In my travels through the archives I encounter numerous interesting aspects of the lives of suffragists and suffragettes – interesting and diverting but not necessarily relevant to any research project. In ‘Suffrage Stories’ they find a home.
Just put ‘Suffrage Stories’ in the Search Box to reveal all Suffrage Stories posts
Woman and her Sphere 
#1 by Jill Jeffery on February 18, 2015 - 2:10 am
Is there any information about Dr. Annes Jeffrey(s) Meyer of Portland, Oregon, especially a picture? I have found one article that described her efforts in the Exposition of 1904 in Portland. I am a descendant of her.
#2 by womanandhersphere on February 18, 2015 - 9:46 am
I am afraid that I have no information – US doesn’t really fall within my remit
#3 by Dr. Kristina huneault on June 6, 2016 - 2:23 pm
Dear Ms. Crawford. Thank you so very much for developing this wonderful resource. May I ask if you have ever run into the name Frances Anne Hopkins (Mrs. Edward Hopkins) as a suffrage supporter? She was an English artist, active from 1867 to 1914. Her name is not on the 1866 suffrage petition (she was in Canada at the time it was presented) but if you have other recommendations where I might look for her I would be very grateful. I doubt strongly that she was very actively involved in the movement, but I am trying to get a sense of what her sympathies might have been.
#4 by womanandhersphere on June 15, 2016 - 10:24 am
Kristina ~ I’m afraid that I haven’t come across Frances Hopkins in my research – and can’t even suggest where you might look – given that you doubt she would have been actively involved. I know the frustrations of such brick walls – and would help if I could!
Regards
Elizabeth
#5 by Adam on June 25, 2017 - 11:36 am
Dear Kristina, I wonder if you might have come across the Leicestershire based suffragette, Ellen Sherriff? She burned down Blaby Train Station along with Kitty Marion. I very recently discovered that she is my Great Aunt. Would love to find out as much about her as possible.
Kind regards, Adam
#6 by womanandhersphere on July 2, 2017 - 4:34 pm
Adam ~ apologies for my delay in replying…but I don’t actually know anything more about Ellen Sherriff than what I read on the internet…and presumably you will be well up on all that. I note,however, that if she was the Ellen Sherriff who was living at 17 Poplar Ave,Leicester in 1911 she didn’t follow the WSPU call to boycott the census.
Best wishes
Elizabeth
#7 by Rachael on November 27, 2018 - 12:53 pm
Do you know if there are any pictures about of her ? she is also my great aunt , hi to Adam we’re related
#8 by womanandhersphere on November 27, 2018 - 12:56 pm
Rachael ~ I’m afraid it isn’t quite clear to which article your comment relates. Who is your great aunt??
Elizabeth
#9 by Frank Trew on October 31, 2017 - 3:59 pm
Do you know of any connection in Sidcup between the suffragettes and what was Lamorbey House, then a hotel, then taken over by Kent Education Committee and now a part of Rose Bruford College? There is a stained glass window in the old house in the suffragette colours and we are wondering if there is any connection, or is it just coincidence?
https://vle.bruford.ac.uk/mod/folder/view.php?id=55444
See the pictures of the window here.
#10 by womanandhersphere on November 1, 2017 - 10:18 am
Frank ~ thanks for your enquiry re. the windows in Rose Bruford College. I have no firm evidence but I doubt very much that the colouring has any link with the WSPU, Mrs Pankhurst’s suffragette society – rather that the combination of art nouveau-ish colours was merely one that was fashionable at the time. The combination of purple, white, and green (or shades of) was also a v popular combination in items of jewellery at the time – providing a field day for unscrupulous dealers who claim the pieces must, therefore, have a suffragette connection. But they don’t! It may be that the window was installed after the Malcolms bought the house in 1910 -the design is of that period – and I certainly don’t know of any connection between them and the WSPU – from the background info on the website i would have thought it v unlikely!
Best wishes, Elizabeth
#11 by Liz Craig on November 28, 2017 - 10:05 pm
Hi, I was wondering if you’ve come across Jessie Holliday Dana in your research? She was a portraitist and depicted Christobel Pankhurst and George Bernard Shaw, amongst others.
#12 by womanandhersphere on December 2, 2017 - 9:49 am
Yes! She has an entry in my new book – ‘Art and Suffrage: a biographical dictionary of suffrage artists’ ..to be pub on 10 Jan 2018.
