{"id":27104,"date":"2023-03-14T10:41:46","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T10:41:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/research-blog\/?p=27104"},"modified":"2023-03-14T10:51:13","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T10:51:13","slug":"piety-sobriety-and-variety-the-first-three-female-mps-to-arrive-at-westminster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/research-blog\/2023\/03\/14\/piety-sobriety-and-variety-the-first-three-female-mps-to-arrive-at-westminster\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Piety, Sobriety and Variety\u2019: the first three female MPs to arrive at Westminster"},"content":{"rendered":"

Much has been written about Constance Markievicz, the first woman elected to parliament at the general election 1918 and Nancy Astor, the first woman to take her seat in parliament a year later via a carefully controlled by-election. However, much less is known about who came next, those women elected between Astor and the first cohort of Labour women mostly elected at the general election of 1923.<\/p>\n

During the 1923 election, candidates Margaret Wintringham, Nancy Astor and Mabel Philipson were dubbed \u2018Piety, Sobriety and Variety\u2019 and the following limerick appeared in The Times<\/em> (London):<\/p>\n

‘Lady Astor, MP for sobriety,
\nMrs Wintringham; She’s for propriety,
\nNow Berwick-on-Tweed
\nWith all speed has decreed,
\nMrs Phillipson wins \u2013 for Variety’<\/p>\n

\"A
Margaret Wintringham and Nancy Astor 1923. Image: with thanks to the Astor family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Piety\u2019: Margaret Wintringham (Liberal, Louth Lincs)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Margaret Wintringham has the distinction of being the first Liberal woman elected to parliament and the first woman born British too. As she was in mourning following the death of her husband, the sitting MP for Louth, she was a \u2018silent candidate\u2019 and chose not to speak in public throughout the election campaign. Wintringham did have plenty of experience in local politics and women\u2019s groups. Wintringham was considered ‘the most typical British woman the House of Commons has had among its members’ (Westminster Voices<\/em>, 1928, 198). That said, Wintringham and Astor became close friends and supportive colleagues despite their political colours. Wintringham\u00a0was re-elected at the general elections of 1922 and 1923. She supported protections for young girls and was vocal on the equal franchise and the right of women peers to sit in the House of Lords.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018Sobriety\u2019: Nancy Astor (Conservative, Plymouth Sutton)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cDrink promises you everything but gives nothing.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Astor was well known for her stand on temperance, a result of her Christian Science faith alongside personal experience. Her anti-drink platform resulted in some of the most misogynistic personal criticism \u2013 which she received in her mailbag, the press and in the House of Commons.<\/p>\n

On 24 February 1920, Astor delivered her maiden speech about retaining wartime drink restrictions to a largely hostile chamber. There was a general concern that since Astor was born in the US she might try to introduce prohibition into the UK. In 1923, she became the first woman to introduce a private members bill \u2013 the Intoxicating Liquor (Sale to Persons under Eighteen) Bill which passed into law and is the reason why we still must wait until we are 18 to drink alcohol today. You can find out more about the act here: Intoxicating Liquor (Sale to persons under 18) Act \u2013 UK Parliament<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018Variety\u2019: Mabel Philipson (Conservative, Berwick upon Tweed)<\/strong><\/h3>\n