Margaret Robertson Watt (June 4, 1868 – November 29, 1948) was a Canadian writer, editor and activist. She was noted for her energy and commitment, and advocated for the collective influence of women working together. She is known to members of Women's Institutes in the United Kingdom for introducing the concepts and practices of the Canadian Women's Institute movement to Britain in 1914. She is remembered internationally as one of the founding members of the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) in 1933.
Personal life Madge Robertson Watt was born Margaret Rose Robertson in Collingwood, Ontario, on June 4, 1868. Her father was Henry Robertson Q.C. (1840-1923), son of John and Catherine Robertson of Hamilton. Her mother Bethia (1844-1893) was the daughter of John and Margaret Climie Rose of Bradford. Both parents were Canadian-born children of Scottish emigrants.
Her forebears had all emigrated to Simcoe District (now County), Ontario, in the years following the War of 1812, when the land was opened to pioneer farmingHunter, A.F. A history of Simcoe County, published by the County Council, 1909, no ISBN, pp Vol. 1, p.41, Vol 2, p.57. These Scottish pioneers contributed to Madge's genetic makeup, evidenced by her traits of stamina, determination, and persistence. These, combined with her ability to draw women together to develop and advance a common cause, led to her future success as an inspired organizer of Women's Institutes, following the founding of that organization by Adelaide Hoodless in 1897.
She liked "Madge" as the short name for Margaret and used it all her life. She also liked short hair and wore hers that way in spite of the fashion in her early life that dictated otherwise.
Madge graduated from the University of Toronto, where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, in 1890. She was one of the first women to be granted a Master of Arts degree. She earned her living as a Canadian writer, editor, and reviewer in the years between 1890 and 1907. Writing under the name of Madge Robertson, she had many articles published by newspapers and magazines, such as the University of Toronto's The Varsity, the Ladies Pictorial Weekly (she also edited it in 1892), The Globe, some USA titles, and the British Columbia Victoria Times. Ambrose & Hall (2007) hail her as an example of a New Woman because, in her writings, she used ideas from emerging feminist thought.Linda M. Ambrose and Kristin Hall,A new woman in print and practice: The Canadian literary career of Madge Robertson Watt , 1890-1907, History of Intellectual Culture, ISSN 1492-7810, 2007, Vol 7, No 1 She also recognized that most women saw such ideas as being distant from basic family life and ties.
Although a believer in marriage reform, Madge became engaged to, and then married, Alfred Tennyson Watt, M.D., and bore two sons, Henry Robertson (Robin) in 1896 and Hugh Sholto (Sholto) in 1906. She continued her writing in William Head, Metchosin, British Columbia, where they lived while Dr Watt carried out his duties as chief medical officer, Superintendent of Quarantine for the Province of British Columbia. She joined the Metchosin Women's Institute in 1909, wrote pamphlets to entice agriculture settlers to Vancouver Island, and became a member of the Senate of the University of British Columbia. She was also appointed to the first Advisory Board of the British Columbia Women's Institute.
When Dr Watt died suddenly in 1913, Madge took her two sons to England to complete their education. When World War I broke out, many men left their jobs to join the army and navy, so farm and village women had to do the work they had left behind. Madge realized that a concerted, effective agricultural effort was needed in the country and set about spreading the concepts of Women's Institutes.Fenner, Ruth "A Canadian woman of the 20th Century who has made a difference" http://www.svanciswomensinstitute.bc.ca/awatt.html
Early Women's Institutes in the U.K. Jane Robinson, in A Force to be reckoned with, noted that Adelaide Hoodless had already visited London and spoken about Women's Institutes, the movement she had founded after her son died from drinking contaminated milk.Robinson, Jane,"A force to be reckoned with A history of the Women's Institute", Virago Press, 2011, , pp. 17, 24-5 The first group of women met together in the Ontario town of Stoney Creek, Canada in 1897. Other WIs formed in Ontario soon after, especially as Hoodless was a good speaker and could inspire women to set up their own small WIs . In 1899, Lady Aberdeen, wife of a former Governor General of Canada, welcomed Hoodless to England and was enthusiastic about the usefulness of such a women's organization. But English women were not willing to take it on at that time.
The ideas around Women's Institutes needed the right time and place to take root. With World War I already underway, Madge Watt had the determination and stamina to keep bringing WI concepts to everyone's attention until the Agricultural Organisation Society (AOS) began offering funds. This initiative enabled a group of women to organize in 1915 as the first Women's Institute. They lived in and about the village of Llanfair PG in Wales.
