At Knebworth House we are delighted that my wife Martha was re-elected last month as Deputy President of the Historic Houses Association, which represents over 1,600 historic houses, castles and gardens across the U.K. Not only is she the first woman in the position but also the first American. Although Martha has lived in Knebworth for 25 years, she grew up in Alabama, which, as I write, is getting bad press over a controversial election candidate – so I am delighted to counter that with a positive Alabama story.
In this same week, students from a High School in Alabama, moved by the story of my great-great-aunt, the suffragette Constance Lytton (1868-1923), are staging a play they have created based on her life. The school’s website reports, “These students researched the suffrage movement, individual suffragettes, and those opposed to the movement; they have created a story that is compelling and timely. Their play, “Deeds Not Words”, examines the personal cost of struggle for equal rights.”
What a distant dream this would have been to Constance a hundred years ago. She did not live to see full voting rights for women in the U.K. in 1928 – and although women were permitted to vote in the United States in 1920 by the 19th Amendment, the State of Alabama did not formally ratify this amendment until 1953. So how wonderful that this former resident of our village – who sacrificed so much in the fight for equal rights – is being celebrated by children in Alabama in 2017!
Happy Christmas to all,
Henry Lytton Cobbold
www.knebworthhouse.com
