Politics and Society

Louisa Mary, Lady Knightley of Fawnsley, was a woman of unusually wide interests, especially in the field of public affairs. In an age when few opportunities arose for women to make a contribution to political and feminist matters, Lady Knightley was an early pioneer of both causes. Denied the vote as a woman, she was a leading advocate of the campaign for constitutional, non-militant action to achieve the franchise, a cause which she continued to espouse until her death in 1913. Her later journals, written with warmth and humour, provide a fascinating picture of politics and society in England at a time of crucial change. Her journals provide many insights into rural politics following the Reform Acts of 1884 and 1885.