In January 1907 the first branch in Wales of the movement to win the vote for women was founded in Llandudno. These women had been holding meetings in Wales since the 1870s and in 1874 an American called Miss Beedy was campaigning around the country to gain support for women's suffrage. Branches of the movement were founded in Rhyl and Cardiff in 1908, and in Anglesey and Bangor in 1912.

One of the founders of the Cardiff branch was Millicent Mackenzie, who was the only woman to stand as a parliamentary candidate in the 1918 General Election. The women who fought for the right to vote often supported the Conservative Party; believing that the Conservatives would be more likely to accede to their demands.

The most well known incident in Wales involving the suffragettes was the trouble in Llanystumdwy in 1912. The village had invited Lloyd George to open their new village hall. As soon Lloyd George had started speaking, he was again interrupted by people shouting "Votes for Women". The protest developed into a rather serious incident - some of the women's clothes and hair was torn and one woman was nearly thrown over the bridge into the river Dwyfor.