With funds from the Agricultural Organisation Society, Madge went on to help a number of WIs to organize quickly, following the success of the Welsh group. By the end of World War I, the movement was credited with being a strong force in agriculture, having increased the food supply from 35% to 60% of the country's requirements.Robinson, Jean M. "Three women of B.C. and the A.C.W.W." A project of Shirley Women's Institute Historical Research Group, 1990, p. 35.
Madge was a good speaker and able to put her points across clearly. Audience members sometimes said they felt as if she was speaking directly to each individual. Madge continued encouraging women to set up and work within Women's Institutes and helped train workers to carry on the administrative side of the organization. As a superlative organizer, she helped set up the first 100 Institutes and was Chief Organizer under the Board of Agriculture.
She developed and presented the first Women's Institute School in Sussex in 1918. The School's aim was to interest and begin to train good administrative staff who would continue to bring on new groups. She wanted women to realize their own talents and skills for this type of work. In her history of women leaders of the ACWW, Jean M. Robinson reproduced an excerpt from the first Women's Institute School manual,Robinson, Jean M. "Three women of B.C. and The A.C.W.W." A project of Shirley Women's Institute Historical Research Group - 1990 - inside front page which may have been the words that Madge actually spoke:
The ideas behind WI 'schools' helped sustain the training of leaders and administrators, although the short courses ran for many years on a shoestring. In 1917,Gertrude Denman accepted the presidency of the newly established National Federation of Woman's Institutes (NFWI) in the United Kingdom. She, like Madge Watt, was a strong believer in women's abilities to develop leadership and organizational skills. In the years after World War 1, the WI offerings gradually changed into adult education short courses to meet their members' needs. These overnight educationals became well attended once WW2 had ended but the demand for them out-grew the accommodation that could be hired to present them.
Jane Robinson described the trials and tribulations that the NFWI experienced while finding, and funding, a permanent home for their popular short courses.Robinson, Jane, "A force to be reckoned with A history of the Women's Institute", Virago Press, 2011, , pp 203-9. When Lady Denman retired in 1946 as the NFWI President, she agreed to the members' proposal to name their new building Denman College, to mark her on-going support for continuing education for all WI members who wished it. Denman College's success has, in a way, its beginning in the First Women's Institute school in 1918, designed and presented by Madge Watt. Like Denman, Madge often expressed her faith in women's abilities to learn and to use their knowledge to help themselves, their families and their communities.
On Madge's return to British Columbia in 1919, she became involved with British Columbia Women's Institutes and was again appointed to the Women's Institute Advisory Board, this time as president. Madge organized the first British Columbia Women's Institute Provincial Convention. She ensured that, from 1924, delegates to the convention rather than government appointees would constitute future Boards.
ACWW: International organization for rural women
Madge belonged to a number of women's organizations from time to time, including the International Council of Women. From 1919 on, she talked up the idea of an international organization of rural women. From her research, she knew rural women around the world had many of the same problems, and that these were different from urban women's problems.
The International Council of Women thought their organization could have a rural women's branch and encouraged its formation. Madge, with others, thought through the implications and eventually decided that a truly independent body was needed. Although a great deal of talk and some personality clashes caused difficulties around this idea, Madge was noted for being able to keep her train of thought and talk above the hubbub.Robinson, Jean M. "Three women of B.C. and The A.C.W.W." A project of Shirley Women's Institute Historical Research Group - 1990 - p 38 She worked with the International Council of Women's president, Lady Aberdeen, and with its general secretary, Elsie Zimmern, to organize a first international conference of rural women in 1929.
The resulting conference was held in London, England, and provided opportunities for rural women to articulate their views and find commonality across many countries. Many of the same women met again in 2 years' time to continue planning an international organization. In 1933, representatives of 28 agriculture-related women's groups met in Stockholm, Sweden, to consolidate work done at previous meetings. They agreed on the official name for their new world-wide organization for rural women and also agreed on methods of financing, an important part of assuring their future independence.Lamb, B. (ed.) "Working with women worldwide: Highlights of 75 years of ACWW", The Associated Country Women of the World, 2004, p 8.
Thus, The Associated Countrywomen of the World was launched at Stockholm, Sweden. A famous photograph of Madge showed her standing beside a blackboard at this conference with the title of the organization written in English, French, German and Swedish.Robinson, Jean M. "Three women of B.C. and The A.C.W.W." A project of Shirley Women's Institute Historical Research Group - 1990 - p.i Madge became its first president and remained in that position until she retired in 1947. In 1936, she traveled around the world and visited many Women's Institutes in a number of countries. Elizabeth Smart, who became a writer in later years, accompanied Madge as her companion and secretary.