Constance Lytton
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Lady Constance Georgina Bulwer-Lytton (12 February 1869 – 22 May 1923), usually known as Constance Lytton, was an influential British
suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
activist, writer, speaker and campaigner for
prison reform Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, improve the effectiveness of a penal system, reduce recidivism or implement alternatives to incarceration. It also focuses on ensuring the reinstatement of those whose lives are ...
,
votes for women Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
, and
birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
. She used the name Jane Warton to avoid receiving special treatment when imprisoned for suffragist protests.New York Times, 24 January 1910, Monday, "JANE WARTON" RELEASED.; Home Office Acts on Learning She Is Lady Constance Lytton.
/ref> Although born and raised in the privileged
ruling class In sociology, the ruling class of a society is the social class who set and decide the political and economic agenda of society. In Marxist philosophy, the ruling class are the class who own the means of production in a given society and apply ...
of
British society English society comprises the group behaviour of the English people, and of collective social interactions, organisation and political attitudes in England. The social history of England evidences many social and societal changes over the histo ...
, Lytton rejected this background to join the
Women's Social and Political Union The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom founded in 1903. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and p ...
(WSPU), the most militant group of
suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
activists campaigning for "Votes for Women".BBC History, Profile of Lady Constance Lytton
/ref>
ttp://www.knebworthhouse.com/people/constance_timeline.html Knebworth House – Lady Constance Lytton Timeline, The Principal Events of Lady Constance's Life She was subsequently imprisoned four times, including once in
Walton gaol HM Prison Liverpool (formerly Walton Gaol) is a Prisoner security categories in the United Kingdom, category B local men's prison in Walton, Liverpool, England. It is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History Liverpool Prison (originall ...
in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
under the ''
nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...
'' of Jane Warton, where she was
force fed Force-feeding is the practice of feeding a human or animal against their will. The term ''gavage'' (, , ) refers to supplying a substance by means of a small plastic feeding tube passed through the nose ( nasogastric) or mouth (orogastric) into t ...
while on
hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...
. She chose the alias and disguise of ''Jane Warton'', an "ugly London seamstress", to avoid receiving special treatment and privileges because of her family connections: she was the daughter of a viceroy and the sister of a member of the
House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
. She wrote pamphlets on women's rights, articles in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' newspaper, and a book on her experiences, ''Prisons and Prisoners'', which was published in 1914.Constance Lytton and Jane Warton, Spinster,
Prisons and Prisoners, Some personal Experiences
', in ''A Celebration of Women Writers'' (London: William Heinemann, 1914)
While imprisoned in Holloway during March 1909, Lytton used a piece of broken enamel from a hairpin to cut the letter "V" into the flesh of her breast, placed exactly over the heart. (The "V" came from "Votes for Women", as she had planned to scratch the whole phrase "beginning over the heart and ending it on erface".)Lytton (1914), chapter 8 Lytton remained unmarried, because her mother refused her permission to marry a man from a "lower social order", while she refused to contemplate marrying anyone else. Her
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
, stroke, and early death at the age of 54 have been attributed in part to the trauma of her hunger strike and
force feeding Force-feeding is the practice of feeding a human or animal against their will. The term ''gavage'' (, , ) refers to supplying a substance by means of a small plastic feeding tube passed through the nose ( nasogastric) or mouth (orogastric) into t ...
by the prison authorities.


Early life and family

Lytton was the third of seven children of
Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton Edward Robert Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton, (8 November 1831 – 24 November 1891), was an English statesman, Conservative politician and poet who used the pseudonym Owen Meredith. During his tenure as Viceroy of India between 1876 ...
and Edith Villiers. She spent some of her early years in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, where her father was the
Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
; it was he who made the proclamation that
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
was the
Empress of India Emperor (or Empress) of India was a title used by British monarchs from 1 May 1876 (with the Royal Titles Act 1876) to 22 June 1948 Royal Proclamation of 22 June 1948, made in accordance with thIndian Independence Act 1947, 10 & 11 GEO. 6. C ...
.''Votes for Women'' by June Purvis, Sandra Stanley Holton
/ref> Her siblings were: *Edward Rowland John Bulwer-Lytton (1865–1871) * Lady Elizabeth Edith "Betty" Bulwer-Lytton (12 June 1867 – 28 March 1942). Married Gerald Balfour, 2nd Earl of Balfour, brother of the future Prime Minister Arthur Balfour. *Henry Meredith Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1872–1874) *Lady Emily Lutyens, Lady Emily Bulwer-Lytton (1874–1964). Married the architect Edwin Lutyens. Associate and confidante of Jiddu Krishnamurti. *Victor Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton (1876–1947), married Pamela Chichele-Plowden, an early flame of Sir Winston Churchill, who had met her while playing polo at Secunderabad.The Guardian, Sunday 9 November 2003, by David Smith. Letters reveal heartbreak of young Winston
/ref> *Neville Bulwer-Lytton, 3rd Earl of Lytton (6 February 1879 – 9 February 1951) In the early years in India, Lytton was educated by a series of governesses and reportedly had a lonely childhood. She played the piano and wished to be a pianist. She apparently met Winston Churchill while living in India, where he was an unsuccessful rival to her brother Victor for the hand of Pamela Chichele-Plowden. She is reported to have said: "The first time you see Winston Churchill you see all his faults, and the rest of your life you spend discovering his virtues." Although she grew up in England surrounded by many of the great artistic, political and literary names of the day, she rejected the aristocratic way of life. After her father died, she retired from public view to care for her mother, rejecting attempts to interest her in the outside world. Lytton remained unmarried until her death; in 1892 her mother refused her permission to marry a man from a "lower social order". For several years she waited in vain for her mother to change her mind, while refusing to contemplate marrying anyone else. In 1897 her aunt, Theresa Earle, published her gardening guide ''Pot-Pourri from a Surrey Garden''. She had been encouraged to write this by Lytton who typed some of the text. The book sold quickly and well and in one of the later editions Lytton added a section on Japanese flower arranging. Lytton became a Vegetarianism, vegetarian in 1902 and was an advocate of animal rights.Scholl; Lesa; Morris, Emily. (2022). ''The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Victorian Women's Writing''. Springer. p. 56.


