Pedalling Pilgrims: Cyclists and the 1913 NUWSS Pilgrimage

 

NUWSS Land\s End to London March

At the height of the Edwardian suffrage movement, a number of organisations held mass marches and pilgrimages to publicise the “Votes for Women” campaign.  The postcard above shows a group of participants on the 1913 NUWSS Pilgrimage. These pilgrims were photographed midway through their journey from Land End to London. Their cycling contingency is posed front and centre, showing their machines decorated with NUWSS banners and swag.

The Land’s End to London pilgrims set out on June 18th and arrived in London in time for the July 26th NUWSS mass meeting in Hyde Park. They were one of several groups travelling along eight routes all set to converge the same day. Along the way, the pilgrims promoted the suffrage message, held meetings, met supporters, and raised nearly £9000. Millicent Garrett Fawcett reported that the public welcomed the NUWSS pilgrims, and attributed this friendly reception to the fact they were respected as non-militants.

Most participants travelled by foot, but some brought their bicycles along. Cyclist served as outriders for the main body of marchers, often going ahead to announce their approach, secure accommodation, or prepare for meetings. One pilgrim, Mrs Mason of the Bolton NUWSS, covered the entire route from her home town to London part by bicycle and part on foot. Cyclists took a prominent position in many of the group portraits and candid photographs taken of the pilgrims, including the image profiled here.

Other contemporary suffrage groups, including the WSPU and WFL, also used cyclists in similar ways on their own long distance marches, caravan tours, parades and more. The inclusion of cyclists in these highly visible campaign activities points to the significance of the bicycle as an artefact with both political meaning and practical applications.

Sources:

Image: “Group portrait,” Postcard, 1913, The Women’s Library @LSE, TWL.2002.369

Millicent Garrett Fawcett, The Women’s Victory—and After: Personal Reminiscences, 1911-1918 (London: Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd. 1920)

Elizabeth Crawford, Women’s Suffrage Movement a Reference Guide, 1866-1928 (London: UCL Press, 1999)

 

About Sheila Hanlon

Dr Sheila Hanlon is a historian specialising in women's cycling history.
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