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Suffragettes In Birmingham

H

Helen G

Almost a Brummie
I have a theory as to why my Great great grandmother Susan Woodyatt is missing from the 1911 census and her husband Thomas lists himself as a widower. My theory is that like many women Susan refused to participate in the census because she was a suffragette.

I base this on 2 things.
1. Although Thomas says he was a widower, Susan outlived him and took over his business when he died and I have photo's to prove it.

2. When I became old enough to vote it was stressed to me that I MUST always vote because others had died for me to have the privilage to do so. My Mother told me this and stressed that her Great grandmother (which would have been Susan) had been the originator of this important mission.)

My query is if Susan Woodyatt nee Lawson had been a suffragette in Birmingham, apart from Newspaper reports is there any other records that anyone might know of where I could look for her name?

Many thanks for reading this
Helen
 
Hello Helen. What a wonderful lady Susan must have been. If she was active maybe she went to court, some went on hunger strike in prison. Was she active in Birmignham or London? I think if you email Local Studies at the library in Birmingham they will tell you what court records they hold, or at least where to find them. They are now called Archives and Heritage Service.

[email protected]

Good luck and keep us posted as to what you do find.:)
 
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As Di says she sounds amazing. Helen it's funny I was told to vote by my Dad when I was old enough because of the sacrifice these women made. I now wonder like you if there was a suffragette in his family. I alway mention this when my female friends say there not going to vote!

Thanks for the info on the records Di.:)
 
Dear all,
I am staging a recreation of the 1913 Derby in Kings Heath Village Square on June 15th between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. From 12 we will be acting out scenes to show the history of the Suffragtes culminating in the Derby. Should be good fun!
 
The Womens' Library in London have information regarding the Suffragettes. Should be able to contact via their website.
 
As an interest to the "Thread" may I suggest reading ( Library Book I think) "Freedoms Cause" by Fran Adams it certainly substantiates everything that the wonderful Suffragettes fought so gloriously for, , also they produced a song and called it The Women's Marseillaise with their own words (A-rise ye daughters of a Land that vaunts its Liberty)) and used the original music by Rouget Delisle,, every time I hear the Marseillaise I always think of these Great Ladies,, Bless eh!
 
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From darkest Devon I understand that there is an exhibition at BMAG featuring Nellie Hall who was born in Eccles but who lived in Birmingham most of her life and was a prominent suffragette.
 
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I can't see anything for Susan Woodyatt nee Lawson in the online Archives, but I noticed a couple of incidents that I had not previously known. There is a picture from May 1914 of the Grand Stand at Bromford which had been set on fire. A week or so earlier the cricket pavilion at the Oratory in Harbourne had been fired. At both places Suffragette literature had been found.

Also in May Miss Lilian Mitchell the organiser of the WSPU was arrested and sent to Wilson Green Prison where she started a hunger strike. She was released under the Cat and Mouse Act.
 
Suffragette action 1914 from the Parliament archives. Northfield Carnegie Library suffered fire damage. And a failed bomb attempt at Moor Green Hall.

Somehow to me the library message seems poorly thought through. Women's access to books and education is a vital part of achieving equality and by burning the library complete with all its books seems to me contrary to the cause. Think another target would have much better served the cause ladies. Viv.
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As a conspiracy theory, some of the “outrages” may have been set up by the “Establishment” to discredit the movement.

By burning the library complete with all its books could seem contrary to the cause. The Library would be unattended. Moor Green Hall was unoccupied except for the caretaker who found the explosive device.

In post 11 there is mentioned the fire in May 1914 of the Bromford Grand Stand and the cricket pavilion at the Oratory.

This clip is from the Birmingham Mail of the 16 March 1914 and brings in the “Church”. Interesting is also the mentions of the three more outrages in Birmingham over the last weekend...

The destruction of the tennis pavilion at Olton, the burning of railway carriages in a siding in King’s Norton, and the wanton disfigurement of a sacred edifice.

There seems much goIng on in 1914!



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Considerable damage was done by suffragettes by fire at a house at Perry Barr, message “Asquith is to blame. Release Mrs Pankhurst.” A house known as Birds” Hill, situated in its own grounds, had been unoccupied for about 6 weeks. The staircases were destroyed from top to bottom.....the walls and roof of the house remain intact.

One mention...

“This article relates to an arson attack on Bird's Hill house in Perry Barr in July 1913, owned at the time by the widow of Councillor Henry Hossell. From the article it can be surmised that other arson attacks had taken place in the Birmingham area in the recent past. Whilst the article mentions nothing about the Hossell family, and the possible reasons why their house might be a target, Councillor Henry Hossell is described in his biography as 'conservative in his habits and opinions'. His biography also notes that he was a warden of Perry Church for 23 years. In 1913 the militant suffragettes had mounted a campaign of burning churches, as the Church of England was also against woman's suffrage. It is impossible to establish from the biography or the article any particular reason for targetting the Hossell's - in fact it is a possibility the target was not Mr. Hossell, perhaps Mrs. Hossell was prominently against franchise for women.”
 
My mother was 16 before Universal Suffrage was obtained. I can't 'not vote'. In fact, saying that I didn't vote in the last mayoral election as in the initial round I voted 'No' to a mayor. I felt that it added insult to injury to be asked some months later which one I would like when I hadn't wanted one in the first place!

I hadn't realised that the C of E was against women's suffrage. What a lot I'm still learning. Where would they be today without women in the church (and not just to polish the brasses, do the flowers and fund-raise etc either)? Our last 3 curates have been female and very good they were too.

Slightly off topic but brought to mind by 'Victoria'. In the latest episode she had to be churched (much against her will I might add). I remember when I had my daughter this was still practiced but I refused to go. Another archaic practice introduced by the hierarchy.
 
Evelyn Hilda Burkett was one of the five suffragettes arrested in September 1909 during the visit of Asquith to Bingley Hall in Birmingham. She lived at 214 Wellington Road and was a native to Birmingham. She was sentenced to three months imprisonment in Winson Green and went on hunger strike.

The house still exists, but no Blue Plaque.

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Women’s Rights...Showell’s Dictionary of Birmingham, 1888.

“It can hardly be said that our lady friends are much curtailed of their liberty.”

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Today the 6th March is the 100th anniversary of some women getting the vote in the UK. The Birmingham papers of the time are remarkably silent on the matter. Here are two letters to the Editor.

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I had not realised that property owning women could vote in local elections as early as the 1860's.
 
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