Margaret Haig Mackworth, 2nd Viscountess Rhondda (12 June 1883–20 July 1958) was a Welsh peeress and active suffragette. June 12 is the 163rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (164th in leap years), with 202 days remaining. ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the country. ... For other uses, see Peerage (disambiguation). ... Suffragette with banner, Washington DC, 1918 The title of suffragette (also occasionally spelled suffraget) was given to members of the womens suffrage movement in the United Kingdom. ...

Born Margaret Haig Thomas, she was the only daughter of D. A. Thomas, 1st Viscount Rhondda and his wife Sybil née Haig. Margaret was educated firstly by a French, and then a German governess (becoming fluent in both languages) until the age of thirteen when she began to attend Notting Hill High School. She later when to study at St Leonards School in St Andrews and Somerville College, Oxford. David Alfred Thomas, Viscount Rhondda (1856 - 1918) was a Welsh industrialist and politician. ... St Leonards School and Sixth Form College is an independent boarding and day school located in St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. ... For other uses, see St Andrews (disambiguation). ... Full name Somerville College Motto Donec rursus impleat orbem Named after Mary Somerville Previous Names Somerville Hall Established 1879 Sister College Girton College Principal Dame Fiona Caldicott JCR President Simon Bruegger MCR President Allen Middlebro Location Woodstock Road, Oxford Undergraduates 396 Graduates 88 Homepage Boat Club Somerville College is one...

In 1908, Margaret married Humphrey Mackworth, a family neighbour and heir to a baronetcy who enjoyed fox hunting. However, the union was mismatched and Margaret saw her husband's sport as uncivilised and preferred to read. Feeling trapped within a sheltered house and viewing her married life empty, Margaret soon joined Emmeline Pankhurst's Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) four months after being married and setup a regional branch in her hometown of Newport. On joining the Suffragettes, Margaret sought to educate herself on aspects of feminism and read many pieces of information on the subject. Many of her sources were pamphlets and news articles about the suffragette's activities at the time, as books on the subject were relatively unheard of. Any material she did require however, was made available to her via the Cavendish-Bentinck Library in London (now the Women's Library), newly-founded by Ruth Cavendish-Bentinck, an illegitimate yet wealthy woman of high social standing and more importantly, a fellow suffragette. 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... A baronet (traditional abbreviation Bart, modern abbreviation Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown known as a baronetcy. ... A fox hunt Fox hunting is a form of hunting for foxes using a pack of scent hounds. ... Statue of Emmeline Pankhurst in Victoria Tower Gardens next to the Houses of Parliament, Westminster. ... The Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU) was the leading militant organization campaigning for womens suffrage in the United Kingdom. ... Newport (Welsh: ) is the third-largest city within Wales (after Cardiff and Swansea), in the United Kingdom. ... Feminism is a collection of social theories, political movements, and moral philosophies largely motivated by or concerned with the social, political and economic equality of the sexes. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Although disapproving of it at first, Margaret soon became involved in the militant activities of the movement and although her local branch had not yet performed anything spectacular or been particularly successful in their attempts, she soon proposed (with reluctance) to adopt the growing trend of burning undelivered mail. Margaret was soon arrested for planting a chemical bomb in a postbox and imprisoned. Nevertheless, she refused to allow her husband to bail her out and duly went on hunger strike; after five days, Margaret was released and vowed to continue to campaign for the franchise to be given to women. The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb produced in the United States. ... A British pillar box The postal system is a system by which written documents typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages containing other matter, are delivered to destinations around the world. ... The word bail as a legal term means: Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that persons appearance for trial. ... A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt or to achieve a goal such as a policy change. ... Elections Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Suffrage (from the Latin suffragium, meaning vote) is the civil right to vote, or the exercise of that right. ...

Upon his father's demise on 8 March 1914, Humphrey succeeded to his father's baronetcy and Margaret became known as Lady Mackworth. On the outbreak of the First World War later that year, she accepted the decision by the WSPU to abandon its militant campaign for the vote and for the next of couple of years she worked closely with her father, who was sent by the then Minister of Munitions, David Lloyd George, to the United States to arrange the supply of munitions for the British armed forces. On their return home in May, 1915, Lady Mackworth and her father were aboard the RMS Lusitania when it was torpedoed by a German U-Boat. Although over a thousand passengers died, Lady Mackworth and her father were fortunate enough to be rescued. Lady Mackworth's brush with death left a deep impression on her and she believed that her life had been saved to give it additional purpose and direction. Later in life, she became a deeply religious and devout Christian. March 8 is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. ... David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor, OM, PC (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was a British statesman who guided Britain and the British Empire through World War I and the postwar settlement as the Liberal Party Prime Minister, 1916-1922. ... The armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majestys Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown[1], encompasses a navy, army, and air force. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... Royal Mail Ship (or Steamer), usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, is the ship prefix used of any seagoing vessel that carries mail under contract to the British Royal Mail. ... The RMS Lusitania was a Cunard Line ocean liner, that was built by the John Brown & Co. ... U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ...

A year later in 1916, Lady Mackworth's father was raised to the peerage as Baron Rhondda and became Minister of Food Control in 1917. Lady Mackworth was also given a government post (despite her previous suffragette activities) as Director of the Women's Department of the Ministry of National Service. Her report on the Women's Royal Airforce in 1918 led to the dismissal of its commander, Violet Douglas-Pennant and her replacement by Helen Gwynne-Vaughan. 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Viscount Rhondda, of Llanwern in the County of Monmouthshire, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Dame Helen Charlotte Isabella Gwynne-Vaughan (née Fraser) (1879–1967) was a prominent mycologist. ...

