Caroline Trachy – A pioneer in politics

Caroline Smallcombe was born in Bristol on 20 June 1868, the daughter of William, a 38-year-old cooper and Frances Adelaide. In the 1871 census they were living as a family at 127, Brighton Place, Bristol, Caroline, the second youngest of six children.

By 1901 she had moved to Jersey, working as a shopkeeper and draper and living at Beaumont in St Peter. She was heavily involved with the Church, conducting harvest services at the newly opened Bible Christian Mission in Garden Lane. She was also involved in the temperance movement, preaching on abstinence and representing the British Women’s Temperance Association. She married Philip John Trachy, a 24-year-old painter, at the Town Church in 1911.

Caroline was an inveterate writer to the Evening Post expounding opinions about different aspects of local life. She was a particular advocate for women and the poor writing to the Evening Post on 24 May 1919 relating to the expansion of the franchise,

“The discussion in the States re the above [The Franchise Bill] makes interesting matter. Not-withstanding the fact that we are supposed to be advancing and enlarging our views and leaving the old cramped fads behind, there are men yet in the States who will persist in treating women as inferior. Many girls of twenty are flighty and frivolous I grant but so are boys at that age and even amongst old men and women age has nothing to do with fools and frivolous people. These types are to be found amongst all ages. No, the problem re the votes lies in character and the poor man can be just as fine a character as the better placed man. The vote should be given to all people over the age of twenty-one, carrying out the protective clauses inserted in the Bill.”

Once the vote for women had been secured her next goal was to see female representation in the States of Jersey, the Island’s parliament. After a deputation of electors approached her, she agreed to put her name forward to stand as Deputy in St Helier No 3 District in the 1922 elections.When she was approached, she said that,

“She was quite prepared to stand aside, but someone must make a beginning, and she was willing to be a candidate. To be the pioneer meant a great deal, for it would either let down the cause of womanhood or lift it up. She always endeavoured to uphold the highest and noblest traditions of womanhood. There would no doubt, be a lot of antagonism, for it meant breaking down barriers.”

The nominations meeting took place in early December. The report from the Evening Post says that the assembly broke all attendance records with all the seating accommodation filled quickly and another few hundreds standing at the rear of the Town Hall. They also noted that there were, “a very good percentage of lady voters.”

Mrs Trachy called a mass meeting relating to women’s political rights at the West Park Pavilion. To a packed room, the chair, Mrs Verini, said “Mrs Trachy had been beaten at the Town Hall and at the Royal Court, but she was a success. She had done a work for which every woman who came after her in the political life of Jersey would be indebted to her.”

Mrs Trachy also spoke, concluding her speech by saying, “If women wanted emancipation and freedom she hoped they would join forces and let the men see they were not going to remain downtrodden. She could assure her hearers that as far as she was concerned she had not been crushed.”

After the meeting Mrs Trachy together with the other women on the stage set up a new organisation to argue for their rights. The first meeting of the Women’s Jersey Political Union took place on 9 April 1923. The newspaper report of the time says that the meeting took place at 27, David Place with over 100 in attendance. The primary objective of the Union was to achieve, “full political and civil rights for women in Jersey.” Mrs Verini was the chair for the evening and Mrs Trachy was named as the provisional President.

The Women’s Jersey Political Union organised a petition, which was presented to the States in early 1924, demanding that, “women may be granted full civil and political rights as now enjoyed by women in Great Britain and in the Island of Guernsey.” In all, 671 signatures were collected in total with Caroline Trachy’s being the first on the list.

The States did finally move in March 1924 to codify the fact that women could stand as deputies. Deputy Renouf put forward a resolution saying he felt sure States members would gladly, “welcome the presence of intelligent ladies in their House or on some of the Committees.” After a strong debate the resolution was eventually passed 30-17.

However, a meeting of the Women’s Jersey Political Union of the time noted that this legislation was, “not satisfactory as only women who were separated were eligible as Deputies.” When they say separated this was an Act under which married couples had to go to the Royal Court to separate the husband and wife’s property, otherwise everything would go into the husband’s name.