But it was Jerusalem's earliest associations that are most ingrained in the national psyche. For half the population, at least, it is the theme song for the women's rights movement.

The hymn did not come into being in its present form until 1916, when Hubert Parry put William Blake's poem And Did Those Feet to music.

At that time the women's movement was already in full swing. Suffragettes were hitting the headlines through their lawless approach to protest - they had now moved on from merely chaining themselves to railings to breaking windows and starting fires in an effort to bring attention to their quest for equal rights, including the right to vote.

The suffragettes' acts of civil disobedience were regularly accompanied by song. Whenever an imprisoned militant was released, supporters would gather and sing. One song that regularly appeared in their repertoire was Jerusalem.

Suffragette leader Millicent Fawcett even wrote to Hubert Parry telling him: "Your Jerusalem ought to be made the women voters' hymn."

Organised suffrage processions were often led by the figure of Joan of Arc on a horse, which was followed by hundreds, if not thousands, of women singing Blake's rousing chorus. Fundraising concerts also attracted large crowds.

With the onset of war in 1914 the suffragettes halted their protests in the name of national unity and pitched in with the war effort by working in the fields and factories. When the war ended in 1918, women had proved their worth and over-30s were granted the vote.

Earlier that year, realising their goal was in sight, the women's movement held a rally in London's Royal Albert Hall. Hubert Parry was present at the concert, which celebrated the success of the campaign. Once again, Jerusalem featured in the performance.

It was a whole decade later before the vote was granted to women above the age of 21, in line with the voting age for men.

Women's Institute

Long after the movement achieved its goal, women continued to sing the hymn that once boosted the morale of the suffragettes. The sound of Jerusalem continued to echo in the halls of the Women's Institute, who adopted the hymn as their own in the early-1920s and still sing it to this day.

The WI first sang the hymn at their annual general meeting at Londons Queens Hall, Langham Place, in 1924 when Sir Walford Davies wrote a special arrangement for the occasion.

Anne Stamper, honorary archivist for the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, said: “From its foundation in 1917 the NFWI searched for a “song” to provide one way of uniting all the newly formed WIs.

"Finally, in 1924, they adopted Blake’s Jerusalem to Parry’s setting. The general secretary wrote in the national magazine, Home And Country, ‘Jerusalem is a happy choice, for the delegates sing hopefully of the New Jerusalem which every institute member is helping to build.’

“By singing Jerusalem the WI is marking its links with the wider women’s movement, and its commitment to ‘improving the conditions of rural life.’”