Political organisations and interest groups

 “Wild Women who want votes…” (1914); Reverend Lawrence Fisher on discontinuing weekday services because of disruption caused by suffragists. [P150/3/13] 
The Great Reform Act of 1832 began a widening of the male franchise which, in turn, led to increasingly vocal calls for votes for women. The election to power of a Liberal Government raised hopes further and focussed pressure. This is the period of the “suffragist” - “suffragette” was a derogatory term used by their opponents and is sometimes used to distinguish the militants, such as the Pankhursts, from campaigners using more constitutional methods. 

• Cambridge Association for Women’s 
  Suffrage, (from 1919, The Cambridge Association for the Political Equality of Women and from 1920, the Cambridge Standing Committee for Equal Citizenship) a non-militant organisation founded in 1884.  Records include: minutes, 1884-1930; accounts, 1885-92; press books, 1914-25; papers and printed pamphlets; 1896-1939 [455/Q1-137, 550/Q1-8] and annual reports, 1886-1918 [789/Q143-144]
  Catalogues available on the A2A website.
• West Cambridgeshire Suffrage Society: directory and accounts, 1912-14 [455/Q138]. Catalogue available on A2A
• Cambridge and County Women’s Liberal Association (Cambridge and County Women’s Liberal Club): minute books, 1913-1930 are mainly concerned with arranging social and fund-raising activities, such as garden parties, but do address political issues like female suffrage and cooperative societies [507/Q1-4] Catalogue available on the A2A website.
• Cambridge Trades Council and Labour Party Women's Central Committee: minutes, 1948-1952; papers, 1949-1961 [R85/41]
• Cambridge and District Women’s Citizens’ Association: formed from a committee of the N.U.W.W in 1918, the Association was largely concerned with furthering the involvement of women in municipal affairs. Records include committee minutes, 1922-25, 1929-33; papers, 1919-31 [455/Q139-62] Catalogue available on A2A website. Also committee minutes, 1925-29, 1933-43, 1948-84; annual meeting minutes and sub-committee minutes, 1929-84; annual reports, 1920-84 etc. [R84/91]
• Women’s Social and Political Union, Cambridge Branch: photocopy of petition, 1914 [720/Q1]
• Cambridge Women’s Liberation Archive Group: records comprise newsletters, 1973-1986 [R97/69] minutes 1974, 1979; various reports, 1970-74; publications, 1971-74; miscellaneous articles on squatters, working women, Nursery Action Group, etc., 1972-77; Cambridge Pregnancy Advisory Group, correspondence and leaflets, 1979-80 etc. [R97/77]Records transferred to Girton College archives, June 2009
• Cambridge Borough Women’s Unionist and Conservative Association: records compriseminutes, 1921-65, executive committee and advisory council minutes, 1959-66 [R99/51]
• International Women’s Year, 1975 Cambridge Committee minutes; accounts; newsheets etc., 1974-75 [R76/21]

