Haslington Hall and the Women’s Institute

Haslington Hall and the Women’s Institute

Whilst Colin Lythgoe was compiling the Haslington Walks leaflet produced by Haslington Conservation Volunteers in 2008 he noticed what seemed likely to be an error in the association between Haslington Hall and the founding of the Women’s Institute - this had been repeated in many leaflets and guides about Haslington. Reasearch by Colin and his sister should now provide a definitive response.

HASLINGTON HALL AND THE WI: CORRECTING A POPULAR ERROR

There is a popular misconception concerning Haslington Hall and the founding of the Women’s Institute Movement. This is that the founder of the WIs was Mrs Watts, the wife of Colonel Humphrey Watts who lived at Haslington Hall. This is not correct.

The Women’s Institute movement was founded in Britain in 1915 by Mrs Margaret Rose “Madge” Watt. The first President and founding member of Haslington and Crewe Green WI in 1944 was Mrs Lillian Watts.

The origin of this error is not known but given the similarity of the names and the connections with the WI it is easy to understand how it could start. It has been repeated many times and is included in several local leaflets on Haslington; in information at a County level e.g. About in North West England: Haslington; “Haslington Hall is … Notable more recent residents include Margaret Rose Watt, who was influential in establishing Women's Institutes, Air Commodore Dame Felicity Peake, the first director of the Women's Royal Air Force … “ and is even included at a national level e.g. Wikipedia “Haslington Hall: … Previous residents include Margaret Rose Watt, who played an important part in setting up Women's Institutes in UK. She was a Canadian who lived in England between 1913 and 1919.”

Margaret Rose Robertson was born in Ontario, Canada, married Dr Alfred Watt and moved to Victoria, British Columbia. She was a leading figure in the local Women’s Institute, a movement which had started in Canada in 1897. When Dr Watt died in 1913 Mrs Watt and her two sons moved to England to provide for their education. With her she took her devotion to the Women's Institute. At the outbreak of World War I, she realized what a benefit a rural women's organization could be to England. With a small group of like-minded women, she interested the Department of Agriculture in London. When the first Women's Institute was established at LlanfairPG, Anglesey on 16th September 1915, it was patterned on the style of the groups in British Columbia. Mrs Watt strongly favoured the idea of having an international body for rural women. She campaigned for this from 1919 until 1933 when the Associated Country Women of the World came into being. She was elected President, a role she fulfilled until 1947. During this time Mrs Watt travelled the world spreading the word about Women’s Institutes. She died in Montreal in 1948.

Stephanie Lillian Clegg was born in Wilmslow in 1905. In 1930 she married Colonel Humphrey Watts, becoming his second wife. When the Haslington and Crewe Green branch of the Women’s Institute was founded on 17th September 1944 Lillian Watts was the first President. Colonel Humphrey Watts was a senior partner in the prosperous family textile firm in Manchester but his real loves were the theatre and the Territorial Army. He served in France with the Cheshire Regiment in the 1914-18 war and in 1930 was appointed Honorary Colonel of the Regiment. When he returned from France in 1919 he bought Haslington Hall. He married his first wife, Gladys Ethel Mary Parkes in 1907 and they divorced around 1926. They had two children and the second child was Felicity Hyde Watts. Born on 1st May 1913 at Cheadle Hulme, she spent much of her youth at Haslington Hall. After a distinguished career in World War II, she became the first Director of the Women's Royal Air Force when it was formed in 1949, when she was Air Commodore Dame Felicity Peake.

Colin Lythgoe 01270 Crewe 582642, 11 Waterloo Road, Haslington, CW1 5TF