This year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of the suffragette Emily Wilding Davison, who was fatally wounded by the King’s horse at the Epsom Derby on 4 June 1913, and died in hospital a few days later.
We’re interested in Emily in Parliament of course, because she hid in the crypt chapel on census night 1911, and campaigned elsewhere in the building on other occasions. But lots of people are interested in commemorating this anniversary of course, and at the moment I feel I’m finding out about a new initiative every week! So far I’ve found out about…
- The campaign for a minute’s silence at the Derby this year and also the unveiling of a plaque there;
- Activities around this campaign, including an event in Newcastle in March and T-shirts for sale;
- An exhibition at Bourne Hall Museum in Epsom and Ewell, near the Epsom Derby of course;
- Commemorations in Morpeth, Northumberland, where Emily’s family were from and where she is buried;
- ‘To Freedom’s Cause’, a play about Emily by Kate Willoughby which I saw in London last year, which will be touring this year;
- Another play, ‘Emily Wilding Davison: the one who threw herself in front of the horse‘, in Cambridge in June;
- ‘Emily’, an opera by Tim Benjamin, to be performed at Todmorden, West Yorkshire, in July;
- ‘Emily’, a film by Barbara Gorna, currently in development;
- The Wilding Festival, a multi-arts festival in June inspired by Emily;
- Talks including Diane Atkinson at the William Morris Gallery in July (I’m sure there will be lots more talks scheduled nearer the anniversary);
- And I just heard that Lion TV are making a documentary for Channel 4 about Emily, provisionally titled ‘Death at the Derby’.
Phew! And I’m sure there’s more. Do let me know.
Parliament and Women in the early 20th century 
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