In 1918 the British government recognised the right of women over thirty to vote. That same year her father was elevated in the peerage as Viscount Rhondda (with a special remainder to his daughter) but died less than a month later. Having succeeded her father as Viscountess Rhondda, Margaret soon attempted to take her seat in the House of Lords, citing the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919. The act stated "a person shall not be disqualified by sex or marriage from the exercise of any public function" and the committee to which her petition was referred, agreed that she had the right to sit in the House of Lords. This decision, however, alarmed many peers including the Lord Chancellor, Lord Birkenhead. Quoting George Bernard Shaw (who highly respected Lady Rhondda), the Lords saw her as a "terror" and because of her political business acumen, "the House of Lords has risen up and said, 'If Lady Rhondda comes in here, we go away!'" Lord Birkenhead soon set up another committee to reconsider the petition, constituting of himself and thirty other "concerned" peers and Margaret's claim was then swiftly rejected. 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as the Lords. The Sovereign, the House of Commons (which is the lower house of Parliament and referred to as the Commons), and the Lords together comprise the Parliament. ... The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 (9 & 10 Geo. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and prior to the Union the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... Time magazine, 20 August 1923 Frederick Edwin Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead, GCSI, PC (12 July 1872–30 September 1930) was a British Conservative statesman and lawyer of the early 20th century. ... George Bernard Shaw (born 26 July 1856, Dublin, Ireland died November 2, 1950, Hertfordshire, England) was an Irish writer. ...

Although the deterioration of their relationship occurred very early in their marriage, Lady Rhondda finally divorced her husband, Sir Humphrey in 1922 - he was a Conservative and did not see eye-to-eye with his Liberal wife. Lady Rhondda persisted to change the law to accommodate women and in 1924, she had her lawyer draft a bill to remove the sex bar and had Lord Astor propose to Parliament. Although Lord Astor proposed the same bill almost annually until 1930 (with the bill at times coming within two votes of passing), he would not succeed. Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and is the second oldest extant political party in the world. ... Liberalism is a political current embracing several historical and present-day ideologies that claim defense of individual liberty as the purpose of government. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor (May 19, 1879–September 30, 1952) was a businessman and politician and a member of the prominent Astor family. ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link is to a full 1930 calendar). ...

Although denied a seat in the House of Lords, Lady Rhondda continued to further her cause in the magazine she founded in 1920, Time and Tide. The magazine supported left-wing and feminist causes, and was initially edited by Helen Archdale. Lady Rhondda herself later began to edit the magazine from 1926 and like its owner, the publication soon moved to the right, becoming an anti-Communist, conservative magazine that drifted away from the feminist struggle. 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Time and Tide may refer to: Time and Tide, the 1982 album by the New Zealand New Wave band Split Enz. ... “Leftism” redirects here. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Left-Right politics. ... Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a classless, stateless social organization based on common ownership of the means of production. ...

The issue of women in the House of Lords was revived in the 1940s, and Lady Rhondda and others launched a petition to show there existed public support for women in the House of Lords. The first six months saw 50, 000 signatures, including the principals of the women's colleges of Oxford and Cambridge. The Lords themselves finally passed a motion for women's admission in 1949, but the Labour government under Prime Minister Attlee refused to deliver the promised legislation. In later years, Margaret unsuccessfully tried to find a buyer who would continue the publication of her magazine, but by the time Lady Rhondda died suddenly in London on 20 July 1958 (having no children and her title becoming extinct), the magazine had exhausted her personal funds and there was not enough money to cover the major legacies of her will. Time and Tide was saved temporarily from bankruptcy by friends and readers, but stopped publication in 1977. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The University of Oxford (usually abbreviated as Oxon. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ... Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC (3 January 1883 – 8 October 1967) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1945 to 1951. ... July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

Slack attendance in the Lords during the 1950s made the chamber an ineffective governing body and full-scale reform could not be postponed any longer. Faced with this realization, Lord Home introduced a bill that created peerages for women. Continuing to exclude half the population when there was a shortage of members, as Lord Hailsham put it, was "idiotic." Four women were finally appointed to the House of Lords in 1958: Baroness Ravensdale, Baroness Swanborough, Baroness Elliot of Harwood, and Baroness Wootton of Abinger. By this time, it was much too late for Lady Rhonda, but her legacy had paved the way for women in generations to follow. This does not cite any references or sources. ... Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home1, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC (July 2, 1903 – October 9, 1995), 14th Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963, was a British Conservative (actually SUP) politician, and served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for a year from October 1963 to October 1964. ... Quintin McGarel Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone, KG, CH, PC, QC (October 9, 1907 – October 12, 2001), formerly 2nd Viscount Hailsham (1950–1963), was a British Conservative politician. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mary Irene Curzon, 2nd Baroness Ravensdale (January 20, 1896 - February 9, 1966) was the eldest child of George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston and Mary Victoria Leiter, a daughter of Levi Zeigler Leiter. ...

David Alfred Thomas, Viscount Rhondda (1856 - 1918) was a Welsh industrialist and politician. ... Viscount Rhondda, of Llanwern in the County of Monmouthshire, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. ...

See also

History of feminism This article is becoming very long. ...

Sources

• Spartacus Educational
• The Lusitania Resource