of suffragists and suffragettes
- List of women's rights activists
- List of women's rights organizations
- Timeline of women's suffrage
- Women's suffrage organizations
Images for kids
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Edward Caird, a professor and member
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Marion Gilchrist, a doctor and member
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Thomas Martin Lindsay, a doctor and member
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