Townswomen's Guild
Encyclopedia
The Townswomen's Guild is a British
women's organisation. There are approximately 34,000 members, 840 branches and 86 Federations throughout England
, Scotland
, Wales
and Northern Ireland
.(Figures updated 1 February 2010).
Townswomen are encouraged to have ideas and views, develop new skills, campaign on various issues, support each other, make new friends and above all, have fun.
and Eva Hubback as an experiment in the study of citizenship
. The first four guilds formed were: Haywards Heath
, Burnt Oak
, Moulsecoomb
and Romsey
. By the end of the year, 26 Guilds had formed.
1932 - 146 guilds had now been formed. At the Annual General Meeting
it was agreed to drop all political propaganda and to concentrate on the education of women as citizens. This resulted in the resignation of several members who subsequently formed the National Council for Equal Citizenship.
1933 - The organisation changed its name to the National Union of Townswomen's Guilds (NUTG). The magazine, previously called the Women's Leader became the Townswoman and NUTG adopted the NUWSS colours - Red for Courage, White for Faith and Green for Hope.
1938 - The rapid increase of members meant a move for NUTG headquarters from their cramped Westminster bungalow to a house in Cromwell Place, South Kensington
.
the Ministry of Labour
officially asked the NUTG to collaborate in encouraging married women, ineligible for National Service, to work part time in offices, shops, and local industries to release men and women for munitions and services. Many younger Townswomen were conscripted. After the war the NUTG received a grant from the Ministry of Education to develop the movement and strengthen its educational base.
in 1951 gave guilds and federations
throughout the country an opportunity to take part in local celebrations. In London "With this Sword", a pageant to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first guild formation, was performed at the newly developed Royal Festival Hall
.
Two historic resolutions were passed in 1953 at the NCM in Blackpool,
which meant that Townswomen could now campaign on national affairs.
In 1959 TG supported World Refugee Year by funding the clearing of Ried Refugee Camp in Austria
.
risen to more than 2,700. The clearing of the Ried Camp, Austria, was completed in 1961 and £46,000 was raised to build four blocks of flats.
In 1969 the 40th Anniversary was celebrated by a performance of The Miracle - a mime
set to music by Engelberg Humperdinck and was held at the Royal Albert Hall
.
by Leslie Durbin, was worn for the first time in 1970. The Queen
became TG's Patron for Jubilee Year. The 50th anniversary celebration was a spectacular revue, The Golden Bond. Devised by
Kenneth Barrow, the production was staged at the Royal Albert Hall
on 22 and 23 May 1979 and the cast of more than 700 Townswomen had prepared for the performances. The Golden Anniversary Luncheon at the Savoy Hotel
on 29 January 1979 was attended by The Princess
.
The Diamond Jubilee 1988/89 - Celebrations for TG's Diamond Jubilee began in May 1988 with the first exhibition of the Diamond Jubilee Tapestry at Liberty & Co in London and a Gala Concert attended by the The Princess Royal
at Central Hall in Westminster. Our Patron also attended a special reception for members in November, delivered the final Dame Margery Corbett Ashby Memorial Lecture the following April and completed the year at the National Conference Meeting at the Royal Albert Hall in July. The year of celebration closed with a special thanksgiving service in Westminster Abbey
in July 1989.
thanksgiving service held at St Martin-in-the-Fields
, London in June 1999.
from all over the UK came together at the Royal Albert Hall on 26 June 2001. An evening of singing, dancing, narration and movement came together to celebrate the decades of time, seasons, civilisations and of course a celebration of women through time past and present.
2002 - on 18 July over 300 Townswomen put on their finery to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee in the company of The Princess Royal
at the breathtaking Botanical Gardens in Birmingham
.
2003 - to celebrate International Women's Day Townswomen held a
conference in Canterbury
to highlight the plight of Afghan
women under the Taliban regime. Named "Behind the Veil" the conference gathered together a variety of women's rights organisations, with the founder of WomenAid International, Pida Ripley speaking to the 300 Townswomen in attendance.
2009 - celebrations up and down the country marked 80 years since the movement's formation.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
women's organisation. There are approximately 34,000 members, 840 branches and 86 Federations throughout England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.(Figures updated 1 February 2010).
Townswomen are encouraged to have ideas and views, develop new skills, campaign on various issues, support each other, make new friends and above all, have fun.
History
In 1929 four Townswomen's Guilds were formed at the instigation of Margery Corbett AshbyMargery Corbett Ashby
Dame Margery Irene Corbett Ashby, DBE was a British Liberal politician, feminist and internationalist.She was born at Danehill, East Sussex, the daughter of Charles Henry Corbett a barrister who was sometime Liberal MP for East Grinstead and Marie Corbett herself a Liberal feminist and local...
and Eva Hubback as an experiment in the study of citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
. The first four guilds formed were: Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
, Burnt Oak
Burnt Oak
Burnt Oak is a suburb predominantly in the London Borough of Barnet south of Edgware, although parts of it fall within Brent and Harrow.The name Burnt Oak was first used in 1754 and from then until the 1850s referred to no more than a field on the eastern side of the Edgware Road...
