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TheNational Society for Women's Suffrage was the first national group in theUnited Kingdom to campaign forwomen's right to vote.
Officially formed on 6 November 1867 byLydia Becker, the National Society for Women's Suffrage helped lay the foundations of the Britishwomen's suffrage movement.[1]
Eliza Wigham,Jane Wigham,Priscilla Bright McLaren and some of their friends set up anEdinburgh chapter of this National Society. Eliza and her friendAgnes McLaren became the secretaries.[2] By 1870, branches in Scotland were inAberdeen,Glasgow,St. Andrews andGalloway.[3]
The society's appeal spread to other major UK cities and by 1871, theLeeds Committee of the National Society for Women's Suffrage consisted ofIsabella Ford andJoseph Lupton whilstMillicent Fawcett was a member of the Executive Committee of the London Branch of the society which, having been established on July 5th, 1867, was "therefore in the fifth year of its work" in 1871.[4]
Jacob Bright, aLiberal politician, supported by a petition fromJane Taylour of the Galloway branch and others,[5] had suggested in 1871 that it would be useful to create aLondon-based organisation to lobby members of parliament concerning women's suffrage. TheCentral Committee of the National Society for Women's Suffrage first met on 17 January 1872.[1]
In an oral history interview with the historian,Brian Harrison, recorded as part of the Suffrage Interviews project, titledOral evidence on the suffragette and suffragist movements: the Brian Harrison interviews,[6] the British civil servant,Mary Smieton, talked about how she benefitted from the NSWS.
Events of the Quarter (1871) -...Miss Ramsey, hon. secretary to the Bristol Branch of the National Society of Women's Suffrage......The committee in Leeds consists of the following:...Miss Ford...Mr Joseph Lupton....The London [Branch of the] Society was established on July 5th 1867 and is therefore in the fifth year of its work. The Executive Committee consists of the following members:- ...Mrs H. Fawcett [i.e., Millicent Fawcett]...