Records of the James Stansfeld Memorial Trust

The collection contains papers regarding the presentation of the Women's Testimonial to James Stansfeld (1895); draft and final deed of trust (1895-6); minutes of trustees meetings with list of recipients of book (1896-1934), address books, financial papers including ledgers (1896-1934), cash book (1896-1934) and bankbook (1896-1934), conference papers and related correspondence (1917); lists, manuscripts and press cuttings of lecture series (1921-1925); papers related to the publication of the book on James Stansfeld (1928-1934); papers on women's suffrage (1907-8); scrutineers reports (1896-1902, 1904-1915); annual reports (1896-1915); obituary of G W Johnson.

<span class="wrapper"><p>Additional papers relating to the scrutineers' reports were found in the Library sequence and added to the collection in August 1989.</p> <p>* See also Millicent Fawcett papers.</p></span>

This collection is open for consultation. Intending readers are advised to contact The Women's Library in advance of their first visit.

The records were deposited with the Association for Moral and Social Hygiene when the Trust was dissolved in 1934. They came to the Library with the Josephine Butler collection in 1957.

The James Stansfeld Memorial Trust was established in 1896. Its creation was the result of a women's testimonial raised on his retirement from parliament the previous year. The amount raised was used to promote his aim of equality of the sexes through a number of methods. Firstly, there was the appointment of a scrutineer to observe parliament's actions on the question of women's suffrage and report to the trustees. Secondly, they held conferences, notably on the subject of solicitation and the law in 1917. Finally, after the First World War, a series of three memorial lectures on the position of women were held at University College, London. A book on Stansfeld was commissioned by the trust in 1928 and published in 1932 with the title James Stansfeld, A Victorian Champion of Sex Equality. Two years later, the Trust was wound up and the remaining funds distributed between the Association for Moral and Social Hygiene and the Josephine Butler Memorial Home.