You might imagine that the first meeting of the Women’s Institute in England in 1915 took place in a respectable tea room, or perhaps a village hall, a grand Lady of the manor’s…manor or even somebody’s front room. But no, it was in the back room of The Fox Goes Free pub in West Sussex and today this was recognised with a plaque.
There’s no record of whether it was a boozy event, but as the village hall in nearby Singleton was reserved for men it was founder member innkeeper Mrs Laishley to the rescue with her public house.
While we now think of the Women’s Institute as English as jam and Jerusalem (the hymn, not the place) it was actually founded in Canada in 1897. It did not reach this green and pleasant land until 1915 and the first meeting was held in Anglesey, Wales.
The culture minister, Lady Neville-Rolfe, commented on the Women’s Institute saying: “As a farmer’s daughter I am very aware that the WI was formed during the first world war, encouraging women to grow and preserve food.”
