| Summary : No. 69 Park Street was the office of the Bristol and West of England Society for Women's Suffrage in 1880. At this time, however, the building was known as No. 20 Park Street. It was also the lodgings of Helen Blackburn, the secretary at the time, and it is possible that this was the office of the society until 1889. The society formed in 1868 as the Bristol and Clifton branch of the National Society for Women's Suffrage, changing their name to the Bristol and West of England Society for Women's Suffrage in 1869. In 1872 they became associated with the newly formed Central Committee of the National Society for Women's Suffrage which was a central, London-based committee consisting of representatives from the provincial suffrage societies. |
More information : No. 20 Park Street was the office of the Bristol and West of England Society for Women's Suffrage in 1880. The building was said to have been later renumbered No. 69 Park Street.
The society formed in 1868 as the Bristol and Clifton branch of the National Society for Women's Suffrage, changing their name to the Bristol and West of England Society for Women's Suffrage in 1869. In 1872 they became associated with the newly formed Central Committee of the National Society for Women's Suffrage which was a central, London-based committee consisting of representatives from the provincial suffrage societies.
The Bristol society was actively involved in campaigning during the 1870s and two of its members, Emily Spender and Miss Ramsay, wrote two of the earliest suffrage novels. In 1880, the post of secretary was held by Helen Blackburn, and it was her lodgings at No.20 that were used as the office for the Bristol society. She moved to 10 Great College Street, London, in 1889.
On 4 November 1880, the society was involved in the 'Grand Demonstration' at Colston Hall in Bristol. Many more attended than the 3000 that the hall could accommodate and the audience overflowed into another hall in the building. Several women spoke at the meeting and two resolutions were passed. The first was to adopt a Memorial in which they objected to the exclusion of women ratepayers from the franchise while the other was to form a deputation of representatives of the provincial societies who would meet with the prime minister. The request for the prime minister to receive the deputation was refused, however. (1)
Helen Blackburn was secretary of the Bristol and West of England Society for Women's Suffrage from 1880 to 1895. (2)
No. 20 Park Street may have remained the office of the Bristol and West of England Society for Women's Suffrage until 1889 when the secretary moved to London.
The exact location of this building isn't clear since Crawford claims that it was later renamed No. 69 Park St. Without further evidence, it is difficult to know if it was the building that is currently known to be No. 69. (3)
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