Helen Studdard

Women's Suffrage Work

Secretary of the Huddersfield branch of the NUWSS as well as Honorary Secretary of the Huddersfield Women's Liberal Association.

Attended the International Woman Suffrage Alliance Conference in Amsterdam, Stockholm and Budapest.

Wrote in the local press as 'Jus Suffragii'.

Biography

Helen was born in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire in 1856 as 'Ellen Hardwicke Brown.' Her mother Mary was an unmarried agricultural labourer.

In the 1861 census, Ellen is recorded as living in the Doddington workhouse with her mother and 20 day old brother Thomas. Ten years later, the family was living in Chatteris and at the ages of 14 and 10, Ellen and Thomas were working alongside their mother as agricultural labourers.

It is unclear exactly when Ellen moved to Huddersfield, however in November 1879, Ellen married Joseph 'Joe' Studdard a Cabinet Maker from Cecil Street, Huddersfield. Ellen is recorded as living in Edgerton. Although no occupation is given it's quite possible she was working as a domestic servant in the area. Her father is given as 'Thomas Brown' a miner, although we know from earlier records that this is false.

The couple moved to 4, then 6 Spring Grove Street, Huddersfield. By 1911, the had moved a short distance to 44 Springwood Street. In July 1933, 'Helen' died at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, her will gave her belongings to Mary Jane Smith (nee Welch) of Chatteris, possibly a relative or daughter of a friend from Ellen's earlier life. Mary's daughter was named Irene Hardwick Smith, possibly in honour of Ellen.