Papers of Mary Beatrice Crowle

This material is held atWomen's Library Archives

Reference
- GB 106 7MBC
Former Reference
- GB 106 7/XX13; 7/XXX13; 7/EPH13;
Dates of Creation
- 1914-1966
Language of Material
- English
Physical Description
- 0.5 A box (1 volume)

Scope and Content

The archive consists of Mary Beatrice Crowle's annotated scrapbook entitled 'women pioneers'. This contains correspondence, photographs, leaflets, press cuttings, etc. It relates mainly to her family; Lady Astor, and the Conservative & Unionist Women's Franchise Association; Women Police; Australians in First World War; vivisection; natural healing. Below are given selected detailed item descriptions for visual material, the references indicate the page numbers.

Administrative / Biographical History

Mary Beatrice Crowle (1874- fl.1930) was born in Brisbane in 1874, the daughter of Mr WE Finucane. In her lifetime she was a suffragist, voluntary worker, health practitioner, holder of public office and broadcaster. After her marriage to the naval officer Captain Crowle, she began a series of travels that would eventually end in her settling in England. Crowle was active in the suffrage movement in the pre-war period, becoming a member of the Conservative & Unionist Women's Franchise Association by 1913 and the honorary secretary of the Plymouth branch in the following year. During the first year of the First World War she worked with the Red Cross as a nurse and established a Ladies Rifle Club in the naval town. The following year, she was one of the first members of the local branch of the Women's Police Force and began lecturing on the role of her native Australia in the war. In the post-1918 period when women had been given a vote, she became a member of the committee of the Bath and District Women Citizens' Association and was elected to the Bath Union Board of Guardians. During the 1920s she became involved with broadcasting and became a Selborne Society Lecturer, following this activity in the 1930s by joining the League of Nations Union. Towards the end of her life, she became concerned with issues of vivisection and homeopathic medicine.