None given

62

Married

Allesley House, Allesley, Warwickshire

NUWSS

Complies

Annette (nee Coker) was born in Guernsey and spent much of her married life in Coventry before moving to the village of Allesley. She was married to newspaper proprietor William Iliffe founder of the Midland Daily Telegraph and numerous motoring journals. He later became a Justice of the Peace in Coventry. Annette belonged to the Coventry Women's Suffrage Society (CWSS) the local branch of the NUWSS, and by the time of the 1911 census had moved to Allesley. There at her home, Allesley House, she held a Votes for Women meeting with guest speakers Mrs Ring and Mrs Reed from Birmingham. In 1914, Annette became Vice president of the CWSS and was elected President in 1918 due to the death of (see) Mrs Selina Bright. Annette was also an active member of the Ladies Visiting Committee of the Meriden Union between 1909 and and 1921 and was also involved with the Coventry Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of which she was vice-president from 1914. Annette's husband was fully supportive of her local social and poktical activities and upon his death in 1917, he bequeathed properties he owned to the Coventry YWCA including the Sherbourne House Hostel which both he and Annette had been active in rennovating. Annette died on the 27th June 1931 aged 82 and her funeral was well attended. She was much loved in Alleseley having added electricity in her husband's memory to the local parish church and a new wing to the Parish room as a contribution to the Allesley War Memorial. She left three children including her son Sir Edward Iliffe who became Conservative M.P for Tamworth. Researcher: Tara Morton. Coventry research funded by Warwick University.