Introduction to Early Suffragists

Throughout the 19th century various groups emerged to demand the right to vote. When the Chartist movement began in 1837 only 1 in 7 men could vote. Mass meetings were held and banners such as the Skelmanthorpe Flag were paraded demanding universal suffrage or votes for all.

From the Kirklees Museums Collection. On display at Tolson Museum, Huddersfield

Many fought only for the rights of men but in 1866 the first women’s suffrage petition was presented to Parliament with 1,499 signatures. Gradually women’s suffrage groups began to form across the country.

Click here to find out more about:

• Batley and Dewsbury's Early Suffragists 
• Huddersfield's Early Suffragists