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Suffragettes
What’s in a name?: Suffragettes and Suffragists
I’ve been asked so often what the difference was between a suffragette and a suffragist that I usually give a brief explanation in my talks to the effect that before …
Read MoreSpotlight on Reginald McKenna (1863-1943): The Man who Introduced the Cat and Mouse Act
Reginald McKenna, the man who introduced the infamous “Cat and Mouse Act”, was Home Secretary from 1911 to 1915. Born into a Catholic family in London, he later converted to …
Read MoreThe Suffragettes could not be pacifists at any price
In 1913 and 1914 a bomb was found at the Bank of England in London. Other incendiary devices discovered in the capital included one with “Votes for Women” labels on …
Read MoreSpotlight on…Mrs Humphry Ward (1851 – 1920)
In 1915 the best-selling novelist Mrs Mary Humphrey Ward published Delia Blanchflower. In many ways it’s typical romantic fare: a stern guardian to a wilful young heiress must save her …
Read MoreSpotlight on…Dorothy Pethick (1881-1970)
When Winston Churchill came to Bristol in 1909, a number of women came to the city to help Bristol organiser Annie Kenney organise protests during his visit. Actions included window …
Read MoreThe Bristol Suffragettes
To celebrate the release of the SilverWood Selection Box, Lucienne Boyce answers some “frequently asked questions” about how she came to write The Bristol Suffragettes… SilverWood Books have put together …
Read MoreSpotlight On…Begbrook House, Frenchay, Bristol
On 11 November 1913, the head gardener at Begbrook House in Frenchay near Bristol discovered that the building was on fire. The house stood in its own wooded grounds, and …
Read MoreSpotlight on Suffragette Florence Feek (1877 – 1940)
The latest Suffragette Spotlight On looks at the work of Worcestershire campaigner, Florence Feek… On 31 March 1909, thirty suffragettes attempted to get into the House of Commons to speak to Prime …
Read MoreSpotlight On…Ellen W Pitman (c1857 – ?)
At midnight on Friday 8 October 1909, Nurse Ellen Pitman of Southleigh Road (also known as Leigh Road South), Clifton boarded the train from Bristol to Newcastle. She was on …
Read More2nd Lt John Alfred Raymond Andrews
Phyllis of the Die-Hards I recently bought on eBay a First World War postcard: Phyllis of the Die-Hards. My interest in the card is in the image, which is …
Read MoreMrs Pankhurst and the Double Standard
When Mrs Pankhurst sought to justify WSPU militancy, she often did so by drawing attention to a double standard that accepted men’s militancy but criticised women’s. “The smashing of windows …
Read MoreWere the suffragettes insane?
On 16 March 1912 a leader in The Times explained suffragette militancy by attributing it to women’s “Insurgent Hysteria”. The article suggested that “in a large number of cases, even …
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