Born

1842
England

Died

1920
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Occupation

Homemaker, Social activist and Suffrage activist

Alternative Names

• Hobbs, Eleanor (Preferred)
• Rawlinson, Mary Eleanor (Birth)

Summary

Eleanor Hobbs was an very active participant in the Victorian Woman Suffrage movement. Born in England, she migrated with her father to Melbourne, via South Africa, when she was in her teens. She married Alfred Hobbs, and ironmonger, in 1864 and went on to raise eight children (three daughters and five sons).

Always an attentive mother, she was also an active participant in church and other social movements. She was a member of the Victorian branch of the Women's Christian Temperance Union and a vocal supporter of the suffrage rights for women. She was one of the thousands of people who signed the 1891 'Monster' Women's Suffrage Petition.