None

46

Single

1 Portland Place, Leamington Spa CV32 5HY

WSPU

Resists

Elizabeth lived at Portland Place where she boarded with the Russell family, and two other tenants including Grace Newbury, a member of Leamington’s law abiding Conservative and Unionist Women’s Franchise Association (CUWFA). Elizabeth described herself as a 'suffragette' on 1911 on her census form under occupation, providing generally sketchy details, thus taking part it seems in the suffragette boycott of the census that year. The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) did have a presence in Leamington, most notably in (see) Mary Bull, and though it is not certain Elizabeth was a WSPU member this is likely given her self identification as a 'suffragette'. Some suffrage societies saw the 1911 census as a unique opportunity for civil disobedience. The purpose of the census then as now, was to enable the government to compile statistics about the population and it has always been a legal requirement to complete it. Militant societies like the WSPU and the Women’s Freedom League, organised an illegal census boycott encouraging women to either abscond from their homes on census night - hence go ‘missing’ from government records - or, to simply refuse to give the relevant information. This seems to have been Elizabeth's tactic, but it was risky. Refusal to comply could result in a hefty fine or imprisonment. So, while we may know little else about 'suffragette' Elizabeth Walsh, the census form tells us she was a brave and committed campaigner. Contributed by: Tara Morton. Research funded by Warwick University.