Minnie and Margaret…just two of Gloucestershire’s ‘Wonder Women’.

Back in 2018, to commemorate 100 years of women’s suffrage, archive staff collectively worked on a PowerPoint exhibition, to highlight all types of activity by Gloucestershire women. There were slides on sportswomen, academics, teachers, musicians, writers, poets, and ladies who were not afraid to speak their minds, represent their communities and fight for change. This exhibition has been revisited whilst researching content for our forthcoming Saturday event, ‘Wonder Women’, 2 March 2024, 1-4pm.

For several years, I have worked extensively with Gloucestershire County Council’s archive collection and every time early minutes are consulted, one name clearly stands out – Minnie Allen. Quite simply, she is in a class of her own, a lone female in a chamber full of men. Minnie was the County Council’s first female councillor, elected to represent the electoral district of Cheltenham St Peters on 14th March 1925. As a councillor, she had a leading role in the Maternity and Child Welfare, Education, Agricultural and Joint Tuberculosis committees. There are numerous references to her challenging decisions made, seeking better conditions in hospitals, schools and within the poorer parts of the county. In total, she gave 33 years of loyal service to Gloucestershire County Council and achieved another ‘first’ by becoming the County’s first female Alderman on 14 March 1928. In many ways she was a trailblazer for later female councillors, past and present including Margaret Hills, Joan Kerr, Katherine Penley, Olive Lloyd-Baker and Mavis Lady Dunrossil.

The exhibition also includes a slide on Margaret Hills, a teacher, suffragist organiser, feminist, socialist and expert ‘multi-tasker’ it would seem! She was also the first female councillor for Stroud District Council, elected April 1925 before serving as a County Councillor, between 1937-1952. Appointed as one of just three permanent organisers for the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Society in 1908, Margaret spoke on women’s suffrage at the Royal Albert Hall in 1912 and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Summit in the Hague 1915. She is credited with driving through many local housing improvements including Stroud’s first slum clearance scheme. In fact, her work is remembered today with a housing estate in the town, in her name.

National Union of Women’s suffrage societies pin, belonging to Margaret Hills

To book at a place at our ‘Wonder Women’ event, please visit www.heritagehub.org.uk. As well as the PowerPoint exhibition, there are two talks, on Tudor women and Gloucestershire’s original policewomen plus a display of archives and artefacts from the Gloucestershire Federation of Women’s Institutes with items for sale.

There will also be the opportunity to sign up for a volunteer project working with the Blathwayt diaries, a local family with links to the National Suffragette Movement.

Written by Helen Bartlett (Archive Access and Engagement Manager)