Lady Rhondda Feminist Campaigner

Episode 3: Margaret Haig Thomas, Viscountess Rhondda

Author Henrietta Heald Reads; Ardent suffragette and survivor of the Lusitania disaster, Margaret Haig Thomas inherited a viscountcy on the death of her father, the Liberal politician D. A. Thomas, Viscount Rhondda of Llanwern, but was disqualified by her sex from sitting in the House of Lords. She spent her whole life campaigning for changes to laws that discriminated against women.

In 1920 Lady Rhondda founded a political weekly calledTime and Tide, which supported left-wing and feminist causes. Immensely rich and influential, she sat on 33 company boards during her lifetime and chaired seven of them. In 1926 she became the first female president of the Institute of Directors.

From the start, Lady Rhondda was a keen supporter, both morally and financially, of the Women’s Engineering Society, founded in 1919. In alliance with other powerful women, she moved in political and social circles that helped to bring the society to national prominence.

Dear listeners,

We hope you enjoyed listening to Henrietta Heald reading about the history of Lady Rhondda.

We invite you to join us in our mission to tour an exhibition that celebrates inspiring women making significant strides toward better equality. By becoming a Friend of the project, you’ll receive a personal invitation to theWomen Change Makers Debut Show, May 29th 2025, where we’ll showcase these remarkable women and their stories.

Your support is crucial in helping us bring this vision to life, and we greatly appreciate any contributions you can make. You can donate for free through platforms like GoFundMe where your generosity will directly impact our ability to share these powerful narratives with a wider audience.

Thank you for believing in change!