A final meeting to determine the terms of the separation was held in
Boulogne, in a small hotel facing the quay. Control of Votes for Women, which
was running at an annual loss of about £2,000, would revert back to the Pethick
Lawrences. The memo, signed by the foursome, also stated, ‘At the request of
Mrs Pankhurst, Mrs Pethick Lawrence resigns all connection with the WSPU
& Mr Pethick Lawrence resigns control of the Woman’s Press.’ In order to
release the Pethick Lawrences from all liability, the WSPU, which had assets of
about £10,000, would find ‘another guarantor’, in place of the proposed guaran-
torship of Mr. Pethick Lawrence, for Lincoln’s Inn House, ‘& also set aside &
place in the hands of a trustee a sum of £2,000 to meet any of the liabilities for
which Mr & Mrs Pethick Lawrence are at present responsible’. Further, the
Pethick Lawrences would devote ‘such of the various sums promised by them-
selves to the funds of the WSPU as are not yet paid’, to the working expenses of
Votes for Women, and they would ‘retire from participation’ in the Albert Hall
meeting planned for 17 October. A statement was prepared for later publication
in Votes for Women:
At the first re-union of the leaders after the enforced holiday [,] Mrs.
Pankhurst and Miss Christabel Pankhurst outlined a new militant
policy which Mr & Mrs Pethick Lawrence found themselves altogether
unable to approve.
Mrs. Pankhurst and Miss Christabel Pankhurst indicated that they
were not prepared to modify their intentions[,] and recommended that
Mr and Mrs Pethick Lawrence should resume absolute control of the
paper, Votes for Women [,] & should leave the Women’s Social &
Political Union.
Rather than make schism in the ranks of the Union [,] Mr & Mrs
Pethick Lawrence consented to take this course. In these circum-
stances [,] Mr & Mrs Pethick Lawrence will not be present at the
meeting at the Royal Albert Hall on October 17.^25
Christabel Pankhurst E. Pankhurst
F W Pethick Lawrence E. Pethick LawrenceEmmeline felt it was necessary to formalise matters and so asked the Pethick
Lawrences to attend the 14 October meeting of the WSPU Central Committee,
of which she was chair. The atmosphere was strained. Emmeline began by
declaring that where confidence no longer existed, working together was impos-
sible. Since Fred was not an official member of the Committee, she pointed out
that he could not state his case, but was politely overruled. Fred then stated his
defence, and after the ensuing discussion, Emmeline curtly asked the Pethick
Lawrences to leave the WSPU. Elizabeth Robins and Mary Neal in particular
protested against such a judgment but Emmeline, with that queenly air of
authority that had disarmed many a police officer, calmly put them in their place
by pointing out that they had rarely attended meetings and had ‘deliberately
BREAK WITH THE PETHICK LAWRENCES