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Background to the collection

This is a collection of oral history interviews about the British suffrage movement. The interviews were conducted by the historian Brian Harrison between 1974 and 1981, as part of a project funded by the Social Science Research Council (he later extensively used these interviews in his book 'Prudent Revolutionaries: Portraits of British Feminists between the Wars' Oxford University Press 1987). The recordings were deposited with the Women’s Library in 1981 and the collection consists of 205 interviews with 183 individuals.

The original aim of the project was to provide material to supplement documentary sources on the Edwardian women’s suffrage movement in Britain and to make these interviews available to scholars subsequently working in the field. Interviews were conducted with surviving suffrage campaigners, their relatives and employees. Many of the interviewees talk about their relationships with more famous suffrage leaders such as the Pankhursts, Flora Drummond and Millicent Fawcett.

As the project progressed the scope widened: it extended chronologically to include discussion of the women’s movement after full enfranchisement in 1928 and it extended thematically to encompass those who were active in various women’s organisations, including international and religious organisations, and to cover wider discussion of women’s lives. The interviews are particularly rich in subjects such as politics, trade unionism, international peace activism, women’s employment and family life, and the birth-control movement. Taken as a whole, the collection is a key source for British women’s history of the 20th century.

One of the most exhilarating sides I found of the women鈥檚 movement was that it changed us, from the don鈥檛s to the dos. The average girl of my age was always being told you can鈥檛 do that, you oughtn鈥檛 to do that; it was a series of constrictions.

Margery Corbett-Ashby

The interviews

Harrison travelled the UK interviewing the women (whom he referred to as his ‘informants’) in their own homes. He also visited Ireland and conducted one interview in Australia. 

The interviews are very much conversations – as you will hear, Harrison interrupts, attempts to clarify, and prompts.  You will hear household noises in the background – ticking clocks, birds in the garden, even chinking of glasses! The informal settings of the interviews (and Harrison’s equipment) mean the sound quality is sometimes not great – the voices of the interviewees can be indistinct or obscured by background noise. The interviews often begin and end quite abruptly – sometimes when his subjects are in the middle of saying something – so don’t be thrown when you listen to the recordings if they appear to start or end mid-sentence – this is the way they were recorded not a fault of later editing.

Browse and search within the collecton

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You can also search within this collection for specific keywords in each record.

Access the interviews

Click 'View record' to look at the individual archives catalogue record which includes further information about the recording.

Click 'Listen' to open a player in your browser where you can stream and download an MP3 version of the recording. 

