Edith Ayrton Zangwill

Edith Chaplin Ayrton Zangwill (1 October 1874 – 5 May 1945) was a British author and activist. She helped form the Jewish League for Woman Suffrage.

Early life

Ayrton was born in Japan to the scientist William Edward Ayrton and the doctor Matilda Chaplin Ayrton. Her mother died in 1883 and her father married the physicist Hertha Ayrton.

Writing

In 1904 she wrote her first novel, Barbarous Babes. Her other books include: The First Mrs. Mollivar (1905); Teresa (1909); The Rise of a Star (1918); The Call (1924); The House (1928); and The Story of Disarmament Declaration (1932).

Activism

Edith complained of poor health and did not feel that she could be a militant suffragette but she and her stepmother joined the Women's Social and Political Union. Edith wrote to Maud Arncliffe Sennett to tell her that she intended to support the WSPU generously. Her husband spoke publicly in support of the WSPU and was hissed by liberally minded women for his support of militant tactics.

In the 1911 England Census, Edith recorded only herself, her infant daughter and the name of two servants, followed by the following note:

The rest of the household is not entered as we feel that until women have the political rights of citizens, they should not perform the duties of citizens. Mr. Zangwill is not at home.

Jewish League for Woman Suffrage

In 1912 she helped form the Jewish League for Woman Suffrage which was open to both male and female members. The organization sought both political and religious rights for women. It was felt that some Jewish people may be more inclined to join this group in preference to an unspecific women's suffrage group. Other members included her husband, Henrietta Franklin, Hugh Franklin, Lily Montagu, Gertrude Golda Lowy, Inez Bensusan and Leonard Benjamin Franklin. Some more radical parts of the organization were responsible for disrupting synagogue services to make their point in 1913 and 1914. The group was labeled as "blackguards in bonnets" by the wider Jewish community.