Ursula Mellor Bright
Encyclopedia
Ursula Mellor Bright was a women's suffrage
campaigner.
Her father was Liverpool merchant Joseph Mellor; he died when Ursula was very young. Her mother married Thomas Blackburn, a Liverpool surgeon. She was a daughter of John Pennington of Hindley
, Lancashire
. John Pennington had two other children, Frederick Pennington
, the Liberal MP and supporter of many women's causes, and Maria, wife of Thomas Thomasson
, the philanthropist.
Her father and her brother, J. P. Mellor, were generous supporters of women's rights causes and societies. Not much is known of her education, but she was brought up in a milieu that gave importance to educating daughters. Her daughter recorded that she was ‘a strong generous soul, very direct, simple as a child in some ways, yet with a keen brain and fine judgment’ and that she was an excellent chess player.
The Mellors were connected to many like-minded families. In the 1840s Ursula's cousins, Martha and Alice Mellor, are recorded as having discussed suffrage issues with Priscilla Bright (later McLaren) in Rochdale
, and on 13 September 1855, in Acomb parish church, Ursula married Jacob Bright
(1821–1899). He and Priscilla Bright were younger siblings of politician John Bright
. Jacob was at this time working with the family firm, John Bright & Brothers. The Brights lived at Alderley Edge
, in Cheshire
, which they left in 1867, after Jacob's election as Liberal MP for Manchester
, to live at 31 St James's Place, London
, during the parliamentary session. They had two sons who died of diphtheria
in early childhood, within a fortnight of each other. Latterly, two more sons were born and, in 1868 they had a daughter, Esther.
The Brights possessed what were known as ‘radical Liberal’ views, and were particularly concerned with advancing women's causes. Esther recorded in her memoirs that they were a family of reformers. In 1870 they became founder members of the Ladies National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts
. Ursula was a member of the executive committee of the Married Women's Property Committee for the duration of its existence (1868–82) and later became treasurer (1874–82). Her efforts in lobbying for the 1882 Married Women's Property Act were widely acknowledged when this Act was passed. Elizabeth Cady Stanton
recorded that ‘for ten consecutive years she gave her special attention to this bill … was unwearied in her efforts, in rolling up petitions, scattering tracts, holding meetings’ . As a point of interest, Elizabeth Wolstenholme Elmy, who had worked jointly with her on that campaign, wrote disparagingly in 1889 of Mrs Bright's lack of business sense and her inability to ‘take suggestions from those who know’. Wolstenholme Elmy was by then, however, no friend.
In 1866 Ursula Bright signed the petition in favour of women's suffrage presented to parliament by John Stuart Mill
; she was a member of the Manchester Women's Suffrage Society, formed in 1867. She worked continuously for the society and its London-based sister until 1890 at the insistence of the Pankhurst
s., To the disgust of Elizabeth Wolstenholme Elmy, who thought she gave undue support to Gladstone, she was later made honorary secretary of the Women's Franchise League
. Unlike the main National Society for Women's Suffrage
, the league was concerned with supporting the enfranchisement of married women as well as of widows and spinsters. Her work with the league resulted in the successful inclusion in the Local Government Act
of 1894 of the right of married women to all local franchises. The Brights were certainly keen supporters of home-rule, but Ursula's lifelong commitment to the Liberals may not have been as great as Elizabeth Wolstenholme Elmy suggested. Mrs Pankhurst recorded that when, in 1894, she joined the Independent Labour Party
, Ursula Bright expressed interest in doing so herself. She was ultimately dissuaded; it would have meant a break with so many old friends.
Ursula Bright was also interested in the abolition of the House of Lords
, she was opposed to compulsory vaccination
, and had a wide circle of artistic and political friends on both sides of the Atlantic. In the 1890s she was a member of the revising committee for Elizabeth Cady Stanton's The Woman's Bible
; she started to become interested in theosophy
, already being a vegetarian. After Jacob Bright's death in 1899, Annie Besant
, on her visits to England, lived with Ursula and Esther. The latter recorded that her mother did not always agree with Annie Besant, but in 1898 gave £3000 to the Theosophical headquarters in northern India. Ursula Bright died at her home at 82 Drayton Gardens, Kensington, London. She took no part in the more colourful twentieth-century agitation for the vote, being severely incapacitated by osteoarthritis
. Her earlier strenuous political efforts received scarcely a mention from obituarists.
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
campaigner.
Her father was Liverpool merchant Joseph Mellor; he died when Ursula was very young. Her mother married Thomas Blackburn, a Liverpool surgeon. She was a daughter of John Pennington of Hindley
Hindley, Greater Manchester
Hindley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. Lying three miles east of Wigan it covers an area of 1044 hectares. Historically a part of Lancashire, Hindley which includes Hindley Green borders the towns of Ince-in-Makerfield and Leigh within Wigan...
, 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...
. John Pennington had two other children, Frederick Pennington
Frederick Pennington
Frederick Pennington was an English merchant and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1874 to 1885....
, the Liberal MP and supporter of many women's causes, and Maria, wife of Thomas Thomasson
Thomas Thomasson
Thomas Thomasson was a political economist and a campaigner for the repeal of the Corn Laws who was one of Bolton's greatest benefactors....
, the philanthropist.
Her father and her brother, J. P. Mellor, were generous supporters of women's rights causes and societies. Not much is known of her education, but she was brought up in a milieu that gave importance to educating daughters. Her daughter recorded that she was ‘a strong generous soul, very direct, simple as a child in some ways, yet with a keen brain and fine judgment’ and that she was an excellent chess player.
