New Constitutional Society for Women's Suffrage

The New Constitutional Society for Women's Suffrage 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]

New Constitutional Society for Women's Suffrage
The 1911 Coronation Procession showing the tail-end of the ‘Pageant of Queens’ and a banner. Photo by Christina Broom
Formation1910
TypeWomen-only political movement
PurposeVotes for women
HeadquartersWhitechapel
MethodsDemonstrations

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

Helen Ogston an activist, known for her anger, was an employee in 1910. She had been a leading suffragette the year before.[3] Kate Frye was an organiser in East Anglia.[4] She became the secretary of this organisation in 1914[5] In 1916 they employed Mary Phillips who was another ex-WSPU member (amongst others).[6]

Legacy

The organisation is thought to have ended when some British women were first given the vote in 1918. None of the organisation's papers have survived, but the diary of the organisation's secretary Kate Frye was discovered[5] and the relevant sections have been edited and published.[7]

References
  1. Morton, Tara. "Suffrage Societies Database Guide". Women's Suffrage - school resources. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  2. "New Constitutional Society". Spartacus Educational. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  3. Crawford, Elizabeth (2003-09-02). The Women's Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide 1866-1928. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-43402-1.
  4. Liddington, Jill; Crawford, Elizabeth (2011-03-01). "'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.
  5. Brooke, Mike. "Diary of Whitechapel suffragette Kate Frye discovered 100 years later". East London Advertiser. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  6. "Mary Phillips". Spartacus Educational. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  7. 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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