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New Constitutional Society for Women's Suffrage

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New Constitutional Society for Women's Suffrage
Formation1910
Dissolved1918
TypeWomen-only political movement
PurposeVotes for women
HeadquartersWhitechapel
MethodsDemonstrations
Key people
Adeline Chapman (president)

The New Constitutional Society for Women's Suffrage (NCS) was a British organisation that campaigned for women to be given the vote. It was formed in January 1910 following the election to lobby Liberal members of parliament. The organisation was not militant and it did not support (or decry) the actions of suffragettes.[1] Its objective was "... to unite all suffragists who believe in the anti-Government election policy, who desire to work by constitutional means, and to abstain from public criticism of other suffragists whose conscience leads them to adopt different methods".[2] The NCS dissolved in June 1918 following the passing Representation of the People Act 1918 which gave the right to vote to women aged over 30 for the first time.[3]

Notable members

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The "New Constitution Society for Women's Suffrage" office in Whitechapel

Adeline Chapman, an anti-suffragette, was one of the founding members of the NCS and served as its president and representative on national committees.[3] Helen Ogston an activist, known for her anger, was an employee in 1910. She had been a leading suffragette the year before.[4] Kate Frye was an organiser in East Anglia.[5] She became the secretary of this organisation in 1914[6] In 1916 they employed Mary Phillips who was another ex-WSPU member (amongst others).[7]

Legacy

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The organisation ended when some British women were first given the vote in 1918.[3] None of the organisation's papers have survived, but the diary of the organisation's secretary Kate Frye was discovered[6] and the relevant sections have been edited and published.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Morton, Tara. "Suffrage Societies Database Guide". Women's Suffrage - school resources. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  2. ^ "New Constitutional Society". Spartacus Educational. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Elizabeth, Crawford. "Chapman [née Chapman; former married name Guest], Adeline Mary (1847–1931)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.369183. Adeline Chapman was, with other members of the London Society for Women's Suffrage, one of the founders of a new society, the New Constitutional Society for Women's Suffrage (NCS) [...] As president of the NCS, Adeline Chapman was no mere figurehead [...] From 1916 she represented the NCS on the Consultative Committee of the Women's Constitutional Suffrage Societies [...] successfully realized in the 1918 Representation of the People Act that gave the vote to women over the age of thirty. In June 1918 the NCS dissolved, its work done. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. ^ Crawford, Elizabeth (2 September 2003). The Women's Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide 1866-1928. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-43402-1.
  5. ^ Liddington, Jill; Crawford, Elizabeth (1 March 2011). "'Women do not count, neither shall they be counted': Suffrage, Citizenship and the Battle for the 1911 Census". History Workshop Journal. 71 (1): 98–127. doi:10.1093/hwj/dbq064. ISSN 1363-3554.
  6. ^ a b Brooke, Mike. "Diary of Whitechapel suffragette Kate Frye discovered 100 years later". East London Advertiser. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  7. ^ "Mary Phillips". Spartacus Educational. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  8. ^ Frye, Kate Parry (2013). Campaigning for the Vote: Kate Parry Frye's Suffrage Diary. Francis Boutle Publishers. ISBN 978-1-903427-75-0.
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