Mud March (Suffragists)
Encyclopedia
The Mud March of 7 February 1907 was the first large procession organized by the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
(NUWSS). Over 3,000 women trudged through the cold and the rutty streets of London
from Hyde Park
to Exeter Hall
to advocate for women’s suffrage.
Millicent Fawcett
, the renowned leader of the NUWSS and one of the leaders of the march, said of the elements: "The London weather did its worst against us; mud, mud, mud, was its prominent feature, and it was known among us afterwards as the 'mud march.'" Despite the conditions, however, the Mud March is described as: "A gay enough procession by most accounts, despite the weather. Little touches of red and white splashed its length with rose
ttes and favours, posies bound with red and white handkerchief
s programmes, and above the line, white banners with vivid scarlet lettering."
The march was attended by "titled
women, university
women, artists, members of women's club
s, temperance
advocates, and women textile
workers gathered from all parts of the country." More than forty organizations were represented at the march. One description of the march declared, "'[there were] plenty of well-dressed ladies and a few persons of distinction' to head it up and 'a long line of carriages and motor-cars to wind it up–altogether an imposing and representative array.'"
Millicent Fawcett
, co-led the march with fellow "constitutionalist" suffragists Lady Strachey, Lady Frances Balfour, and Keir Hardie
. The constutionalist suffragists, of which the NUWSS was comprised, were "committed by definition to non-militant activity," whereas the "suffragette
s," of which the Women's Social and Political Union
(WSPU) was comprised, employed militant tactics of protest.
Indeed, some time after the Mud March, Fawcett stated, “We, the old stagers, adopted new methods, one of the most successful of which was the organization of public processions in the streets.”
The idea that women had a general distaste for “public display” in British society at this time made the participants in the march appear even more dedicated in the eyes of the spectators. As the Manchester Guardian
noted: "Nobody can suppose that most of the women who took part [in the march]…can have done so for sport or for the pleasure of the thing…it requires some courage for a woman to step out of her drawing room into the street to take her place in a mixed throng for a cause probably distasteful to many or most of her acquaintances, and to see herself pilloried in the newspaper the next morning by name as one of the 'Suffragettes.'"
At the conclusion of the march, one participant was quoted as saying, “We had done what had seemed to so many the ridiculous thing, and the crowd, by taking us seriously, had robbed it of its absurdity.”
Leaders of the suffragist movement, contemporary historians and scholars alike consider the Mud March 1907 to have helped solidify large suffrage processions as a key feature of the British movement.
Deborah Gardener, of the Yale University Press
and the New-York Historical Society
, cites the Mud March as the first significant, large suffragist procession in England and underlines the positive effect such processions had on the image of suffragists in the public eye:
In The Spectacle of Women: Imagery of the Suffrage Campaign 1907-14, author Lisa Tickner recognizes, as did Gardener, the long-term significance of the Mud March: “The Mud March, modest and uncertain as it was by subsequent standards, established the precedent of large-scale processions, carefully ordered and publicized.” Tickner also observes that the “social mix” represented in the Mud March was a foretaste of the effect the suffrage movement would have on the interaction between classes in society.
In her book Connecting Links: The British and American Suffrage Movements, 1900-1914, Patricia Harrison suggests that the NUWSS was able to emulate the enthusiasm and resolve of the militants and while remaining loyal to the constitutional suffrage movement’s commitment to non-militant tactics by organizing processions and demonstrations like the Mud March.
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:...
(NUWSS). Over 3,000 women trudged through the cold and the rutty streets of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
to Exeter Hall
Exeter Hall
Exeter Hall was a hall on the north side of The Strand, London, England. It was erected between 1829 and 1831 on the site of Exeter Exchange, to designs by John Peter Gandy, the brother of the visionary architect Joseph Michael Gandy...
to advocate for women’s suffrage.
Millicent Fawcett
Millicent Fawcett
Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett, GBE was an English suffragist and an early feminist....
, the renowned leader of the NUWSS and one of the leaders of the march, said of the elements: "The London weather did its worst against us; mud, mud, mud, was its prominent feature, and it was known among us afterwards as the 'mud march.'" Despite the conditions, however, the Mud March is described as: "A gay enough procession by most accounts, despite the weather. Little touches of red and white splashed its length with rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
ttes and favours, posies bound with red and white handkerchief
Handkerchief
A handkerchief , also called a handkercher or hanky, is a form of a kerchief, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric that can be carried in the pocket or purse, and which is intended for personal hygiene purposes such as wiping one's hands or face, or blowing one's nose...
s programmes, and above the line, white banners with vivid scarlet lettering."
