leaving a widow and no children, all his estate if under L500, goes to
the widow, if over L500 she shall have L500 in addition to her share
in the residue.[487]

LAWS RELATING TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT. (SUFFRAGE.)

_1869._--Municipal Corporations Act restored to women rate-payers of
England the vote in Municipal Elections which had been taken away by
the Municipal Corporation Act of 1835.

_1870._--Elementary Education Act created School Boards and placed
women on a complete equality both as electors and as eligible for
election.

_1881-1882._--The Municipal Act for Scotland gave to women the same
Municipal Franchise possessed by those of England since 1869. They
already had the School Franchise.

_1888._--The County Electors Act gave women equal franchises with men
for the election of Councillors for the County Councils created by the
Local Government Act of that year.

_1894._--Local Government Act which reorganised the Parochial Poor-Law
Administration in the Counties, confirmed the rights of women to all
Local Franchises and their eligibility as Poor-Law Guardians; and made
them also eligible as Parish and District Councillors.

_1896._--Poor-Law Guardian Act for Ireland made women for the first
time eligible as Poor-Law Guardian.

_1898._--Irish Local Government Act reorganized the system of Local
Government in Ireland on similar lines to that in England. Women who
had hitherto been excluded from the Municipal Franchise now had all
Local Franchises conferred on them and were made eligible for Rural
and Urban District Councils.

_1899._--London Government Act changed the system of Vestries to that
of Borough Councils throughout the Metropolitan Districts. Women had
been eligible on the old Vestries and several were then serving. Their
claim to sit on the new Borough Councils was, however, rejected.

WOMEN IN PUBLIC WORK.

Half a century ago no offices were held by women beyond such parochial
offices as Sextoness, Overseer and Churchwarden, which they
occasionally filled. Their always-existing right to act as Poor-Law
Guardians seems to have been entirely left in abeyance until the early
'70's, when the attention of public-spirited women was being called to
the need of reformation in the workhouses.

_1870._--MEMBERS OF SCHOOL BOARD: Miss Lydia Becker was the first
woman to be elected to public office by the popular vote. This was at
the first School Board election in Manchester, in November, 1870. She