Her mother, Martha, took an equal part in her husband's business concerns and created essay societies and debating clubs for her children.

For accepting Duncan on his third proposal, Priscilla was disowned by the Society of Friends (though she ignored this for the most part, continuing to attend Quaker meetings).

Duncan built a political career as a town councillor, Lord Provost, and then Liberal Member of Parliament in 1865.

The group intended to gain recognition for Priscilla Bright McLaren, Elizabeth Pease Nichol, Eliza Wigham and Jane Smeal – the city's "forgotten heroines".

[6] Her name and picture (and those of 58 other women's suffrage supporters) are on the plinth of the statue of Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square, London, unveiled in 2018.