Did she get the vote?
Penelope would have been eligible for the vote. The Electoral Register for 1918 shows that Penelope registered to vote, however we do not know if she did vote. Despite being well informed about suffrage, it appears that Penelope and Roger, like many of their generation, were not in favour.
Life after the hospital:
Penelope was also a formidable woman who guarded the family’s place in society. She was a strict disciplinarian - she expected boys living on the estate to doff their caps when she passed by. She only wanted the best for her children, and that included their choice of partner. She didn’t approve of Lady Jane’s prospective husband, but did eventually bow to the inevitable. As for the 10th Earl, she seemed more protective over Roger, supporting him throughout his life. He never married, and lived at Dunham with Penelope until her death.
After the war had ended, and the hospital was closed, Penelope founded a branch of the Women’s Institute in Dunham Village – and for this, they elected her the first President! She continued to be a part of the British Red Cross alongside many other local organisations.
Penelope died on September 1st 1959 at the grand old age of 94.