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 Iria Rodriguez, a pupil at Cambourne Village College, tells us about the first female … 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
The Chartist Movement had significant popular support in Birmingham from 1838 and there was a good deal of local involvement in its establishment. Thomas Attwood, MP for the town, was a key supporter and was responsible for sending out the first National Petition in 1839. In May of the same year the Chartist National Convention … Read more
Margaret and Norah O’Shea were sisters and suffragist activists. They were the children of Rodney and Elizabeth O’Shea. Margaret, the third child, was born in 1860 and Norah, the sixth child, was born in 1865. From looking at the census returns it is clear that both sisters lived privileged lives before the First World War. … 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
