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, tells us about the first female … 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
Address to the Women of Portsmouth, July 1870 In the second half of the nineteenth century, British feminists expressed concern about the sexual double standard. One of their greatest victories was the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts (CDAs) in 1886. The first Act was passed in 1864, followed by others in 1866 and 1869. … Read more
Although accounts of the suffrage campaign often focus on major cities, such as London and Manchester, it was a national movement. All three of the most prominent societies: the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), and the Women’s Freedom League (WFL) had branches across the country. Gravesend … 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
In 1913, the Cat and Mouse Act was passed by the British government. The law established what was to be, in effect, a revolving door policy: suffragettes who went on hunger strike in prison could be released temporarily for a few days to recover their health, after which they would be re-arrested to finish their … Read more
Dame Margery Corbett Ashby was a dedicated supporter of women’s rights. She spent much of her long life fighting for women’s right to equal suffrage and citizenship around the world. Born in 1882, she spent her childhood in the family home of Woodgate House (now called Cumnor House), in the village of Danehill in East … Read more
For nineteen years, a group of women maintained camps around the perimeter of an American base at Greenham Common in Berkshire, protesting the storage of nuclear weapons. The actions were part of a wider movement, spearheaded by CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament). The American military eventually withdrew from Greenham and in 2002, a memorial garden … Read more
Born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, Octavia Hill was the eighth daughter of James Hill, a corn merchant, and his third wife, Caroline. Hill was born into a progressive family; her grandfather was a campaigner on public health, while her father was a follower of the social reformer Robert Owen, and founded the radical newspaper the Star … Read more
