I was privileged recently to see an advance viewing of the upcoming film ‘Suffragette’, starring Carey Mulligan as Maud Watts. I would warmly recommend it and you can read my review of ‘Suffragette’ exclusively on the Vote 100 blog. Some of the scenes were filmed on location in Parliament. The House of Commons gave special … More ‘Suffragette’ film: women and Parliamentary committees
This year, 2015, marks the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta and 750 years since the De Montfort Parliament which was the forerunner of the modern day House of Commons. It’s being marked by a programme of events in Parliament throughout the year, Parliament in the Making. 20 January was the De … More Women and Democracy Day
I was very excited last week to be interviewed by Jenni Murray about the early female MPs on Woman’s Hour! I was appearing with historian Dr Paula Bartley, who has published a new biography of Labour MP Ellen Wilkinson, Ellen Wilkinson: From Red Suffragist to Government Minister. Paula talked about Ellen, her background, her role … More Ellen Wilkinson and the Kitchen Committee
Last Friday I was on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today in Parliament’ programme, interviewed by Mark D’Arcy about early women staff in Parliament. You can catch it on iPlayer for a few days still – my bit starts around 17:00. I talk for about 5 minutes about how women came to be employed in new roles … More The Home Front in Parliament: early women staff
This weekend I saw ‘The Winslow Boy’, a play by Terence Rattigan at the Old Vic. It was very good and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was one moment however, when I thought, ‘I really don’t think that’s likely!’ That was when Catherine (Kate) Winslow, the intelligent and principled daughter of the family, went to … More The Winslow Girl and the Ladies’ Gallery
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 … More 2013: the year of Emily Wilding Davison
Last night I was privileged to hear a talk in Parliament about Lady Rhondda given by Professor Angela V John, at an event to mark the acquisition of a portrait of Lady Rhondda by the House of Lords. The portrait has been newly conserved and framed, and looks fantastic. The portrait was acquired by the … More Lady Rhondda takes her place in the House of Lords
On 23 May 2011, UNESCO announced the inscription of twenty archive documents and collections to its UK Memory of the World Register. I’m delighted to say that this included an inscription for Documentary Heritage of the Women’s Suffrage Movement in Britain, a collection of eight items held by The Women’s Library and the Parliamentary Archives. … More UNESCO recognition for women’s suffrage documents
Over the bank holiday weekend I went to Hever Castle in Kent, most famous as the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. I didn’t know until I got there, though, that Hever was also a home of the Astor family. William Waldorf Astor bought Hever Castle in 1903, and it passed to his second son John … More Lady Astor of the rowing boat
2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the 1911 census, famously boycotted by some suffragettes. One of the best-known census protests took place in Parliament, when Emily Wilding Davison hid overnight in a cupboard in the crypt chapel in order to give her residence on the form as the Houses of Parliament. I was looking at Votes … More Emily Wilding Davison, Parliament and the 1911 census
Parliament and Women in the early 20th century 