Although the writer Mary Hays is unknown to many today, she was an important early feminist, whose ideas were well ahead of her time. She lived in an era when women had few legal and social rights and their options were restricted by social convention. Born in 1759, Hay came from a family of religious … Read more
Saklatvala was a fervent supporter of Indian independence, a strong advocate of the rights of Indian, British and international workers, and a charismatic public speaker. He was an anti-imperialist parliamentarian protesting in the heart of the British Empire. Saklatvala was born into one of India’s wealthiest families; a nephew of J.N. Tata, the founder of … Read more
Overview In 1912, Emmeline Pankhurst’s eldest daughter, Christabel, planned to escalate the WSPU’s militant action by launching an arson campaign. According to Sylvia Pankhurst, “Women, most of them very young, toiled through the night across unfamiliar country carrying heavy cases of petrol and paraffin. Sometimes they failed, sometimes succeeded in setting fire to an untenanted … Read more
While Charlotte Despard is well known for her work as a suffragist, her work with the poor is less recognised. Despard left her upper middle-class life and home in Esher, Surrey to move to one of the most deprived areas of London and improve the lives of the people that lived there. She helped make … Read more
There was no conscription in Britain at the beginning of the First World War. However, by the end of 1915, 528,272 men had been either killed, wounded, or were missing in action. In response, the government introduced The Military Service Act. It became law on 27 January 1916 and all unmarried men aged 18-41 were … Read more
Barbara Bodichon was a key figure in the early women’s suffrage movement, organising one of the first women’s suffrage committees and coordinating the first mass petition to go before parliament on the question of enfranchising women. Bodichon was born in East Sussex in 1827 as the illegitimate daughter of Benjamin Leigh-Smith and Anne Longden, a … Read more
Jayaben Desai, living a quiet life in Willesden in the 1970s, would not have been tipped by many at the time as an influential political activist and defender of rights. And yet, circumstances, together with her sense of justice and her determination to see justice done, took her into national and international headlines as one … Read more
For the observant visitor to Burford Church in rural Oxfordshire there is a mysterious plaque “To the memory of three Levellers: Cornet Thompson, Corporal Perkins, Private Church. Executed and buried in this churchyard 17th May 1649.” Who were the Levellers and why were these three men executed in Burford? To answer this question we have to explore the … Read more
Caversham claims among its famous former residents no less than the man Thomas Asbridge describes as ‘the greatest knight who ever lived’ and the power behind five English thrones. Who was William Marshal, why is he important in English history and where was his Caversham home? William Marshal served under five Plantagenet monarchs, stretching from … Read more
Hush-a-by Baby On the tree-top, When you grow up, You can work in a shop; When you get married Your wife can work too, So that the rich Shall have nothing to do. Hush-a-by Baby, on the tree-top, When you grow up your wages will stop, When you have spent the little you save, It’s … Read more
