Ada Nield Chew
Encyclopedia
Ada Nield Chew was a British
suffragette
.
Ada Nield was born on a farm near Butt Lane
in North Staffordshire
on 28 January 1870, daughter of Willam and Jane (née Hammond) Nield. She left school at the age of eleven to help her mother take care of house and family. When she was in her twenties she worked as a tailor
in a factory in Crewe
, Cheshire
, but was dismissed after writing a series of letters to The Crewe Chronicle which criticised working conditions in the factory. Following this she became active in the Independent Labour Party
and in 1896, she toured the north-east of England in the Clarion Van to publicise the ILP's policies. Shortly afterwards, in 1897 she married George Chew another ILP organiser. Their daughter, Doris, (and only child) was born in the following year. Chew then became an organiser for the Women's Trade Union League
.
In the years leading up to the First World War, Chew became an active supporter of the movement for women's suffrage
. According to her daughter, Chew as a working class woman, sometimes felt patronised by the middle class leadership of the movement. This was reflected in a lively correspondence with Christabel Pankhurst
in the pages of The Clarion
during 1904. Chew became a member of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
and worked for this body as an organiser from 1911 to 1914. The main focus of her work was in winning support for the cause through contacts in the labour movement.
During the First World War Chew adopted a pacifist stance and was active in the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
and other anti-war organisations.
After the end of the war Chew withdrew from any major involvement in politics, preferring instead to concentrate on building up the mail-order drapery business which she founded. She retired from the business in 1930 and undertook a round-the-world tour in 1935. Her husband died in 1940, and Chew herself died on 27 December 1945 at, Burnley
, Lancashire
. She is buried in Rochdale
. She was survived by her daughter, Doris, who later edited a selection of her writings together with a brief biography.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
.
Ada Nield was born on a farm near Butt Lane
Butt Lane
Butt Lane is a suburb of Kidsgrove in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, North Staffordshire.It is also the birthplace of Reginald Mitchell designer of the RAF's WW2 fighter the Spitfire....
in North Staffordshire
North Staffordshire
North Staffordshire describes an area of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It contains the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands and the City of Stoke-on-Trent. The Stoke and Newcastle areas make up The Potteries Urban Area, whilst the Moorlands are largely...
on 28 January 1870, daughter of Willam and Jane (née Hammond) Nield. She left school at the age of eleven to help her mother take care of house and family. When she was in her twenties she worked as a tailor
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
in a factory in Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, but was dismissed after writing a series of letters to The Crewe Chronicle which criticised working conditions in the factory. Following this she became active in the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
and in 1896, she toured the north-east of England in the Clarion Van to publicise the ILP's policies. Shortly afterwards, in 1897 she married George Chew another ILP organiser. Their daughter, Doris, (and only child) was born in the following year. Chew then became an organiser for the Women's Trade Union League
Women's Trade Union League
The Women's Trade Union League was a U.S. organization of both working class and more well-off women formed in 1903 to support the efforts of women to organize labor unions and to eliminate sweatshop conditions...
.
In the years leading up to the First World War, Chew became an active supporter of the movement for women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
. According to her daughter, Chew as a working class woman, sometimes felt patronised by the middle class leadership of the movement. This was reflected in a lively correspondence with Christabel Pankhurst
Christabel Pankhurst
Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst, DBE , was a suffragette born in Manchester, England. A co-founder of the Women's Social and Political Union , she directed its militant actions from exile in France from 1912 to 1913. In 1914 she became a fervent supporter of the war against Germany...
in the pages of The Clarion
The Clarion
The Clarion was a weekly newspaper published by Robert Blatchford, based in the United Kingdom. It was a socialist publication though adopting a British-focused rather than internationalist perspective on political affairs, as seen in its support of the British involvement in the Anglo-Boer Wars...
during 1904. Chew became a member of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies , also known as the Suffragists was an organisation of women's suffrage societies in the United Kingdom.-Formation and campaigning:...
and worked for this body as an organiser from 1911 to 1914. The main focus of her work was in winning support for the cause through contacts in the labour movement.
During the First World War Chew adopted a pacifist stance and was active in the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom was established in the United States in January 1915 as the Woman's Peace Party...
and other anti-war organisations.
After the end of the war Chew withdrew from any major involvement in politics, preferring instead to concentrate on building up the mail-order drapery business which she founded. She retired from the business in 1930 and undertook a round-the-world tour in 1935. Her husband died in 1940, and Chew herself died on 27 December 1945 at, Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. She is buried in Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
. She was survived by her daughter, Doris, who later edited a selection of her writings together with a brief biography.
See also
- History of feminismHistory of feminismThe history of feminism involves the story of feminist movements and of feminist thinkers. Depending on time, culture and country, feminists around the world have sometimes had different causes and goals...
- List of suffragists and suffragettes
- SuffragetteSuffragette"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
- Women's Social and Political UnionWomen's Social and Political UnionThe Women's Social and Political Union was the leading militant organisation campaigning for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom...
- Women's suffrageWomen's suffrageWomen's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
- Women's suffrage in the United KingdomWomen's suffrage in the United KingdomWomen's suffrage in the United Kingdom as a national movement began in 1872. Women were not prohibited from voting in the United Kingdom until the 1832 Reform Act and the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act...