E. Wood

Thanks, Bridget. In theory signatories were supposed to be over 21, though we have come across some as young as 17. I would think it unlikely that an eleven or twelve year old would have been allowed to sign, though certainly not impossible. Regards, Jamie Mackay

My great grandmother Elizabeth Aner Wood was born in Lyttleton in 1881 and would have been 11 or 12 in 1893. She later became one of the first female graduates of Canterbury College, which was then part of the University of New Zealand. She graduated a BA, became a teacher and married another teacher. I graduated by BA in the same, fur-lined graduation hood.
Anyway, if she did sign the petition, this is her signature - Spreydon in Christchurch is just over the hill from Lyttleton, and she might have gone to school there - she was certainly educated. But really there is not much way of knowing if it's her.