'Minutes of the Last Meeting Passed': The Huddersfield Women's Social and Political Union Minute Book January 1907-1909, a New Source for Suffrage History

Abstract

The historiography of the militant suffrage campaign organized by the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) between 1903 and 1914 has made increasing use of local and regional studies in an attempt to reassess the organization from the perspective of its grass roots membership. This approach has of necessity relied on a variety of partial sources as no regional records of the WSPU survive. Therefore, the recent deposit of a minute book for the Huddersfield branch is of great interest to suffrage historians, even though the document only covers the earliest years of the branch from 1907 to 1909. This article assesses the value of the minute book as a source for writing suffrage history. It discusses how the minutes add to our existing knowledge of the militant campaign, particularly in understanding the relationship between national headquarters and regional branches, in appreciating the demands belonging to the WSPU made on its members in terms of time, and in the importance of individual personal relationships in sustaining a successful suffrage campaign. The article also considers how local and regional histories of the WSPU have been created without the benefit of minute books. Consequently it measures the new findings of the minute book against the records available in other contemporary sources, such as local newspapers and the national suffrage press, to demonstrate how minute books are useful but ultimately not vital in reinterpreting the WSPU from the branch level.