14 July: Emmeline Pankhurst

Emmeline Pankhurst, suffragette, was born 160 years ago today in 1858. 2018 is also the 100th anniversary of women being granted the vote (although they had to be over 30 and own property) and 90th anniversary of women being given the vote on equal terms with men, and also Emmeline's death. Here are 10 facts about her.

1. She was born Emmeline Goulden in Moss Side, Manchester on July 15th, 1858. Although her birth certificate clearly says the 15th, she always claimed her birthday was July 14 - Bastille Day. "I have always thought that the fact that I was born on that day had some kind of influence over my life," she said.
2. She came from a family of political activists, both in Manchester on her father's side, and the Isle of Man on her mother's. Her parents were activists, too, and took their children along with them on some of their activities. Emmeline wrote in her autobiography that she remembered collecting money for freed American slaves at a young age. That said, even though her parents believed women should have the vote, the nevertheless believed women should only be educated in matters of home-making, should marry as soon as possible and not work.
3. She was sent to a finishing school in Paris, the director of which believed girls should be educated in subjects such as science and bookkeeping as well as homemaking. Her best friend and room-mate, Noémie, did some matchmaking and found Emmeline a potential French husband - but Emmeline's father refused to pay a dowry, so she reluctantly returned home.
4. Her husband, Richard Pankhurst, was 44 when they met, 24 years older than she was. He was politically active, too, and had vowed to remain single so as to better serve the public. Emmeline's mother accused her of "throwing herself" at Richard. The couple even discussed living together rather than marrying, but Richard pointed out that Emmeline could be more politically active if she was formally married. The wedding took place in St Luke's Church, Pendleton on 18 December 1879.
5. Emmeline was a school board member and also a "Poor Law Guardian", which involved visiting workhouses. She was appalled by the harsh conditions there and how women were always treated as inferior.
6. It was after Richard died suddenly in 1898 that Emmeline threw herself completely into the women's rights movement. She founded the Women's Social and Political Union in 1903 - a women-only group dedicated to obtaining equal votes for women. They often committed extreme and violent acts such as chaining themselves to railings and sending letter bombs. Members of the movement, including Emmeline herself, were frequently arrested and sent to prison, where they would go on hunger strike and be force fed. Her daughters, Christabel and Sylvia were also heavily involved in the movement.
7. When the First World War broke out, the WSPU agreed they would stop their militant action and help the war effort. The government released all the suffragettes who were in prison. It was in 2018, they year the war ended, that The Representation of the People Act 1918 extended the vote to all men over 21 and women over 30 who were property owners or graduates voting in a 'university constituency.' The difference between the rights of men and women was because there was a shortage of men after the war, and the government didn't want men becoming a minority!
8. Emmeline almost became an MP. In 1926, Pankhurst joined the Conservative Party and was selected as a candidate for Parliament in Whitechapel and St. George's in 1928. She claimed the war had changed her views, but many think she saw it as a way to influence Parliament from the inside. However, before she could win the seat, her health failed, and there was also a scandal involving her daughter Sylvia giving birth to an illegitimate baby.
9. Emmeline Pankhurst died at the age of 69 in a Hampstead nursing home on June 14th 1928 - so she didn't live to see the Representation of the People (equal franchise) act 1928 passed. The act which gave women equal votes with men was passed 18 days after she died.
10. In 1999 Time named Pankhurst as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century, stating "she shaped an idea of women for our time; she shook society into a new pattern from which there could be no going back". Later, in 2016, following a public vote, it was announced a statue of Emmeline Pankhurst would be unveiled in Manchester in 2019. She would be the first woman to be honoured with a statue in the city since Queen Victoria more than 100 years ago.

More details about my books. Follow this link if you like Superheroes, Psychics and/or quirky short stories. 

I've listed the themes each novel touches on here for easy reference.

Like my author page on Facebook for news on new books and blog posts.

Follow me on Twitter and Pinterest

Check out my Writing blog