“We are driven into a shed, iron-barred from end to end, outside of which a foreman or contractor walks up and down with the air of a dealer in a cattle market, picking and choosing from a crowd of men, who, in their eagerness to obtain employment, trample each other underfoot, and where like beasts … Read more
In this series of blog posts we are showcasing the work from GCSE and A-Level students who have worked with the Citizens Project to research and write blog posts on key moments of protest and reform throughout British history. In this blog post Calum Laurie, a pupil at Cambourne Village College tells us about the 1832 Great … Read more
In this series of blog posts we are showcasing the work from GCSE and A-Level students who have worked with the Citizens Project to research and write blog posts on key moments of protest and reform throughout British history. In this blog post Calum Laurie, a pupil at Cambourne Village College, explores the reasons behind the 1819 … Read more
In this series of blog posts we are showcasing the work from GCSE and A-Level students who have worked with the Citizens Project to research and write blog posts on key moments of protest and reform throughout British history. In this blog post Iria Rodriguez, a pupil at Cambourne Village College, looks at the main political parties and … Read more
Vicwardian women’s emancipator Elizabeth Wolstenholme Elmy is best known for her work as a campaigner for the parliamentary vote for British women. However, that is far from the only cause she espoused. Born in the twilight of the reign of William IV, on 1 December 1833, Elizabeth was the youngest of three children and doubly … Read more
‘Dr David Widgery (1947 – 1992) practiced locally as a GP. As a Socialist and a writer, his life and work were an inspiration in the fight against injustice.’ – Memorial plaque – St Anne’s church, Limehouse, London. David Widgery’s activism spanned a period that included the revolutionary changes of the 1960s, through to the … Read more
At the beginning of the twentieth century, there were several organisations campaigning for women’s right to vote in Portsmouth. The most prominent one was the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), with the local branch established in 1909. Other local societies also involved in the suffrage movement included the Women’s Labour League, the Conservative … Read more
Although there were a number of organisations fighting for women’s suffrage in Portsmouth, the area was also home to branches of the Women’s National Anti-Suffrage League (WNASL). This organisation was formed in July 1908 in response to the perceived growing threat of support for the suffrage cause. The newly-elected (and anti-suffrage) Prime Minister Asquith challenged … Read more
When we come to think about nineteenth-century feminism, we can’t celebrate its achievements without recognising what it was achieved on the back of. In so many cases, women’s greater contribution to the public sphere [was] through social action, through social work, through philanthropy […], so often those things were achieved on the basis of … Read more
During the nineteenth century, Jewish communities had limited rights and often had to endure anti-Semitism. This inspired campaigns for ‘Emancipation’, as Jews pushed for religious and social equality. One of the most important figures in this battle for reform was Moses Montefiore (1784-1885). Montefiore immigrated to London from Italy and quickly became one of the … Read more
