Miss Helen Priestman Bright (-Clark)
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Single
Born: 1840
Died: 1927
Place of birth: Rochdale, Lancashire, England
Education: Quaker School in Southport
Main Suffrage Society: NSWS
Other Societies: EWC
1866 Petition: Yes
Petition Area: Rochdale, Lancashire, England
Other sources: https://www.parliament.uk/1866
Family information: Daughter of John Bright, so part of the influential Bright family. Shortly after signing the petition, she married William Clark (Clarks shoe company) in 1866.
Additional Information: Helen subscribed to the Enfranchisement of Women Committee (EWC) 1866?7, and joined the Manchester NSWS in 1870. She was also a member of the Bristol and West of England NSWS, on whose behalf she spoke in Taunton in 1872 and Bristol in 1879. The Bristol speech was later turned into a pamphlet. In October 1883, she attended the major reform demonstration in Leeds, which was presided over by her much-loved father, who was opposed to votes for women. She nevertheless spoke in favour of extending the franchise to women on the same terms as it might be extended to men. This was seen by fellow campaigners as an 'act of heroism and fidelity to her own highest convictions' in the light of her father's presence.
Other Suffrage Activities: Helen was a Quaker and a liberal in many matters. She was a founding member of the Society for the Furtherance of Human Brotherhood in the 1880s and a member of the Aborigines Protection Society.