Professional organisations

• The Cambridge Branch of the National Council of Women (NCW), which was known as the National Union of Women Workers from 1918. The NUWW was a society for professional women (teachers, nurses, etc.) and rather than simply concentrating upon the issue of suffrage, the NCW concerned itself with a broad spectrum of social problems including housing for working women, women in local government, health and welfare. Records include minutes, 1912-72; accounts, 1960-65; annual reports, 1913-72 [789/Q1-117] Catalogue available on the Access to Archives website.
• The Cambridge Association of the British Federation of University Women was established in the city in 1909. The self-proclaimed aim of the national organisation was to ‘promote women’s work on public bodies, to work for the removal of sexual disabilities, to facilitate the intercommunication and co-operation of university women and to afford opportunity for the expression of a united opinion by university women on subjects of special interest to them.’ Records include minute books, 1909-1971 and various papers and correspondence [838/Q1-39];  minutes, 1971-78; lists of offices and members, 1971-87 and card index of members c. 1960-80,  [R97/114]
• Cambridge Women’s Housing Association was founded to provide accommodation, other than lodgings, at a reasonable rent for business and professional women. Three properties were acquired; 65 Lensfield Road, 19 Bateman Street and 2 Fitzwilliam Terrace then converted into self-contained flats. Records include: minutes, 1926-48 [789/Q118-120]; papers, 1948-9 [789/Q121-138];accounts and members’ register, 1926-48 [City/]
• Cambridge Business and Professional Women’s Club Menu and photograph, 1947; bulletins, 1964, 1966; national programme, 1958-60 etc. [R89/58] annual general meeting minutes, 1947-2002; executive committee minutes, 1980-2001; club meeting minutes, 1958-80, 1988-2001; accounts, 1946-56, 1983-2002; list of elected officers, 1949-85; subscriptions register, 1956-78; attendance register, 1989-2001; programmes, 1985-2001 etc. [R102/136]
• Chesterton Townswomen’s Guild: minutes, 1951-83; music group minutes 1957-69; account books, 1951-72; membership register, 1960-83 etc. [R99/98]
• Soroptimist International of Cambridge: records include minutes 1947-92; accounts 1947-94; membership lists, 1964-96; indexes of members 1947-89; newsletters, 1977-91; annual programmes, 1948-96; draft history, 1983; published history by Barbara Megson, 1996 etc. [R98/102]
• Standing Conference of Women’s Organisations in Cambridge and District: minutes, 1970-81; accounts, 1956-81. [R81/49]

Social and discussion groups

• Electrical Association of Women, Cambridge Branch. Initially set up to educate and encourage women in the use of electricity and appliances, this organisation also acted as a social club. Records comprise committee minutes, 1959-76; monthly branch meeting minutes, 1959-76 [R87/100]
• Cambridge Ladies Discussion Society formed in 1886 'to bring together ladies who are interested in the discussion of social questions..hearing papers read and discussing subjects arising' Amalgamated with the N.U.W.W, 1913. Minutes with membership lists, 1886-1921; directory and newscuttings, 1903- c.1926 [789/Q139-142] Catalogue available on the A2A website.
  

Women’s Institutes

Initially formed during the First World War under the auspices of the Agricultural Organisation Society to encourage country women to grow and preserve food. Records of a number of local Women’s Institutes have been deposited including:

• Balsham: minutes, 1925-98; attendance register, 1965-75 etc. [R103/036]
• Linton: minutes, 1918-83 [R87/91]
• Shepreth: minutes, 1931-97; accounts 1993-98; annual reports and related papers 1977-94, [R103/059]
• Swaffham Bulbeck: minutes, 1950-97 and accounts, 1965-90 [R76/27, R100/073]

Scrap books and histories of villages compiled for a competition in 1958 have also been deposited by some institutes including:

• Great and Little Abington [245/Z1]
• Papworth Everard [290/Z1]
• Grantchester [R92/44]
• Barton [272/Q1]
• Great Shelford [799/Q1]
• Madingley [979/Z1]

County Federation records include:

• Isle of Ely Federation of Women’s Institutes: annual reports, 1943, 1945 and 1950 [R88/107]
• Cambridge Federation of Women's Institutes
: annual reports 1934, 1974, 1976;  list of institutes 1936; yearbooks 1969-73, etc. [R88/75]

See also H. Wilfrida Leakey's history of the Women's Institute: 'Cambridgeshire. A Chronicle of Country Women 1918 - 1968'[P139/28/35]

Huntingdonshire Archives:

The Huntingdon and Peterborough Federation of Women’s Institutes has deposited records from  institutes across Huntingdonshire. A draft list is available on request. Other records deposited by individual WIs are listed in the Societies handlist on the searchroom shelves.
Other lists of records created by women’s organisations can also be found in this handlist and include some records for the following:

The Electrical Association for Women, Peterborough Branch [Acc 4313]

Huntingdon Ladies Hockey Club [Acc 1920]

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