A Petition of the Mistresses of Dulwich High School

This petition asks for the enfranchisement of “duly qualified women” to be inserted in the Franchise Bill, which was then before Parliament. The Bill of 1884 sought to extend the vote to male householders in county constituencies (households in the boroughs had been enfranchised since 1857).

The petitioners argue that two million of the least educated section of the Community (i.e agricultural and other labourers) will be added to the electorate and that it was unjust to exclude “educated and intelligent women who are head of households”