Struggle and Suffrage in Plymouth : Women's Lives and the Fight for Equality

212 Pages·30.561 MB·English

by  Tracey Glasspool

Struggle and
Suf frage in Plymouth

Struggle and
Suffrage in Plymouth:
Women�s Lives and the Fight for Equality
Tracey Glasspool
First published in Great Britain in 2019 by
Pen & Sword HISTORY
An imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Yorkshire – Philadelphia
Copyright © Tracey Glasspool, 2019
ISBN 978 1 52671 676 7
The right of Tracey Glasspool to be identified as Author of this work has been
asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.
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Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Abbreviations Used viii
Chapter 1 The Changing Role of Women 1
Chapter 2 Prostitution and Protest: Plymouth and the
Contagious Diseases Acts 7
Chapter 3 Educating Girls 22
Chapter 4 Doctors and Nurses 32
Chapter 5 Women in Profile: Dr Mabel Ramsay 40
Chapter 6 Maternity and Childbirth 44
Chapter 7 Plymouth in Profile: The Battle for
Birth Control 51
Chapter 8 Marriage and the Home 56
Chapter 9 Poverty and Philanthropy 70
Chapter 10 Women in Profile: Dame Agnes Weston 76
Chapter 11 Votes For Women 81
Chapter 12 Jobs for the Girls 106
Chapter 13 Plymouth in Profile: Women on the Beat 120
Chapter 14 Public and Community Life 125
Chapter 15 Women in Profile: Nancy Astor 135
Chapter 16 Leisure and Lifestyle 141
Chapter 17 Plymouth in Profile: Plymouth’s
Lady Footballers 153
Chapter 18 Women and War 158
References 187
Bibliography 191
Websites 192
Index 193

Acknowledgements
Thank you to the following people and organisations:
Clare Robinson of the South West Image Bank, Paul
Santillo and Peter McCarthy of Devon Naval Heritage Centre,
Plymouth Central Library, Plymouth and West Devon Record
Office, Aggies.org.uk, Edinburgh University, The Western
Morning News. And last, but not least, to the four Glasspool
boys, for their unique brand of support.
Abbreviations Used
ASL: Anti-Suffrage League
ATS: Auxiliary Territorial Service
LNA: L adies National Association for Repeal of the
Contagious Diseases Acts
NUWSS: National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies
PCA: Plymouth Citizens’ Association
PWDRO: Plymouth and West Devon Record Office
QAIMNS: Q ueen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing
Service
TANS: Territorial Army Nursing Service
VAD: Voluntary Aid Detachments
WAAC: Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps
WDM: Western Daily Mercury
WMN: Western Morning News
WRNS: Women’s Royal Naval Service
WSPU: Women’s Social and Political Union
WVS: Women’s Voluntary Service
CHAPTER 1
The Changing Role of Women
‘Plymouth is a town of women...’
Women’s Lives 1850–1950
The period from 1850 to 1950 was a time of transformation
in the lives of women. A woman of the 1850s had no vote,
limited opportunities in education and employment, could not
graduate from university or enter the professions. On marriage
her wealth and property passed to her husband and she had no
legal identity of her own. Her role was that of home-maker,
wife and mother.
One hundred years later, a woman could both vote in and
stand for municipal and parliamentary elections. Her education
was better and her employment opportunities far wider. She
could graduate from university, and the professions were now
open to her. She retained control of her own property and
earnings on marriage, her family was smaller and her health
better. Although the domestic role continued to dominate and
there were many reforms still to come, women were on course
for equality with men.
But this transformation did not come without struggle and
the residents of Plymouth were not found wanting in the fight
for women’s rights. From Nancy Astor, the first female MP to
take her seat in Parliament, to Mabel Ramsay, dedicated doctor
and suffrage supporter; from pioneering birth control clinics to
campaigns for women police to lady footballers – Plymouth was
not afraid to take a stance.