Embedded Files
The very British WI was, in fact, born in Canada in 1897, when Adelaide Hoodless, the speaker at the Ladies Night of an Ontario farmers’ organisation, floated the idea of a local club for women to discuss domestic concerns. This took root and the first Women’s Institute sprang up in Stoney Creek, Ontario.
Her colleague Madge Watt initially struggled to export the idea to Britain. Agricultural Organisation Society's secretary, John Nugent Harris, appointed Madge to establish Women's Institutes across the UK. But here, women were scarcely allowed out on their own – literally so in one village where the vicar’s curfew banned women being out after dark.
Madge realised that in a squirearchy you had to get the squires on board. The first British WI, formed in 1915 in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, benefited from both the patronage and premises of the Marquess of Anglesey.
The first British WI group is pictured below.
The first British WI
The first British WI
By 1916, with 40 Women’s Institutes it was obvious that the WI Movement was going to thrive and the Agricultural Organisations Society set up a Women's Institute Sub Committee to support Madge Watt and the newly formed institutes. They appointed 32 year old Lady Denman as Chairman.
In 1917, with 137 institutes up and running, neighbouring Women’s Institutes in Sussex decided to meet together and formed the first Federation. The WI became administratively independent in October 1917 when the National Federation of Women's Institutes was formed, the rules were adopted and an executive committee elected, led by Lady Denman as National Chairman. Lady Denman held this post until 1946 and the WI College, opened just after she retired, was named Denman College in her honour.
The WI represented women’s first experience of democracy; they didn’t have the vote politically when it started, but they did have secret ballots for their own officials. With every single chairman of the national organisation until 1961 being a titled Lady, they were radical wolves in respectable sheeps’ clothing.
When it was formed in Britain to revitalise rural communities and encourage women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War it was founded by some of the feistiest women in the country, including suffragettes, academics and passionate social crusaders.
Soon the members were able to bid the squires farewell and go it alone, a parallel universe in both war and peace.
Since then the organisation's aims have broadened and the WI is now the largest voluntary women's organisation in the UK. The WI will celebrate its centenary in 2015 and currently has over 210,000 members in around 6,600 WIs.
A more detailed history can be found on the national WI site at http://www.thewi.org.uk/about-the-wi/history-of-the-wi
Bere Ferrers WI
Bere Ferrers WI
On September 7th 1960 at Hydeland, Bere Ferrers, the home of Miss Rosemary Reed, a group of local women met with representatives of the Devon Federation to discuss the formation of a WI. It was agreed it would be called Bere Ferrers WI, 16 to be the youngest age for joining. The committee would consist of 10 members.
The monthly meetings were to be the second Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm. The first was held on October 5th 1960. Mrs Nicholson, who ran the Post Office on the quay, became the first president, Hilda Brown secretary and Rosemary Reed, the late Rosemary Hooper, treasurer.
In 1960 there were 40 members and the first outing was a coach trip and tour of the Ambrosia factory at Lifton. No free samples were given!
Today our monthly meeting remains the same but at 7.15pm. We currently have members from all over the peninsula and beyond.
To celebrate our Golden Anniversary we had a Tamar Cruise and a return trip to the Ambrosia factory (with free samples!) and a birthday lunch. The return trip to the factory is pictured below.
We are the only remaining institute of the three which were active on the Bere Peninsula during the 1980s. Bere Alston WI, an afternoon group founded in September 1924, closed in 1991 when Mary Hocking was president. Bere Valley WI was formed in April 1967 with Mrs Muriel Wheeler as president. It closed in 1986.
Some WI badges, past and present
Some WI badges, past and present
Early badge
Former WI Logo
WI Centenary Badge
Devon Federation Badge
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse