Mrs Philippine Kyllmann

Other sources: https://www.parliament.uk/1866
Elizabeth Crawford, The Women's Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide, 1866?1928 (2001)

Family information: Married to wealthy German Max Kyllman in 1864, who had settled in Manchester. He died aged 34 in 1867, leaving Phillippine with two daughters.

Additional Information: Phillippine and her husband were members of the first committee working for women's suffrage founded in Manchester in 1865. The year after her husband's death in 1867, Phillippine challenged the 'male' gendering of the franchise under Lord Romilly's Act, which stated that 'all words importing the masculine gender shall be deemed and taken to include females', which she attempted to apply to an old law that made elections open to 'people' with property or land above a certain value. Her case was heard in the Court of Common Pleas and was supported by the Manchester Society for Women's Suffrage. The plea failed and later she resigned from the society over disagreements with fellow member Lydia Becker.