By Tim Lambert
1135-1154
Matilda claims the throne of England but there is another claimant called Stephen and the two fight a long civil war
1553
Mary Tudor becomes queen of England. She is the first woman to rule England in her own right.
1637
Amye Everard Ball is the first woman in England to be granted a patent (for making tinctures from flowers)
1660
Margaret Hughes becomes the first professional actress. (Before then women’s parts were played by boys).
The 17th Century
In towns, boarding schools for girls are founded. Girls are taught writing, music, and needlework.
1693
The first women’s magazine The Ladies Mercury is published
1792
Mary Wollstonecraft publishes A Vindication of the Rights of Women
Women’s Rights in the 19th Century
1811
The first women’s golf tournament takes place in Scotland
1842
A law bans women and boys under 10 from working underground in mines
1847
A Factory Act said that women and children could only work 10 hours a day in textile factories
1853
In Britain, an Act for the Better Prevention and Punishment of aggravated assaults upon women and children is passed. A man who beats his wife can be imprisoned for up to 6 months with or without hard labor.
1867
A law forbids women to work more than 10 hours a day in any factory
1868
Women are first admitted to a university in Britain but they are awarded certificates of proficiency not degrees
1869
John Stuart Mill publishes his book The Subjection of Women which demands equal legal rights for women.
1870
Married women are legally allowed to keep their own earnings
1878
In Britain, a new law bans women from working more than 56 hours a week in any factory. A new law allows a woman to obtain a separation order from a magistrate if her husband is violent.
1880
In Britain, three women are awarded degrees by the University of London. They are the first women to be awarded degrees by a British university.
1882
In Britain a law allows married women to own property in their own right
1884
Women first play tennis at Wimbledon
1888
Women are allowed to vote in county and borough elections
1892
Isabella Bird becomes the first woman member of the Royal Geographical Society
1894
Women are allowed to vote in urban districts, rural districts and parish councils
1895
Lilian Lindsay becomes the first woman in Britain to qualify as a dentist
1898
Ethel Charles becomes the first woman in Britain to qualify as an architect
1899
Hertha Ayrton becomes the first woman member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers
Women’s Rights in the 20th Century
1908
Aldeburgh becomes the first town in Britain to have a woman mayor (Elizabeth Garrett Anderson)
1914
Britain gets its first policewomen
1917
In Britain, the Women’s Royal Naval Service is formed
1918
In Britain women over 30 are allowed to vote if they meet a property qualification
1919
A new law opens certain professions to women. They are allowed to be solicitors, barristers, vets, and chartered accountants. They are also allowed to be magistrates and members of juries. Ada Summers is the first woman to sit in court as a magistrate. The Women’s Engineering Society is formed. Nancy Astor is the first female MP. to sit in the House of Commons.
1922
Ivy Williams is the first woman called to the bar of England and Wales
1923
Ethel Mary Colman is the first woman Lord Mayor in Britain (of Norwich)
1928
In Britain, all women over 21 are allowed to vote the same as men
1929
Margaret Bondfield becomes the first woman cabinet minister in Britain
1946
Lilian Lindsay becomes the first woman president of the British Dental Association
1955
Barbara Mandell becomes the first woman newsreader on British TV
1956
Rose Heilbron becomes the first woman recorder in Britain
1958
Hilda Harding becomes the first woman bank manager in Britain
1965
Elizabeth Lane is the first woman in Britain to become a High Court Judge
1970
An Equal Pay Act is passed in Britain
1972
Rose Heilbron becomes the first woman judge at the Old Bailey (The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales)
1973
In Britain, women are allowed to join the stock exchange for the first time
1974
Jill Viner becomes the first woman licensed to drive a London Transport bus. (They had female bus conductors before then but not drivers).
1975
The Sex Discrimination Act makes it illegal to discriminate against women in employment, education, and training. Women gain the right to maternity pay.
1976
Mary Langdon becomes the first female firefighter in Britain
1979
Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman prime minister of Britain
1983
Mary Donaldson becomes the first woman Lord Mayor of London
1995
Pauline Clare becomes the first female chief constable in Britain