Women's suffrage

The reclusive phase of Lytton's life started to change in 1905 when she was left £1,000 in the estate of her great-aunt/godmother, Georgiana Bloomfield, Baroness Bloomfield, Lady Bloomfield.New York Times, 23 May 1905, Tuesday, Lady Bloomfield Dies, A Friend of Queen Victoria and a Well-Known Author.
/ref> She donated this to the revival of Morris dancing and her family records state that "Her brother Neville suggested that she gave it to the Esperance Club, a small singing and dancing group for working class girls", where part of their remit was teaching Morris dancing. The Esperance club was founded by Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence and Mary Neal in response to distressing conditions for girls in the London dress trade.


(1908) Conversion to suffragette cause

Between September 1908 and October 1909 Constance Lytton's conversion to the militant suffragette cause was complete. On 10 September 1908 she wrote to Adela Smith: She subsequently met other suffragettes, including Annie Kenney and Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, at the Green Lady Hostel and on a tour of Holloway prison. On 14 October 1908, she wrote to her mother: In ''Prison and Prisoners'', she stated: "Women had tried repeatedly, and always in vain, every peaceable means open to them of influencing successive governments. Processions and petitions were absolutely useless. In January 1909 I decided to become a member of the
Women's Social and Political Union The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom founded in 1903. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and p ...
(WSPU)." Working for the WSPU she made speeches throughout the country, and used her family connections to campaign in Parliament. She wrote to the Home Secretary Herbert Gladstone asking for Emmeline Pankhurst and Christabel Pankhurst to be released from prison.


(1909) Imprisonment and self-injury in Holloway

Lytton was imprisoned in Holloway prison twice during 1909, after demonstrating at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, but her ill health (a weak heart) meant that she spent most of her sentence in the infirmary. When the authorities discovered her identity, the daughter of Lord Lytton, they ordered her release. The Her Majesty's Government, British government were also aware that her health problems and hunger striking could lead to martyrdom. Infuriated by such inequality of justice she wrote to the ''Liverpool Daily Post'' in October 1909 to complain about the favourable treatment she had received. On 24 February 1909, Lytton wrote to her mother about prison and reform in ''Prisons and Prisoners'': While she was imprisoned in Holloway Prison during March 1909 she started to deliberately injure her body. Her plan was to cut "Votes for Women" from her breast to her cheek, so that it would always be visible. But after completing the "V" on her breast and ribs she requested sterile dressings to avoid Bacteremia, blood poisoning, and her plan was aborted by the authorities. Lytton wrote of the Self-harm, self-injury action in ''Prisons and Prisoners'':


(1909) Imprisonment in Newcastle

In October 1909 Constance Lytton was arrested for a second time in Newcastle. She had thrown a stone wrapped in paper bearing the message "To Lloyd George – Rebellion against tyranny is obedience to God – Deeds, not words". Her message was in response to the government's new policy of force-feeding imprisoned suffragettes who were on hunger strike.E. Chambré Hardman Archive (PortCities Liverpool) National Trust, Lady Constance Lytton and the Campaign for Women's Suffrage on Merseyside, Force feeding suffragettes in prison
She was sentenced to one month in Newcastle Gaol.


(1910) Jane Warton in Liverpool, Walton gaol

In January 1910, convinced that poorer prisoners were treated badly, Lytton travelled to Liverpool disguised as a working-class London seamstress named Jane Warton. In disguise she spoke at an event with Sarah Jane Baines, Jennie Baines and Patricia Woodlock and led a procession to the Prison Governor's house demanding the "stain" of force-feeding be removed from Liverpool. She was arrested after an incident of rocks being thrown at an MP's car, imprisoned in Walton gaol for 14 days "hard labour" and force-fed eight times. After her release, although desperately weak, she wrote accounts of her experience for ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' and ''Women's Social and Political Union#Campaigning, Votes for Women'' (the monthly journal of the WSPU, launched in 1907). She went on to lecture on the subject of her experience of the conditions which suffragette prisoners endured. It's thought that her speeches and letters helped to end the practice of force-feeding. Lytton wrote of the ''Jane Warton'' episode in ''Prisons and Prisoners'':


Force-feeding

Lytton's health continued to deteriorate and she suffered a heart attack in August 1910, and a series of strokes which paralysed the right side of her body. Undaunted, she used her left hand to write ''Prisons and Prisoners'' (1914), which became influential in prison reform. The book is also notable for making an explicit link between animal rights and women's rights. Lytton was given a Hunger Strike Medal by the WSPU.


