The archive consists of correspondence, notebooks and diaries, press cuttings, photographs and other papers. The papers include diaries of Helen's youthful travels in Bosnia and Dalmatia with her family and also some documents pertaining to her later political career. The majority of the collection, however, consists of correspondence: over 2,000 individual letters, spanning the period from around 1914 until the 1960s and documenting many aspects of Helen's life and career. Letters written to Helen's mother from Cairo during the First World War illuminate the British community in the Middle East and the history of Palestine during the conflict. Letters written to Norman give insights into the land army, work at Woolwich Arsenal and trade union activity and also contain information about her brother Hugh Franklin and his suffrage activities at this date. The long and detailed letters to Helen's mother from Jerusalem, 1919-1932 document the history of the British Mandate as well as the evolution of Helen's personal attitude towards Palestine, Jerusalem and the Jewish nation itself. There are frequent references to the political situation and to figures such as Balfour and Herbert Samuel, along with personal observations about every-day life.
Bentwich , Helen Caroline , 1892-1972 , social worker and writerThe archive consists of letters and articles written by Ruth Cavendish-Bentinck, press cuttings and articles relating to the suffrage movement, press cuttings and manuscript notes on women's employment, a drawing of and letter from George Bernard Shaw.
Bentinck , Ruth , Cavendish- , 1867-1953 , suffragistPapers of Emily Wilding Davison comprising personal papers (1909-1913), including employment papers (1913), personal correspondence (1909-1913), writings (1911-1913), papers related to membership of Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) (1912-1913) and to her death (1913-15); papers of Rose and Tom Lamartine Yates related to the Davison inquest; WSPU papers (1905-1914), and papers of other suffrage organisations (1910-1914); papers of the Suffragette Fellowship and the Women's Record Room (1936-1940); photographs (1908-1914), miscellaneous items including 'Justice Tea' teabags, revolving picture of 'elusive Christabel', newspapers and cuttings (1910-1988); posters and illustrations (1908-1914); papers related to the Cat and Mouse Act (1913); artefacts; additional papers (1980s).
Davison , Emily Wilding , 1872-1913 , suffragetteThe archive consists of letters from Charlotte Despard to Charles Wilson (1920-1932) ; photograph of Mrs Wilson (c. 1920); and a diary of a trip to the USSR (1930).
The letters cover the periods 1920-1922 and 1930-1932, and were written to Mr Charles Wilson of Willington, County Durham, Mr Wilson was a political activist who worked with the Durham miners, and Mrs Despard lectured to his students in 1921 and 1930. In the letters Mrs Despard refers to Mr Wilson's poetry; she also sent him a poem that she had written. She refers to her own political activities, in Ireland, lecturing for the Labour Party against British Policy in India. She also mentions several of the illnesses that were beginning to restrict severely such activities.
Despard , Charlotte , 1844-1939 , President of the Women's Freedom LeagueThe archive consists of papers relating to the Guildhouse Fellowship and lecture tours of Dr Agnes Maude Royden. It includes Guildhouse Fellowship newsletters (1941, 1942, 1950) and lists of key events and speakers at the Guildhouse (1921-1940). Detailed letters from Daisy Dobson report home to friends and colleagues on travels in the United States of America and India during Royden's world lecture tour (1928). As well as providing information on Royden's schedule, the letters describe the landscape, people and culture of the countries they visit and comment with humour and frustration on the practicalities of their trip. A later letter describes sea travel during the Second World War for Royden's lecture tour of the United States of America (1941-1942).
Dobson , Daisy , fl 1927-1950 , secretary to Agnes Maude RoydenThe 'archive' consisted of periodicals: Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp News' (1 issue, 1983); pamphlets (1982-1983), ephemera including leaflets and circulars (1982-1983); Press cuttings (1982-1983), badges.
Nelson , Jayne , Greenham Common ActivistThe collection compromises background material for a book on May Morris written by Elizabeth Masterman, titled May Morris: some notes for book collectors, published in 1984 by Book Collector, London. The archive consists of notes, filed alphabetically, covering personalities and subjects referred to in the book, correspondence, a copy of an illustrated catalogue of embroidery designs, a copy of William Morris material in the collection of H Buxton Forman, in possession of the Hammersmith Public Library, a hand list of documents and manuscripts of William Morris and papers and a manuscript text of a lecture about May Morris given by E Masterman at Royal College of Arlon in 1883. Includes details of the Arts and Crafts movement.
Morris , May , 1862-1938 , President of Women's Guild of ArtAs at Jan 2009, The Women's Library held approximately 562 badges in the Museum Collection, with c 200 additional badges identified in the archives.
The earliest badges held in The Women's Library were produced by women's suffrage campaigns, organisations represented include: the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, the Women's Social and Political Union, Women's Freedom League, and faith-based organisations such as the Catholic Women's Suffrage Society and the Jewish League for Women's Suffrage.
In addition, the collection contains women's liberation movement and contemporary badges dating from the 1970s to the present day. It includes a selection of badges produced by women's anti-nuclear and peace organisations, campaigns against male violence, pro-choice (abortion) organisations and lesbian support and campaigning groups.
