Cicely Mary Hamilton (15 June 1872 – 6 December, 1952), born Hammill, was an English actress, writer, journalist, suffragist and feminist. She is now best known for the play Diana of Dobson's, with a setting in an Edwardian department store.

She was born in Paddington, London and educated in Malvern. After a short spell in teaching she acted in a touring company. Then she wrote drama, including feminist themes, and enjoyed a period of success in the commercial theatre.

In 1908 she founded with Bessie Hatton the Women Writers' Suffrage League. This grew to around 400 members, including Ivy Compton-Burnett, Sarah Grand, Violet Hunt, Marie Belloc Lowndes, Alice Meynell, Olive Schreiner, Evelyn Sharp, May Sinclair, Margaret L. Woods. It produced campaigning literature, written by Sinclair amongst others, and recruited many prominent male supporters.

During World War I she initially worked in the organisation of nursing care, and then joined the army as an auxiliary. Later she formed a repertory company to entertain the troops.

After the war, she wrote as a freelance journalist, particularly on birth control, and as a playwright for the Birmingham Repertory Company. In 1938 she was given a Civil List pension.

She was a friend of EM Delafield and was portrayed in A Provincial Lady Goes Further as "Emma Hay"

Works

• The Traveller Returns (1906) play

• Diana of Dobson's (novel, play 1908)

• Women’s Votes (1908)

• Marriage as a Trade (1909)

• How the Vote was Won (1909) play

• A Pageant of Great Women (1910) play

• Just to Get Married (1911) play

• William, an Englishman (1920) novel (Reprinted by Persephone Books in 1999)

• The Child in Flanders: A Nativity Play (1922)

• Theodore Savage: A Story of the Past or the Future (1922)

• The Old Adam (1924) play

• The Human Factor (1925)

• The Old Vic (1926) with Lilian Baylis

• Lest Ye Die (1928)

• Modern Germanies as seen by an Englishwoman (1931)

• Modern Italy as seen by an Englishwoman (1932)

• Modern France as seen by an Englishwoman (1933)

• Modern Russia, as seen by an Englishwoman (1934)

• Modern Austria as seen by an Englishwoman (1935)

• Life Errant (1935) autobiography

• Modern Ireland as seen by an Englishwoman (1936)

• Modern Scotland as seen by an Englishwoman (1937)

• Modern England as seen by an Englishwoman (1938)

• Modern Sweden. as seen by an Englishwoman (1939)

• The Englishwoman (1940)

• Lament for Democracy (1940)

• The Beggar Prince (1944) play

• Holland To-day (1950)

Notes & References

• Lis Whitelaw (1990) The Life & Rebellious Times of Cicely Hamilton