, Moulsecoomb
Moulsecoomb
Moulsecoomb is a large suburb of Brighton, part of the city of Brighton and Hove. It is located on the northeastern side of Brighton, around the A270 Lewes Road, between the areas of Coldean and Bevendean and approximately 2¼ miles north of the seafront. The eastern edges of the built-up area...
and Romsey
Romsey
Romsey is a small market town in the county of Hampshire, England.It is 8 miles northwest of Southampton and 11 miles southwest of Winchester, neighbouring the village of North Baddesley...
. By the end of the year, 26 Guilds had formed.
1930s
1931 - 13 area federations were formed to enable guilds within easy reach to know and help each other.1932 - 146 guilds had now been formed. At the Annual General Meeting
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
it was agreed to drop all political propaganda and to concentrate on the education of women as citizens. This resulted in the resignation of several members who subsequently formed the National Council for Equal Citizenship.
1933 - The organisation changed its name to the National Union of Townswomen's Guilds (NUTG). The magazine, previously called the Women's Leader became the Townswoman and NUTG adopted the NUWSS colours - Red for Courage, White for Faith and Green for Hope.
1938 - The rapid increase of members meant a move for NUTG headquarters from their cramped Westminster bungalow to a house in Cromwell Place, South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
.
1940s
During the War yearsWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Ministry of Labour
Ministry of Labour
The Ministry of Labour was a British civil service department established by the New Ministries and Secretaries Act 1916. It was renamed the Employment Department in 1988, and finally abolished in 1995...
officially asked the NUTG to collaborate in encouraging married women, ineligible for National Service, to work part time in offices, shops, and local industries to release men and women for munitions and services. Many younger Townswomen were conscripted. After the war the NUTG received a grant from the Ministry of Education to develop the movement and strengthen its educational base.
1950s
The Festival of BritainFestival of Britain
The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition in Britain in the summer of 1951. It was organised by the government to give Britons a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote good quality design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities. The Festival's centrepiece was in...
in 1951 gave guilds and federations
throughout the country an opportunity to take part in local celebrations. In London "With this Sword", a pageant to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first guild formation, was performed at the newly developed Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
.
Two historic resolutions were passed in 1953 at the NCM in Blackpool,
which meant that Townswomen could now campaign on national affairs.
In 1959 TG supported World Refugee Year by funding the clearing of Ried Refugee Camp in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
1960s
By the late 1960s the total number of Townswomen's Guilds hadrisen to more than 2,700. The clearing of the Ried Camp, Austria, was completed in 1961 and £46,000 was raised to build four blocks of flats.
In 1969 the 40th Anniversary was celebrated by a performance of The Miracle - a mime
Mime
The word mime is used to refer to a mime artist who uses a theatrical medium or performance art involving the acting out of a story through body motions without use of speech.Mime may also refer to:* Mime, an alternative word for lip sync...
set to music by Engelberg Humperdinck and was held at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
.
1970s and 1980s
The National Chairman's new chain of office, designedby Leslie Durbin, was worn for the first time in 1970. The Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
became TG's Patron for Jubilee Year. The 50th anniversary celebration was a spectacular revue, The Golden Bond. Devised by
Kenneth Barrow, the production was staged at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
on 22 and 23 May 1979 and the cast of more than 700 Townswomen had prepared for the performances. The Golden Anniversary Luncheon at the Savoy Hotel
Savoy Hotel
The Savoy Hotel is a hotel located on the Strand, in the City of Westminster in central London. Built by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas, the hotel opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by...
on 29 January 1979 was attended by The Princess
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
.
The Diamond Jubilee 1988/89 - Celebrations for TG's Diamond Jubilee began in May 1988 with the first exhibition of the Diamond Jubilee Tapestry at Liberty & Co in London and a Gala Concert attended by the The Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
at Central Hall in Westminster. Our Patron also attended a special reception for members in November, delivered the final Dame Margery Corbett Ashby Memorial Lecture the following April and completed the year at the National Conference Meeting at the Royal Albert Hall in July. The year of celebration closed with a special thanksgiving service in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
in July 1989.
1990s
Townswomen's Guilds celebrated their 70th Anniversary with athanksgiving service held at St Martin-in-the-Fields
St Martin-in-the-Fields
St Martin-in-the-Fields is an Anglican church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Its patron is Saint Martin of Tours.-Roman era:Excavations at the site in 2006 led to the discovery of a grave dated about 410...
, London in June 1999.
2000s
2000-2001 - in celebration of the Millennium, Townswomenfrom all over the UK came together at the Royal Albert Hall on 26 June 2001. An evening of singing, dancing, narration and movement came together to celebrate the decades of time, seasons, civilisations and of course a celebration of women through time past and present.
2002 - on 18 July over 300 Townswomen put on their finery to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee in the company of The Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
at the breathtaking Botanical Gardens in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
2003 - to celebrate International Women's Day Townswomen held a
conference in Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
to highlight the plight of Afghan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
women under the Taliban regime. Named "Behind the Veil" the conference gathered together a variety of women's rights organisations, with the founder of WomenAid International, Pida Ripley speaking to the 300 Townswomen in attendance.
2009 - celebrations up and down the country marked 80 years since the movement's formation.