Cicely Fisher ( Corbett; 9 August 1885 – 20 January 1959) was a British

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...

and

workers' rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, ...

activist. She was one of the founders of the Liberal Women's Suffrage Group.

Biography

Cicely Corbett was born in 1885 in

Danehill, East Sussex Danehill is a village in East Sussex, England. Religious sites There are two Anglican churches in the parish: one at Danehill (dedicated to All Saints) and the other at Chelwood Gate. Education There are two schools in the area: the state-ru ...

, England to Charles Corbett, a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician and barrister, and Marie Corbett, a suffragist. Cicely and her older sister, Margery, were taught at home by their parents and another local woman. Both parents were outspoken supporters of women's rights, and at fifteen years old, Cicely formed a society with her sister and their friends called the Younger Suffragists. She began studying modern history at

Somerville College, Oxford Somerville College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. It began admitting men in 1994. The colle ...

, in 1904 and there she became involved in the Oxford branch of the

National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies The National Union of Women Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), also known as the ''suffragists'' (not to be confused with the suffragettes) was an organisation founded in 1897 of women's suffrage societies around the United Kingdom. In March 1919 it w ...

. She and Margery left the

Women's Liberal Federation The Women's Liberal Federation was an organisation that was part of the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom. History The Women's Liberal Federation (WLF) was formed on the initiative of Sophia Fry, who in 1886 called a meeting at her house of f ...

due to their disappointment with the Liberal Party's commitment to women's suffrage and, with their mother, they established the Liberal Women's Suffrage Group. After leaving university, Corbett began working for

Clementina Black Clementina Maria Black (27 July 1853 – 19 December 1922) was an English writer, feminist and pioneering trade unionist, closely connected with Marxist and Fabian socialists. She worked for women's rights at work and for women's suffrage. E ...

's organisation, the

Women's Industrial Council The Women's Industrial Council (WIC) was a British organisation active from 1894 to about 1917, promoting the interests of women at work. Federation The organisation originated as the Women's Trade Union Association, founded by Clementina Black i ...

, which campaigned for improvements in wages and conditions for working women. She also organised conferences on behalf of the

National Anti-Sweating League The National Anti-Sweating League is the name adopted by two groups of social reformers in Australia and Britain at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Both campaigned against the poor conditions endured by many workers in so-ca ...

to demand better working conditions in certain trades. She often organised speeches by exploited women workers and spoke out against

child labour Child labour is the exploitation of children through any form of work that interferes with their ability to attend regular school, or is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such exploitation is prohibited by legislation w ...

Personal life

Cicily Corbett married Chalmers Dempster Corbett in 1913 (died 23 December 1952), who served with the

British army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

with the 22nd Unit under the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and then

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and was a liberal journalist, after there marriage they both adopted the surname Corbett Fisher. They had a daughter,

Bridget Gilling Bridget Sabina Gilling, (née Fisher) (1 January 1922 – 31 December 2009) was an English-born Australian feminist and social activist. Biography Gilling was born in London, England in 1922 and raised in Sussex amid a politically active family ...

, in 1922, and frequently housed students and refugees in their Sussex home. In her later life, Corbett Fisher was an active member of the Labour Party and the

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is a non-profit non-governmental organization working "to bring together women of different political views and philosophical and religious backgrounds determined to study and make kno ...

before her death in 1959. Between 1937 and 1939 Corbett owned MG K3004 which was driven on her behalf by H. Stuart-Wilton at Brooklands, Crystal Palace and Brighton Speed Trials.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corbett Fisher, Cicely 1885 births 1959 deaths British feminists British women activists British suffragists British women's rights activists Workers' rights activists Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford People from Danehill, East Sussex