Kathleen Lyttelton

Mary Kathleen Lyttelton (née Clive; 27 February 1856 – 12 January 1907) was a British activist, editor and writer. She devoted much of her life to fighting for women's suffrage and for the improvement of women's lives in general.

After a period of 11 years in Cambridge, as wife of Selwyn College's first Master Arthur Lyttelton, she concentrated on her writing and women's committee work. In her 1901 book Women and Their Work she argued that education for women was "essential to their true progress", with the franchise being a necessary part of that education.

Early life Mary Kathleen Clive was born on 27 February 1856 in Belgravia, London. Her father was the judge and Liberal politician George Clive, her mother Ann Sybella Martha Farquhar. Fortunately the marriage proved strong and the couple went on to have three children: Margaret Lucy (1882), Archer Geoffrey (1884), and Stephen Clive (1887).

Cambridge

In 1882 Kathleen and Arthur took up residence in the newly founded Selwyn College, Cambridge, where Arthur had been appointed Master-designate. When they moved in, the college was still a building site with only the West front completed. Initially, they made do with a suite of adapted student rooms until the Master's Lodge was built.

Kathleen founded The Cambridge Association For Women's Suffrage (CAWS) along with Millicent Fawcett in 1884, and Fawcett encouraged her to join the Executive of The Central Society For Women's Suffrage. She was also active with the Cambridge Women's Refuge, helping to raise funds for what would become the Cambridge Association for the Care of Girls which aimed to provide poor local girls with practical help with domestic economy and literacy.

In 1890, with her close friend Louise Creighton, Kathleen founded the Cambridge Ladies Dining Society, a group of believers in women's education who actively campaigned for the university to grant degrees to women; most were also strong supporters of female suffrage. Members of the society included Caroline Jebb, Eleanor Sidgwick and Mary Paley Marshall.

During their years at Selwyn, the Lytteltons also helped develop the College Music Society, and they supported the Boat Club (whose colours were chosen by Kathleen).

Lancashire The family left Cambridge in 1893 after 11 years at Selwyn, and Arthur took up the post of vicar of Eccles Parish Church in Lancashire. In 1895, along with Arthur, Kathleen founded and later became chair of the executive committee of the Manchester and Salford Women's Trade Union Council, an organisation whose aim was to investigate working conditions and organise low-paid workers into unions. Members of the council included Christabel Pankhurst and CP Scott.

She launched the Eccles branch of the Cooperative Women's Guild, and became a vice president of the National Union of Women Workers, as well as joining the committee of the Manchester National Society for Women's Suffrage. As an active Poor Law Guardian, she complained that Manchester city officials "winked at the pollution of the atmosphere".

Kathleen's course of lectures for the Manchester School of Domestic Economy entitled Common Sense For Housewives: Girls’ Life after Leaving School was published by the school in 1896. and again in 1901. and The Guardian.

Select publications

1886: Translator of Nature and the Bible: Lectures on the Mosaic history of Creation in its relation to Natural Science by Franz Heinrich Reusch. 1892: Lord Wastwater, a novel published under the pseudonym Sidney Bolton (the name of Lyttelton's great-grandmother). 1893: Legends Revived. A Modern Tannhäuser. The Bridge. 1896: Common Sense for Housewives. A course of lectures ... Girls' Life after leaving school. 1901: Women and their Work. 1904: Preface to Modern Poets of Faith Doubt & Paganism, and other essays by her husband Arthur Lyttelton. 1907: Editor of, and introduction to, The Spiritual Guide which disentangles the Soul, by Miguel Molinos.