1911 onwards

In June 1911, Lytton's brother had a letter from Ellen Avery, the local school headmistress, and forty-one other "Suffrage women of Knebworth and Woolmer Green", thanking the Lyttons for having "laboured for our Cause" and "for faith in us as Women": seventeen were Women's Social and Political Union, WSPU signatories, including Constance's own cook Ethel Smith, Dora Beedham, Dora Spong, and nine who were in the non-militant suffragist National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, NUWSS. In November 1911 Lytton was imprisoned in Holloway for the fourth time, after breaking windows in the Houses of Parliament, or of a post office in Victoria Street, London. However, conditions had improved, "all was civility; it was unrecognisable from the first time I had been there" and suffragettes were treated as political prisoners. After the WSPU ended its militant campaign at the outbreak of war in 1914, Lytton gave her support to Marie Stopes' campaign to establish
birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
clinics. In January 1918 parliament passed a bill giving women over 30 the vote if they were married to a property owner or were one themselves.


Death and commemoration

Constance Lytton never fully recovered from her prison treatment, heart attack and strokes, and was nursed at Knebworth by her mother. They lived at Homewood, Knebworth, Homewood, a house designed by Constance's brother-in-law, Edwin Lutyens. She died in 1923, aged 54, only days after moving out of Homewood to a flat in Paddington, London, in an attempt to restart an active life. At her funeral, the purple, white and green Suffragette colours were laid on her coffin.Hertfordshire Life, Feature on Lady Constance Lytton, The Lady and the vote
Her ashes lie in the Lytton Mausoleum, family mausoleum in Knebworth House, Knebworth Park.


In popular culture

Lytton appears as a character in the 1974 BBC television drama ''Shoulder to Shoulder''. She is played by Judy Parfitt.


Timeline

Edited extract from the Knebworth House memorial *1869 – Lady Constance Georgina Lytton born. *1880 – Family leaves India. *1887 – Sister Betty marries Gerald Balfour (Arthur's brother). *1897 – Sister Emily marries Edwin Lutyens, the architect. *1908 – Godmother Lady Bloomfield dies, leaving her £1000. Lytton subsequently meets Annie Kenny and Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence. *1909 – Becomes an official member of the WSPU. *1909 – Imprisoned for the first time in February 1909. *1909 – Her pamphlet 'No Votes for Women: A Reply to Some Recent Anti-suffragism, Anti-Suffrage Publications' is published. *1909 – Imprisoned for 2nd time in Holloway in October 1909. *1910 – Disguises herself as Jane Warton and imprisoned for 3rd time in Walton Gaol, Liverpool, in terrible conditions. Force fed several times. *1910 – Writes about her experiences in The Times. *1911 – Imprisoned for the 4th time, in Holloway in November 1911 *1912 – Suffers a stroke from which she never fully recovers, but continues to write Prisons and Prisoners: an account of her time in custody. *1914 – Prisons and Prisoners is published. *1918 – Representation of the People Act 1918 gives the vote to all men, and to women over the age of 30. *1923 – Lytton dies aged 54. *1928 – Representation of the People Act 1928 gives the vote to women on the same grounds as men.


See also

*History of feminism *List of suffragists and suffragettes *Shoulder to Shoulder BBC/Warner Bros. Television drama, 1974


Archives

A collection of "Letters of Constance Lytton" is held at The Women's Library at The London School of Economics and Political Science, re
9/21
The historian, Brian Harrison (historian), Brian Harrison, interviewed people with memories of Lytton in the 1970s as part of the Suffrage Interviews project, titled ''Oral evidence on the suffragette and suffragist movements: the Brian Harrison interviews''. These interviewees included: * Anne Lytton, born 1901 (daughter of Lytton’s brother Neville Bulwer-Lytton, 3rd Earl of Lytton, Neville). Interview 110 * Elisabeth Lutyens, born 1906 (daughter of Lytton's sister Emily). Interview 49 * Mary Lutyens, born 1908 (daughter of Lytton's sister Emily). Interview 85 They describe their aunt’s appearance and personality as well as her relationships with other members of the family.


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * Thomas, Sue. 'Scenes in the writing of "Constance Lytton and Jane Warton, spinster" : contextualising a cross-class dresser'. ''Women's History Review'', 12:1 (2003), 51–71. Publisher: Triangle Journals; Routledge. .


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bulwer-Lytton, Constance 1869 births 1923 deaths English vegetarianism activists British women's rights activists Burials at the Lytton Mausoleum Daughters of British earls Eagle House suffragettes English suffragists English feminists English prisoners and detainees Hunger Strike Medal recipients Lytton family, Constance People from Shimla Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales Women's Social and Political Union