The Mellors were connected to many like-minded families. In the 1840s Ursula's cousins, Martha and Alice Mellor, are recorded as having discussed suffrage issues with Priscilla Bright (later McLaren) 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...
, and on 13 September 1855, in Acomb parish church, Ursula married Jacob Bright
Jacob Bright
Jacob Bright was a British Liberal politician.Bright was born at Green Bank near Rochdale, Lancashire. He was the fourth of eleven children of Jacob Bright and Martha Wood. His father was a Quaker and had established a cotton-spinning business at Fieldhouse...
(1821–1899). He and Priscilla Bright were younger siblings of politician John Bright
John Bright
John Bright , Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with Richard Cobden in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League. He was one of the greatest orators of his generation, and a strong critic of British foreign policy...
. Jacob was at this time working with the family firm, John Bright & Brothers. The Brights lived at Alderley Edge
Alderley Edge
Alderley Edge is a village and civil parish within the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 4,409....
, in 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...
, which they left in 1867, after Jacob's election as Liberal MP for Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, to live at 31 St James's Place, 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...
, during the parliamentary session. They had two sons who died of diphtheria
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...
in early childhood, within a fortnight of each other. Latterly, two more sons were born and, in 1868 they had a daughter, Esther.
The Brights possessed what were known as ‘radical Liberal’ views, and were particularly concerned with advancing women's causes. Esther recorded in her memoirs that they were a family of reformers. In 1870 they became founder members of the Ladies National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts
Ladies National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts
The Ladies National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts was established in 1869 by Elizabeth Wolstenholme and Josephine Butler in response to the Contagious Diseases Acts that were passed by UK Parliament in 1864...
. Ursula was a member of the executive committee of the Married Women's Property Committee for the duration of its existence (1868–82) and later became treasurer (1874–82). Her efforts in lobbying for the 1882 Married Women's Property Act were widely acknowledged when this Act was passed. Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an American social activist, abolitionist, and leading figure of the early woman's movement...
recorded that ‘for ten consecutive years she gave her special attention to this bill … was unwearied in her efforts, in rolling up petitions, scattering tracts, holding meetings’ . As a point of interest, Elizabeth Wolstenholme Elmy, who had worked jointly with her on that campaign, wrote disparagingly in 1889 of Mrs Bright's lack of business sense and her inability to ‘take suggestions from those who know’. Wolstenholme Elmy was by then, however, no friend.
In 1866 Ursula Bright signed the petition in favour of women's suffrage presented to parliament by John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher, economist and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of...
; she was a member of the Manchester Women's Suffrage Society, formed in 1867. She worked continuously for the society and its London-based sister until 1890 at the insistence of the Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst was a British political activist and leader of the British suffragette movement which helped women win the right to vote...
s., To the disgust of Elizabeth Wolstenholme Elmy, who thought she gave undue support to Gladstone, she was later made honorary secretary of the Women's Franchise League
Women's Franchise League
The Women's Franchise League was an organisation created by the suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst together with her husband Richard in 1889, fourteen years before the creation of the Women's Social and Political Union in 1903....
. Unlike the main National Society for Women's Suffrage
National Society for Women's Suffrage
The National Society for Women's Suffrage was the first national group in the United Kingdom to campaign for women's right to vote. Formed on 6 November 1867, by Lydia Becker, the organisation helped lay the foundations of the women's suffrage movement, furthered later by the National Union of...
, the league was concerned with supporting the enfranchisement of married women as well as of widows and spinsters. Her work with the league resulted in the successful inclusion in the Local Government Act
Local Government Act
Local Government Act is a stock short title used for legislation in Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, relating to local government....
of 1894 of the right of married women to all local franchises. The Brights were certainly keen supporters of home-rule, but Ursula's lifelong commitment to the Liberals may not have been as great as Elizabeth Wolstenholme Elmy suggested. Mrs Pankhurst recorded that when, in 1894, she joined 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...
, Ursula Bright expressed interest in doing so herself. She was ultimately dissuaded; it would have meant a break with so many old friends.
Ursula Bright was also interested in the abolition of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, she was opposed to compulsory vaccination
Vaccination
Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to stimulate the immune system of an individual to develop adaptive immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by many pathogens...
, and had a wide circle of artistic and political friends on both sides of the Atlantic. In the 1890s she was a member of the revising committee for Elizabeth Cady Stanton's The Woman's Bible
The Woman's Bible
The Woman's Bible is a two-part book, written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and a committee of 26 women, and published in 1895 and 1898 to challenge the traditional position of religious orthodoxy that woman should be subservient to man. By producing the book, Stanton wished to promote a radical...
; she started to become interested in theosophy
Theosophy
Theosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
, already being a vegetarian. After Jacob Bright's death in 1899, Annie Besant
Annie Besant
Annie Besant was a prominent British Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self rule.She was married at 19 to Frank Besant but separated from him over religious differences. She then became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society ...
, on her visits to England, lived with Ursula and Esther. The latter recorded that her mother did not always agree with Annie Besant, but in 1898 gave £3000 to the Theosophical headquarters in northern India. Ursula Bright died at her home at 82 Drayton Gardens, Kensington, London. She took no part in the more colourful twentieth-century agitation for the vote, being severely incapacitated by osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis also known as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease, is a group of mechanical abnormalities involving degradation of joints, including articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Symptoms may include joint pain, tenderness, stiffness, locking, and sometimes an effusion...
. Her earlier strenuous political efforts received scarcely a mention from obituarists.