1. Stocks, Lady. . 

2. Stocks, Lady. . 

3. Corbett-Ashby, Dame Margery. . 

4. Corbett-Ashby, Dame Margery. . 

5. Mairet, Philip. . 

6. Corbett-Ashby, Dame Margery. . 

7. Roe, Miss Grace. . 

8. Blackman, Mrs. . 

9. Barnes, Mrs Annie. . 

10. Billington Greig, Miss Fiona. . 

11. Pierotti, Miss Muriel. . 

12. Butler, Miss Christina Violet. . 

13. Roe, Miss Grace. . . 

14. Butler, Miss Christina Violet. . 

15. Roberts, Miss Winifred Adair. . 

16. Bennett, Mrs Mary. . 

17. Butler, Miss Ruth. . 

18. Cohen, Mrs Leonora. . . 

19. Cohen, Mrs Leonora. . 

20. Taylor, Mr James. . 

21. Hale, Miss Cicely. . 

22. Frances, Mrs Juanita. . 

23. Lawson, Miss Marie. . 

24. Lawson, Miss Marie. . 

25. Butler, Christina Violet. . . 

26. Ricardo, Lady Beatrice. . 

27. Crum, Michael re Lettice Fisher. . 

28. Barnes, Annie. . 

29. Flint, Mrs Elsie. . 

30. Smith, Maude Kate. . . 

31. Robinson, Miss Margaret. . 

32. Hunkins-Hallinan, Mrs Hazel. . 

33. Sowerbutts, Miss FM.  

34. Evans, Mrs Lyndal.  

36. Lutyens, Mrs Naomi. . 

37. Chew, Miss Doris re Ada Nield Chew. . 

38. Morrison, Miss Sybil. . 

39. Price, Reginald Charles. . . 

40. Lutyens, Mrs Naomi. . 

41. Johnson, Mrs Marion. . 

42. Schofield-Coates, Mrs. . 

43. Douie, Miss Vera. . . 

44. Shaw, Miss Betty & Blake, Mrs Anne. . . 

49. Lutyens, Miss Elisabeth. . 

50. BBC programmes on Domestic Service. . 

51. Woodhouse, Lady Davina re Lord Lytton. . 

52. Munro-Ashman, Dr Donald. . 

53. Cole, Dame Margaret. . . 

54. Moyes, Helen. . 

55. Moyes, Helen. . 

56. Hall, Mr Edward & Mrs Pauline. . 

57. Hall, Mr Edward & Mrs Pauline. . . 

58. Moyes, Helen. . 

59. Veale, Sir Douglas. . 

60. Veale, Sir Douglas. . 

61. Veale, Sir Douglas. . 

62. Tabor, Miss Mary. . 

63. Thorndike, Sybil. . 

64. Patterson, Mrs Ann (née Stocks). . . 

65. Tabor, Miss Lucy. . 

66. Hubback, David & Miss Rachel. . 

67. Hopkinson, Mr David & Mrs Diana. . . 

68. Wootton, Baroness. . 

69. Inglis, Miss Hazel. . . 

70. Raphael, Mrs Winifred. . 

71. Barrowman, Dr Barclay & Mrs. . 

72. Nelki, Mrs Erna. . 

73. Inglis, Miss Hazel. . 

74. Green, Helen. . 

75. Toomer, Miss Mabel re Mary Toomer. . 

76. Walker, Mrs Anne re Laura Taylor. . . 

77. Neale, Mrs Elizabeth. . 

78. Bartels, Miss Olive. . . 

79. Lidiard, Mrs Victoria (née Simmons). . 

80. Beeston, Miss Louisa & Jackson, Miss EM. . 

81. Clark, F Le Gros. . 

82. Yeadon, Mr & Mrs Herbert JG. . . 

83. Fulford, Roger. . 

84. Lewcock, Mrs Connie. . 

85. Links, Mrs Mary (née Lutyens). . 

86. Smith, Mr & Mrs Leslie. . 

87. Murray, Miss Flora. . 

88. Stephens, Mrs Marjorie Sprince. . . 

89. Mann, Miss J de L. .  

90. Needham, Mrs Nita. . 

91. Hinton, Mrs Vere. . . 

92. Groom-Smith, Mrs Gladys. . . 

93. Fulford, Mrs Edith. . 

94. Lagsding, Miss Elsie. . . 

95. Unnamed worker at The Vote offices. . 

96. Northey, Mrs Molly. . 

97. Kempster, Miss Elizabeth. . 

98. Morrison, Miss Vida A. . 

99. Hodgson, Mrs Mary. . . 

100. Cottrell, Mr George. . 

101. Coningham, Miss Eva. . 

102. Groom-Smith, Mrs Gladys. . .    

103. Goodman, Mrs Peggy. . 

104. Cohen, Mrs Leonora. . . 

106. Corbett-Ashby, Dame Margery. . 

107. Cobbold, Lady Hermione | . 

108. Konter, Mrs & Hunter, Mrs. . 

109. Turnbull, Sir Frank. . 

110. Lytton, Lady Anne. . 

114. Collisson, Miss Margery Chave. . 

115. Gilliland, Mrs Jean & Platts-Mills, Mr & Mrs JFF. . 

116. Corbett-Ashby, Dame Margery. . . 

117. Douie, Miss Vera. . . 

118. Fairfield, Dr Letitia. . 

119. Jay, Mrs Peggy. . . 

120. Hunot, Mrs Jean. . 

121. Dunlop, Mrs Mary. . . . 

122 - 123. Halpern, Mrs Barbara. . . . 

