Catalogue description RECORDS OF THE CAMBRIDGE BRANCH OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN (FORMERLY THE NATIONAL UNION OF WOMEN WORKERS) AND KINDRED SOCIETIES

CAMBRIDGE LADIES DISCUSSION SOCIETY, THE CAMBRIDGE WOMEN'S HOUSING ASSOCIATION AND CAMBRIDGE ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE

The records listed here also include some of the Cambridge Women's Housing Association 1926-49, the Cambridge Ladies' Discussion Society 1886-1913 and the Cambridge Association for Women's Suffrage 1888-1918.

The scheme used for listing is the standard one of the time, identifying as prefix code Q for records of voluntary organisations. There are 144 items.

Listed by Dorothy Millgate May 1987.

Cambridge Branch of the National Council of Women, Cambridgeshire

Deposited by the National Council of Women through Mrs R.A. Johnson November 1977 and November 1978, and through the Marshall Library of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Cambridge December 1977

The first conference representing the many women's movements that had grown up during the later part of the nineteenth century was held at Nottingham in 1895. They formed themselves into the National Union of Women Workers to represent the increasing number of women entering the professions. In 1898 it federated with the International Council of Women (I.C.W.) and both forms of title were used until 1918 when the association became known as the National Council of Women (N.C.W.).

Mrs Henry Sidgwick, the founder of Newnham College and vice-president of the I.C.W., was founder member of the Cambridge branch. Mrs Florence Ada Keynes, sometime mayor of Cambridge and mother of J.M. Keynes the economist, became its first chairman. Mrs Keynes' interest in these papers almost certainly lies behind the deposit many years' ago of the records in the Library of the Faculty of Economics.

The first of these was founded and administered by local branch members to provide accommodation at reasonable rents for professional members. Three substantial properties were bought: 65 Lensfield Road, 19 Bateman Street and, in 1929, 2 Fitzwilliam Terrace, where were then converted into self-contained flats. The Association was wound up in 1948-9 and the properties sold. The Cambridge Ladies' Discussion Society was a predecessor organisation, founded in 1886 'to bring together ladies who are interested in the discussion of social questions ... hearing papers read and discussing subjects arising'. The inaugural meeting was held in Newnham College 17 March 1886 and it amalgamated with the NUWW in January 1913. Its eminent membership included Mrs Sidgwick, Mrs Marshall, Miss Clough, Mrs H. Darwin and Hon. Mrs. Lyttleton. The Cambridge Association for Women's Suffrage (or CWSA) was a kindred organisation whose purpose is self-evident. The main archive of the body will be found listed as collection 455.

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