Key Dates

1839-     Custody of Children Act1850-     Frances Mary Buss founded the North London Collegiate School for Ladies1857-     Matrimonial Causes Act             Sewing machine invented: increase in volume of work fone in the 'sweated trades' at home1858-     Dorothea Beale became principal of Cheltenham Ladies' College1859-     The Workhouse Visiting Society founded1864-     First Contagious Diseases Act             Schools Enquiry Commission set up to investigate the education of children from middle-class homes1865-     Election of John Stuart Mill as an MP             Formation of the Kensington Society             Elizabeth Garrett Anderson becomes first woman on the Medical Register1866-     Second Contagious Diseases Act             Women's Suffrage Committee founded in London             Manchester National Society for Women's Suffrage founded with Lydia Becker as its secretary1867-     Second Reform Act             Agricultural Gangs Act bans employment of young girls1868-     Leeds Express publishes Sarah Ann Jackson's poem             Lily Maxwell and nine other Manchester women vote in the general election1869-     Third Contagious Diseases Act             Josephine Butler forms the Ladies National Association             Municipal Franchise Act allows unmarried women ratepayers to vote in municipal elections             First women's college at Cambridge University founded in Hitchin, moving to Girton in 18721870-     First Married Woman's Property Act             Education Act allows women ratepayers to vote for, and serve on, the new school boards             Punch publishes 'An Ugly Rush'             Richard Pankhurst drafts and introduces to parliament the first Women's Suffrage bill             Forster's Education Act introduced a dual system of education, whereby the state provided schools to fit gaps left by the voluntary sector1871-     Newnham College, Cambridge founded1872-     National Society for Women's Suffrage combines local women's suffrage groups1873-     Second Custody of Infants Act1874-     Factory Act introduces a maximum 10-hour working day for women in factories outside the textile industry             First typewriters sold in Britain1875-     First woman elected to serve on Poor Law Boards as guardians of the poor             Women make up more than 50% of all elementary school teachers             Emma Paterson founds the Women's Protective and Provident League1876-     Sandon's Act penalised pearents who kept their children away from school             Enabling Bill, authorising all medical corporations to admit women to their examinations1878-     Factory and Workshop Act extends protection for women and young people to all industries1879-     Introduction of the telephone extends range of clerical work done by women and opens up new jobs eg post office1880-     Mundella's Act made education compulsory for children under 131881-     First Women's Liberal Association formed in Bristol1882-     Second Married Woman's Property Act1883-     Contagious Diseases Act suspended             Primrose League established1884-     Women acquire independent legal status1885-     Age of consent raised from 13 to 161886-     Married Women (Maintenance in Case of Desertion) Act             Guardianship of Infants Act             Repeal of Contagious Diseases Act1887-     Women's Liberal Foundation established1888-     Annie Besant organises the first women's strike at Bryant and May's match factory1889-     Formation of Women's Franchise League with Emmeline Pankhurst as its leader             An Appeal against Female Suffrage signed by over 100 mostly titled women1891-     The Jackson Case: a man cannot compel his wife to live with him             A government grant made education free in elementary schools1892-     St Hilda's College, Oxford, founded1893-     School leaving age fixed at 11             Women allowed to become factory inspectors1894-     Local Government Act gave married women the right to vote in local elections and allowed women to stand for election as municipal councillors1896-     Factory Act bans the employment of children under 11             Women are not to be employed for 4 weeks after having a child1897-     Faithful Begg MP presents a Women's Suffrage bill to parliament             Formation of National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies with Millicent Fawcett as its president1899-     School leaving age raised to 121901-     Factory Act reduces by one hour the time a woman can work each day1902-     Balfour's Act sets up local education authorities to take over the administration of education from school boards1903-     Women's Social and Political Union founded by Emmeline Pankhurst1905-     Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Kenney arrested for causing a disturbance1906-     WSPU moved to London             Daily Mirror nicknames WSPU members 'suffragettes'             Liberal Party won landslide victory             Free school meals introduced for the children of the poor1907-     Votes for Women founded             Charlotte Despard and Teresa Billington-Grieg expelled from WSPU             Free medical inspections introduced for the children of the poor             Free places in secondary schools for the children of the poor1908-     Women chained themselves to railings for the first time             Beginning of organised heckling of Cabinet ministers             'Women's Sunday' organised by WSPU             First window smashing             Women's Suffrage Bill carried by 179 votes1909-     Second reading of Electoral Reform Bill, which included votes for women             Suffragettes banned from Liberal meetings             Government ordered the forcible feeding of hunger striking suffragettes1910-     Black Friday             Conciliation Bill carried by 139 votes1911-     March of the Women composed by Ethel Smyth             May: second Conciliation Bill debated             November: failure of second Conciliation Bill1912-     Emmeline and Frederick Pethick-Lawrence leave the WSPU             Emmeline Pankhurst makes speech urging greater militancy             Third Conciliation Bill failed at second reading1913-     Emily Davison dies at the Epsom Derby             Amendment to Franchise Bill ruled out of order by Speaker             The Prisoners' Temporary Discharge for Ill-Health Act (Cat and Mouse Act) passed1914-     Sylvia Pankhurst expelled from the WSPU             March: government closes galleries because the Rokeby Venus slashed by a suffragette             August: Britain declares war on Germany             WSPU suspended militancy1915-     Coalition government set up1916-     David Lloyd George becomes Prime Minister             Speaker's Conference set up1918-     February: Representation of the People Act gives the vote to women over 30             Constance Markiewicz elected to parliament             Fisher's Act raised the school leaving age to 141919-     Nancy Astor becomes the first woman MP to take her seat             Sex Disqualification Act1920-     Married Women's Property Act extended to Scotland1922-     Married Women's Maintenance Act             Infanticide Act1923-     Matrimonial Causes Act1925-     Guardianship of Infants Act             Bastardy Act             The Widows, Orphans and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act1928-     Equal Franchise Act

Women's History