124. Stocks, Miss Helen. . . 

125. Hill, Prof Rosalind & Barratt, Miss Christina | . . 

126. Fairfield, Dr, Letitia. . . 

127. Corbett-Ashby, Dame Margery. . . 

128. Soper, Mrs Marjorie. . . 

129. Hilton, Miss Irene| . . 

130. Wright, Dr Helena. . 

131. Horton, Mrs Gertrude. . 

132. Wentzel, Mr Cyril & Mrs Ursula. . . 

133. Stedman, Mrs Myra. . 

134. Furlong, Miss E re Kathleen Courtney. . . 

135. Daniels, Mr & Mrs. . 

136. Hamilton Smith, Miss E. . . 

137. Cox, Mrs Doris & Soper, Mrs Marjorie. . 

138. Halpin, Miss. . . 

139. Horton, Mrs Gertrude. . 

140. Cox, Mrs Doris & Schaerli, Mrs Vera. . . 

141. Hilton, Miss Irene. .  

142. Richards, Mrs Alice. . . 

143. Groves, Mrs. . 

144. Frankenburg, Mrs Charis. . . 

145. Horton, Mrs Gertrude. . 

146. Wright, Mrs Elsie & Lewcock, Mrs Connie | . 

147. Balls, Miss Norah. . .    

148. Murdoch, Mrs Almora. . 

149. Wright, Dr Helena. . . 

150. Noel-Baker, Right Honourable Philip. . 

151. Balogh, Lord. . 

152. Campion, Sidney R. . . 

153. Schofield, Mrs Alice. .     

154. Smieton, Dame Mary. .  

155. Franklin, Mr Colin & Mrs Charlotte. . . 

156. Dugdale, George. . 

157. Stephen, Miss Jessie. . . 

158. Courtney, Mrs Mary. . 

159. Ward, Baroness Irene. . 

160. Thomas, Mrs Marion. . . 

161. Sheehy-Skeffington, Mrs André. . 

162. Fitzpatrick, Dr Elizabeth. . 

163. Litster, Mrs. . 

164. Comerford, Miss Maire. . . 

165. Robinson, Miss Margaret. . 

166. Ridgway, Mrs Margaret re Anna Munro. . 

167. Pyke, Dr David. . 

168. Adams, Mrs Dorothy re Anna Munro. . .     

169. Wolff, Mrs Helga. .      

171. Coleman, Mrs Gwen. . 

172. Richley, Mrs Ursula & Mr Noel re Alice Franklin. . .      

173. Burrell, Lady. .   

174. Picton-Turbervill, Wilfrid. . 

175. Wells, Mrs M. . . 

177. Raphael, Mrs Nancy. . 

178. Howard, Basil Alvin. . . 

179. Gibberd, Miss Kathleen. . 

180. Stewart, Right Honourable Michael MP. . 

181. Taylor, Dr Rosalie. . .  

182. Hiorns, Miss Marjorie. . 

183. Hadow, Misses Christine & Rachel | . 

184. Marshall, Professor Thomas Humphrey. . 

185. Hadow, Miss Enid. . .  

186. Halpern, Mrs Barbara. . 

187. Franklin, Norman & Jill. . .  

188. Radice, Mrs Joan. . 

190. Brockway, Lord, (Archibald) Fenner. . . 

193. Shannon, Mrs Gertrude. .     

194. Frankenburg, Mrs Charis. . 

195. Tippett, Sir Michael. . 

196. Wilson, Mrs Helen on Annot Robinson. . 

197. Hogan, Mrs Sue. . 

199. Tollett, Mrs. . . 

200. Ashby, Dr Michael & Mrs. . . 

201. Schaerli, Mrs Vera (aka Vera Craig). . 

202. Billington-Greig, Miss Fiona. . . 

203. Hopkinson, David and Diana. .   

204. Warner, Grizel, Lady. .    

205. McCall, Mrs Cicely. . 

 

Unavailable interviews

These interviews aren't available due to technical issues with the recordings or because they are closed under the Data Protection Act. Check individual records for further details.  

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