East Grinstead

In 1910 there were 207 branches of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) in Britain. Membership of the NUWSS had grown from 13,429 in 1909 to 21,571 in 1910. However, it was not until July 1911 that Muriel, Countess de la Warr, Marie Corbett and Lilla Durham decided to form an East Grinstead Suffrage Society.

The first meeting was held at Queens Hall, East Grinstead, on 8th July 1911. The main speaker was Lady Frances Balfour, President of the London Society of the NUWSS. It was decided that Muriel, Countess de la Warr should become President of the East Grinstead Suffrage Society. Other supporters of the society included Countess de la Warr’s sister, Helen Brassey, Idina Sackville, Margery Corbett-Ashby, Cicely Corbett-Fisher, Edith Fox Pitt, Jane Buckley, Florence Buckley and Helen Hoare.

I was deeply interested in the work of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies and so I decided to take a job with the organisation. I became editor of the NUWSS’s newspaper, The Women’s Franchise, and I learned by experience how to select, produce and edit material… I also organised petitions, deputations and processions.

(2) In 8^th September 1912 The East Grinstead Observer reported a meeting of the local suffrage society.

Lady Helen Brassey and Lady Idina Sackville were the hostesses. Mrs. Uniacke said that surely no one can be satisfied with the world around us today. A great deal wants doing. Women want the right to influence public morals. They understand the difficulty of rearing children with healthy minds and bodies. Men now decide at what trades women shall work. Why cannot women decide?