What records will there be on a specific suffragette?

Firstly check Leah Leneman, A Guid cause: the women’s suffrage movement in Scotland (Mercat Press, 1991) and Elspeth King, The Hidden History of Glasgow Women (Mainstream, 1993). These may mention the individual you are researching and suggest specific sources.

Next try local sources. Many newspapers are now available through the British Newspaper Archive website (available free of charge in the National Library of Scotland or with a subscription elsewhere) <https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/> [accessed 28 April 2024]. The local studies library for each area usually holds back-copies of local newspapers, and the library staff may be able to advise on other local history books about the area concerned, which contain references to local suffragettes.

If the action of the suffragette concerned led to a court case, ascertain from the newspaper account which court was involved. The records of sheriff courts, High Court of Justiciary and Advocate’s Department records are held in the National Records of Scotland, but you need to come armed with as much information as possible, such as the covering dates of the trial, and you may need to make at least two separate visits to order material and then (after at least two days’ notice) to carry out the research.

Other material relating to suffragette cases held by the National Records of Scotland exist in the Home & Health Department records and in private family papers. You might find it useful to look at the guide to record sources on suffragettes: Investigating Suffragettes in the National Archives, from the National Records of Scotland. This will give you a flavour of the kind of information you might find in these records. If your local archive office holds police records, these may include photographs of suffragettes arrested by the police.

A selection of historical sources is published by Glasgow City Archives in their resource pack: Scottish Women and the Vote, available from Glasgow City Archives, Mitchell Library, North Street, Glasgow G3 7DN. The records of the Glasgow & West of Scotland Association for Women’s Suffrage are held by the Rare Books & Manuscripts Department, the Mitchell Library, Glasgow (reference 891036. The whereabouts of the records of other suffragette associations can be found in Ian MacDougall, Labour Records in Scotland (Scottish Labour History Society, 1978).