Head of Household

24

Married

Wightwick Manor

NUWSS

Complies

(Rosalind) Florence Caverhill (1886- 1956), a Canadian, married Geoffrey Mander in Montreal in 1906, moved to his home of Wightwick Manor (now National Trust), Wolverhampton and made it a family home, having three children. In the 1911 census 24-year-old Florence, is listed as head of the household at Wightwick (Geoffrey is absent). The other occupants of the house are her two young children, Mavis and Mervyn, and staff, including Emma Smith, the housekeeper. Florence shared with her husband an interest in photography. A large photographic archive at Wightwick includes photos she took of her family, friends and the staff who worked at the manor. She was also active locally in speaking out for women’s right to vote. In the 1912-1913 annual report of the Wolverhampton branch of the NUWSS Florence Mander is listed as a member and the following year her husband, Geoffrey, also joined. Florence and Geoffrey also supported the 1913 NUWSS pilgrimage, led by Millicent Fawcett. The annual report describes how, when the travellers stopped in Wolverhampton, they were met by members of the local society. A great meeting was then held in the marketplace which was supported by the couple. Florence, as a member of the Wolverhampton Women’s Suffrage Society, hosted a drawing room meeting at Wightwick on either the 1st or 2nd December 1913, where Alicia Bewicke, Mrs Archibald Little, spoke on ‘Women of the East and West’ with Geoffrey Mander presiding. Alicia had lived in China and spoke about the differing and similar conditions of women in both Chinese and British society. She published a journal examining gender inequality in China and included the words of Chinese women who spoke out against foot binding. Alicia also argued for women’s suffrage in England. Florence also hosted political functions for the Liberal Party at Wightwick and became president of the Wolverhampton Women’s Liberal Association. In a speech given in 1913, she stressed to the association her desire for votes for women, regretting the abandonment of woman’s suffrage at the last session of parliament. After the Representation of the People Act of 1918, which granted some women including Florence the vote, the Manders Monthly Messages pamphlets (which we believe were distributed to the work force and perhaps local community) feature Florence talking about how important it was that women exercise their vote, stating in 1921: ‘Now that women have the vote we play a very important part in politics, and it is essential that we should see that our Candidate understands and sympathises with the women’s point of view, which is equally important as the man’s.’ This is the only such quote we have discovered from Florence in the archive, as she and Geoffrey later divorced. Researched and contributed by Hannah Squire (Assistant Curator, National Public Programmes, National Trust).