A small number of modern women's campaigning jewellery items, such as earrings and pendants that are currently stored in this collection.
The Women's LibraryThe archive consists of correspondence, campaigning material, photographs, posters, postcards and badges. It mainly relates to the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp, but also covers international peace campaigns. It includes the manuscript of a book on the menopause.
Nelson , Jayne , fl 1990 , pacifist at Greenham Common Nelson , Juliet , fl 1983-1998 , pacifist at Greenham CommonThe archive consists of Priscilla Norman's personal collection of pamphlets, publications and propaganda material relating to the suffrage campaigns. There was a strong tradition of Liberal support in Lady Norman's family, and some of the material is concerned with their activities. The archive includes circular letters and memoranda from the Workers' Suffrage Federation, the National League for Opposing Woman Suffrage and the Men's Liberal Suffrage Union. Also included are pamphlets dating from the late 1870s, a series of annual reports of the Edinburgh National Society for Women's Suffrage (1875-1883), and some anti-suffrage material sent to Sir Henry Norman as a Member of Parliament.
Norman , Lady , Florence Priscilla , 1883-1964 , nee McLaren , Trustee, Imperial War Museum and social campaignerPapers of Rachel Pinney on the technique of Creative Listening, correspondence, transcript of an article, press cuttings concerning her court appearance on a kidnap charge.
Pinney , Rachel , 1909-1995 , child psychiatristThe archive consists of an illustrated typescript autobiography of Mollie Prendergast spanning the greater part of the twentieth century. Includes accounts of her family history and background; her rural childhood and her time in service; the education and working lives of herself and of other family members; her life in London, including during the Blitz; her work as a civil servant; holidays and trips abroad; and her involvement with left wing political and social action.
Prendergast , Mollie , b 1907-fl 1977The archive consists of a typescript autobiography entitled 'This World's Festival' (incomplete) and biographical notes by Catherine Thackray.
Price , Millie Braine , fl 1881-1918 , suffragette and QuakerThe Sadd Brown Library was founded in 1939 in memory of Myra Sadd Brown, and contains books and periodicals about, and often by, women of the Commonwealth. It covers colonial pioneers to modern day freedom fighters, as well as investigations of women's political and economic advancement and their positions in other societies and religions. For example it includes conference reports of the British Commonwealth League from 1925 to 1938 which vividly reveal the feminist concerns of pre-war generation, some issues having a contemporary resonance many decades later.The Library was the tribute of her suffrage colleagues to Myra Sadd Brown and it continues to grow with support from her family and the Commonwealth Countries League. The collection includes some late nineteenth century publications, such as Olive Schreiner's Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland, 1897, but most of the collection dates from the twentieth century. Some examples of books and periodicals in the Sadd Brown Library include The African child by Evelyn Sharp 1931, Women living under Muslim laws newsheet, Pakistan 1992-, Onions are my husband: survival and accumulation by West African market women by Gracia Clark, 1994 and Race relations news, South Africa 1947-1955.
Sadd Brown LibraryThe archive consists of correspondence and draft for books, resource material, including Women's Liberation Movement papers, socialist periodicals and campaigning papers.
Rowbotham , Sheila , b 1943 , feminist historianThe archive consists of correspondence files of Maude Royden (1936-56), papers and correspondence of Hudson Shaw (1883-1944), general correspondence (1900s-1950s), papers related to the death and memory of Royden (1956-61), materials for biographies of Chiang Kai-Shek and Ralph Rooper (c.1944), sermon diaries including press cuttings (1917-1920), engagement diaries (1948, 1952-55), family photographs, papers related to preaching at Guildhouse (1920s-1940s), draft of autobiography, notebooks and papers (1920s-1930s), scrapbooks (1915-1931), copies of articles, press cuttings (1911-13), pamphlets and publications.
Please note: when transferring the catalogue to the database in 2006, undated items were given the circa date of 1930.
Royden , Agnes Maude , 1876-1956 , writer, preacher and feminist x Shaw , Agnes MaudeThe archive consists of papers relating to the activities and members of See Red Women's Workshop, 1974-1984. It includes correspondence; notebooks containing minutes; press cuttings; poster catalogues and photographs showing members at work in the screen-print workshop.
See Red Women's WorkshopTypescript of Mary Sheepshank's autobiography 'The Long Day Ended' (1880s-1930s). These reminiscences provide interesting descriptions of South America in the 1920s, and of a chapter in the history of the Ukrainian fight for independence.
Sheepshanks , Mary Ryott , 1872-1960 , educationalist, feminist, and internationalistThis small collection remains enigmatic. Somebody (c 1950) went to the trouble of typing out larger parts of Lenin's published work on Women and Communism (held in the main book sequence, though a slightly different edition). Typescript copied from 'Women and Communism' and newspaper delivery note.
Lenin , Vladimir Illich , 1870-1924 , communist leaderPrinted papers relating to The Women and Socialism Conference 1973, and the Leeds Conference on The Family 1973, from a left-wing Women's Liberation Movement perspective. Includes papers from International Feminist Collective and Gay Liberation. Collator unknown.
Women and Socialism Conferences