The march was attended by "titled
British nobility
-General History of British Nobility:The nobility of the four constituent home nations of the United Kingdom has played a major role in shaping the history of the country, although in the present day even hereditary peers have no special rights, privileges or responsibilities, except for residual...
women, university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
women, artists, members of women's club
Women's club
Women’s clubs, also known as woman's clubs, first arose in the United States during the post-Civil War period, in both the North and the South. As a result of increased leisure time due to modern household advances, middle-class women had more time to engage in intellectual pursuits...
s, temperance
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
advocates, and women textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
workers gathered from all parts of the country." More than forty organizations were represented at the march. One description of the march declared, "'[there were] plenty of well-dressed ladies and a few persons of distinction' to head it up and 'a long line of carriages and motor-cars to wind it up–altogether an imposing and representative array.'"
Key people and organisational distinctions
Phillipa (Pippa) Strachey, the daughter of Lady Strachey who was also one of the leaders of the procession, organized the Mud March. The Mud March demonstrated Stratchey's skill as an "organizing genius" and led to the planning of many more processions. Stratchey was described as the "indefatigable organizer, [the] competent, [and] imaginative" woman who was responsible for the meticulous planning of all future large processions of the NUWSS.Millicent Fawcett
Millicent Fawcett
Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett, GBE was an English suffragist and an early feminist....
, co-led the march with fellow "constitutionalist" suffragists Lady Strachey, Lady Frances Balfour, and Keir Hardie
Keir Hardie
James Keir Hardie, Sr. , was a Scottish socialist and labour leader, and was the first Independent Labour Member of Parliament elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
. The constutionalist suffragists, of which the NUWSS was comprised, were "committed by definition to non-militant activity," whereas the "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...
s," of which the Women's Social and Political Union
Women's Social and Political Union
The Women's Social and Political Union was the leading militant organisation campaigning for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom...
(WSPU) was comprised, employed militant tactics of protest.
Purpose of the Mud March
While constitutionalists like Fawcett did not condone the militant tactics of the suffragettes, they recognized that they needed to be visible and vocal in society in order to be successful in their cause. One historical scholar suggests that the Mud March was a demonstration of the fact that the NUWSS "[came to] believe that only the mass demonstration could provide evidence—through its scale[—] that large numbers of women wanted to vote, and through its administration and design that the community at large would gain."Indeed, some time after the Mud March, Fawcett stated, “We, the old stagers, adopted new methods, one of the most successful of which was the organization of public processions in the streets.”
Public reaction to the Mud March
Despite the poor weather conditions, thousands of spectators lined the route of the Mud March. The sight of women of all ages, class, and profession marching side by side—in horrendous weather and through muddied streets—was a novelty worth withstanding the elements to witness. Newspapers and magazines in Europe and in the United States fixated upon the diversity represented in the march.The idea that women had a general distaste for “public display” in British society at this time made the participants in the march appear even more dedicated in the eyes of the spectators. As the Manchester Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
noted: "Nobody can suppose that most of the women who took part [in the march]…can have done so for sport or for the pleasure of the thing…it requires some courage for a woman to step out of her drawing room into the street to take her place in a mixed throng for a cause probably distasteful to many or most of her acquaintances, and to see herself pilloried in the newspaper the next morning by name as one of the 'Suffragettes.'"
At the conclusion of the march, one participant was quoted as saying, “We had done what had seemed to so many the ridiculous thing, and the crowd, by taking us seriously, had robbed it of its absurdity.”
Scholarly insights on the long-term effects of the Mud March
Leaders of the suffragist movement, contemporary historians and scholars alike consider the Mud March 1907 to have helped solidify large suffrage processions as a key feature of the British movement.
Deborah Gardener, of the Yale University Press
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....
and the New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library located in New York City at the corner of 77th Street and Central Park West in Manhattan. Founded in 1804 as New York's first museum, the New-York Historical Society presents exhibitions, public programs and research that...
, cites the Mud March as the first significant, large suffragist procession in England and underlines the positive effect such processions had on the image of suffragists in the public eye:
The suffrage marches drew thousands of participants, starting with the three thousand in February 1907—the ‘Mud March’—and ending with forty thousand at the last in 1913, but more important they drew vast crowds (hundreds of thousands) and concomitant press coverage. Both the constitutionalists and the militants understood the value of such reportage in conveying the message ‘that all sorts and conditions of women wanted the vote, and that women who wanted the vote were not as they popularly conceived to be in the public mind or as caricatured in the illustrated press’…the suffragist movement’s capture of the image of ‘womanly’ women, in contrast to popular images of ‘shrieking’ or hysterical women.
In The Spectacle of Women: Imagery of the Suffrage Campaign 1907-14, author Lisa Tickner recognizes, as did Gardener, the long-term significance of the Mud March: “The Mud March, modest and uncertain as it was by subsequent standards, established the precedent of large-scale processions, carefully ordered and publicized.” Tickner also observes that the “social mix” represented in the Mud March was a foretaste of the effect the suffrage movement would have on the interaction between classes in society.
In her book Connecting Links: The British and American Suffrage Movements, 1900-1914, Patricia Harrison suggests that the NUWSS was able to emulate the enthusiasm and resolve of the militants and while remaining loyal to the constitutional suffrage movement’s commitment to non-militant tactics by organizing processions and demonstrations like the Mud March.