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
Rose Emma Janau was born in Brixton in 1875. Her parents were both teachers and she received an extensive education, both in England and abroad. In 1896 she entered Royal Holloway College, studying modern languages. Although she passed the Oxford Final Honours Exam, she was not, as a woman, awarded a degree. In 1900 she … 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
We’re clearly soldiers in petticoats And dauntless crusaders for woman’s votes Though we adore men individually We agree that as a group they’re rather stupid! In 1903 Emmeline Pankhurst, her daughters, Christabel and Sylvia, and a small group of other supporters founded the Women’s Social and Political Union (WPSU). The group adopted the slogan … Read more
At the outbreak of the First World War the Suffragettes not only ceased their military campaign, they actively threw themselves behind the national war effort. One way in which they did this was through their work as nurses, doctors, and surgeons. There is currently a small display in the Camden Local Studies Centre about such … Read more
In this post Abbie Evans interviews Kathy Atherton, a local historian and Exhibitions Team leader at Dorking Museum, and Royal Holloway PhD researcher, Katie Broomfield, about the Citizens project upcoming short film on the Pethick Lawrences and Women’s Suffrage. Abbie: Kathy, can you start by telling our readers about Dorking Museum? Kathy: Of course, Dorking … Read more
February 2018 marks the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, the Act which extended the franchise to (some) women for the first time. Commemorative plans for the centenary are well underway and there is no doubt that this momentous point in British history will get the attention it deserves. However, even at this … Read more