Elizabeth
#13 by Fiona Graph on May 28, 2020 - 5:29 pm
Hello, I hope you can help with this query. I am trying to trace whether there is a copyright on the lyrics of a suffragette song, written by Mary Theodora Mills, sometime at the beginning of the 20th century. She lived 1874-1958 and apparently wrote some children’s books as well as writing suffragette lyrics to be sung to existing music.
The lyrics I am interested in are called ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’ and were to be sung to the tune of ‘Men of Harlech’. I have quoted some of her lyrics (about four lines) in my first novel (about two suffragettes), which I will be publishing this autumn. I need to be able to trace who owns the copyright on these lyrics. So far I have tried a couple of other authors and suffragette websites, as well as local history groups (she was chair of the Cheltenham Womens’ Suffrage Society) – all without any luck. Any help would be very gratefully received.
#14 by womanandhersphere on May 29, 2020 - 1:34 pm
Fiona – although the author’s work is still in copyright (it runs until 70 years after her death) I think the 4-line quotation would constitute ‘fair dealing’ and there is no need to ask permission from the copyright holder. If you really want to try and trace the copyright holder you would need to acquire a copy of Mills’ will and trace the holder with the information contained in that.
Good luck with the novel
Elizabeth
#15 by Fiona Graph on November 23, 2020 - 7:16 pm
Elizabeth – just a quick note to say that, after chasing down every possible lead without any luck, I submitted a request for an ‘Orphan Works Licence’ to the Intellectual Property Office as I was advised that quoting from the lyrics would not be covered by fair dealing. My novel, ‘Things That Bounded’, is getting some great reviews, all of which mention the ‘fascinating’ history of the suffragettes. I hope this will help some younger readers pursue an interest in the suffragettes. If anyone is interested, you can find details of my book on my Twitter page: https://twitter.com/fiona_graph
#16 by chelsea38 on March 4, 2021 - 3:49 pm
Olive Bartels was born in Surbiton and I am planning to mention her in a social media post for the Kingston Heritage Service next week. However I have also seen the name Mary Bartels associated with some poster artwork for the suffragettes on Pinterest. Olive’s mother Marion and active herself. Would you know if there is a connection or who Mary is? I cannot find anything. Thank you so much.
#17 by womanandhersphere on March 4, 2021 - 4:18 pm
Ah,I can see you need a copy of my ‘Art and Suffrage:a biographical dictionary of suffrage artists’, published by Francis Boutle. This contains an entry on Olive and her sister, Margaret (not Mary)!
Elizabeth
#18 by m northcott on March 23, 2023 - 7:14 pm
looking for photos of olive wharry from devon any help many thanks
#19 by Ainslie Smart on October 3, 2023 - 10:31 am
Dear Elizabeth Crawford,
Would you happen to know, through your researches, the exact wherabouts of the Tea Shop that Emmeline Pankhurst and Mabel Tukes ran in Juan les Pins in the 1920s?
I was unable to find out anything when last I was there, but hope to visit the place another time better informed to pay due repects
Regards
Ainslie Smart
#20 by womanandhersphere on October 4, 2023 - 10:11 am
Dear Ainslie
I am afraid that, not myself knowing the address of the teashop, I contacted Emmeline Pankhurst’s biographer and she, too, does not know exactly where it was…
Scope for research on the ground……
Elizabeth
#21 by Ainslie Smart on October 6, 2023 - 8:43 pm
Many thanks.
Does Mabel Tuke have a biographer?
#22 by womanandhersphere on October 7, 2023 - 9:14 am
Not that I know of. Tho’ you’ll find a short biographical entry on her in my Women’s Suffrage Movement: a reference guide. E
#23 by Kathryn Bridge on January 17, 2024 - 11:10 pm
Dear Elizabeth Crawford, I hope that you might have run across artist Sophie Pemberton (friend of Anna Nordgren) in London ca 1896-1900 or under her married surname Beanlands ca 1908-1920 while she lived in Sevenoaks, Kent and was active.
Fingers crossed,
Kathryn Bridge
#24 by womanandhersphere on January 18, 2024 - 11:41 am
Dear Kathryn
Yes, I have indeed encountered Sophie Pemberton. At least, I’ve encountered her at one remove – in the hand-written diary of Sarah Madeleine Martineau, with whom she was friendly in the late 1890s/early 1900s. For mention in passing of her see this post on my website https://wp.me/p2AEiO-Ut. I don’t know if it’s very helpful for your purposes – but she is there – obviously a determined and well-organised young woman. There may well be more mentions of her in the diary – which is now held in the Women’s Library@LSE. However, I haven’t encountered her at all in my researches into women suffrage artists…which may be what you actually want to know…
Best wishes, Elizabeth