Enquiry 6b How effective was the ‘Votes for Women’ campaign in Bristol?

Enquiry overview Lesson 1: Why did some women in Bristol want the vote in 1866? Lesson 2: How effective was the campaign in the 1870s and 1880s? Lesson 3: How was the campaign re-invigorated after 1897? Lesson 4: How active and successful were suffragists and suffragettes in Bristol 1897–1914? Outcome activity: Consider how similar/different the Bristol campaign was to the rest of the country and the impact that it had on Bristol itself.

Lesson 3 How was the campaign re-invigorated after 1897?

Lesson 3 overview Content covered in the lesson: Resurgence of suffrage activity in Bristol from 1897. Annie Kenney, Bristol organiser, WSPU: how significant was she? Lost evidence – Annie’s Arboretum and the Blathwayt family. Why is this important to historians?

How effective was the ‘Votes for Women’ campaign in Bristol? Recap What happened at Colston Hall in 1880? Durdham Downs in 1883? Was the campaign effective in the 1870s and 1880s? Or had it run out of steam?

The modern pillar box at Cotham Brow ‘Bristol Votes For Women’ Cartoon image: Manchester Evening News The modern pillar box at Cotham Brow Q: What was going on?

How effective was the ‘Votes for Women’ campaign in Bristol? Activity 1: Campaign activities Your challenge is to find out what was happening in Bristol and what this reveals about the campaign. Tasks: Use the online ‘Bristol Votes for Women’ Know Your Place resource to make a list of all the different kinds of activity that were going on in Bristol after 1900. How are these different to the activities before 1900? What does that tell us about ‘Votes for Women’ in Bristol? https://arcg.is/1rOCXq Image credit:  Museum of London Bristol suffragettes raising money, 1910

How effective was the ‘Votes for Women’ campaign in Bristol? Activity 2: Bio cards Your challenge is to find out what was happening in Bristol and what this reveals about the campaign. Tasks: Use the biography cards, the online database and the online ‘Bristol Votes for Women’ Know Your Place resource to find out who was involved in NUWSS and WSPU activity in Bristol from 1897–1914. Are these the same people who signed the 1866 petition, or are they different? In what ways might they be different? Mary Sophia Allen

Annie Kenney, Bristol organiser, WSPU: 1907–1911 Q: How significant was she? Image credits: (Clockwise from T): Bath in Time https://www.bathintime.co.uk/suffragettes-adela-pankhurst-and-annie-kenney-1910-17326.html; Oldham Historical Research Group, Flickr; Bath in Time https://www.bathintime.co.uk/suffragette-annie-kenney-28-march-1909-17260.html; Author

Annie Kenney, Bristol organiser, WSPU: 1907–1911 Someone is significant if she: changed events at the time they lived improved lots of people’s lives – or made them worse changed people’s ideas had a long-lasting impact on their country or the world had been a really good or a very bad example to other people of how to live or behave. (Ian Dawson) Image credit: Oldham Historical Research Group, Flickr

Colonel Linley Blathwayt The Blathwayt family – the story of Annie’s Arboretum and the Pankhurst Pond Image credits: Bath in Time (Clockwise from TL) https://www.bathintime.co.uk/self-portrait-of-col-linley-blathwayt-1911-17233.html; https://www.bathintime.co.uk/emily-blathwayt-1909-17609.html; https://www.bathintime.co.uk/suffragette-mary-blathwayt-1911-17236.html; https://www.bathintime.co.uk/william-blathwayt-1911-17237.html; https://www.bathintime.co.uk/a-view-of-annie-s-arboretum-and-the-suffragettes-nest-in-the-grounds-of-eagle-house-batheaston-c-1910-17393.html; https://www.bathintime.co.uk/catalog/product/view/id/39296 Colonel Linley Blathwayt Emily Blathwayt Mary Blathwayt William Blathwayt Annie’s Arboretum Eagle House, their home

Annie’s Arboretum and the Pankhurst Pond Image credits: Bath in Time (L-R) https://www.bathintime.co.uk/suffragettes-adela-pankhurst-and-annie-kenney-1910-17326.html https://www.bathintime.co.uk/suffragettes-millicent-fawcett-mary-blathwayt-and-dr-mary-morris-front-left-to-right-1910-17306.html https://www.bathintime.co.uk/suffragette-rose-lamartine-yates-planting-tree-with-annie-kenney-1909-17651.html https://www.bathintime.co.uk/suffragette-theresa-garnett-1909-17243.html 1908–1911 Eagle House, at Batheaston, was a refuge for suffragettes, especially Annie Kenney. The Blathwayts planted 67 trees to honour suffragette and suffragist visitors, e.g. Mrs Fawcett, and created the Pankhurst Pond. Hunger strikers were invited to plant a conifer and non-militant suffragettes planted holly bushes. For the planting, the suffragette would dress in her finest clothes and her awarded suffrage jewellery, and the occasion was documented by photos and iron plaques.

Why is this important to historians? The Blathwayt family tried to record the suffrage movement’s achievements and yet those achievements were almost lost. The arboretum is a long-forgotten historical source . In 2002, Bath historian Dan Brown archived the negatives of the photos: https://www.bathintime.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/index/?p=1&q=blathwayt All four of the Blathwayt family members kept detailed diaries. Image credit: Bath in Time https://www.bathintime.co.uk/a-view-of-annie-s-arboretum-and-the-suffragettes-nest-in-the-grounds-of-eagle-house-batheaston-c-1910-17393.html

Why is this important to historians? 1968: 50th anniversary of change to the franchise 1970s: feminist movement Increased study by historians of the suffragists and suffragettes Q: Why do you think the arboretum was destroyed in the 1960s after Mary’s death? Q: Do you think, if Mary had lived until the 1970s, the arboretum might not have been destroyed? Give reasons for your answers. Q: The Blathwayts were rich supporters of the suffrage movement – does this mean that they have left more evidence for historians? Q: If there are gaps in the historical record of poorer people’s involvement in the suffrage movement, how could historians fill those gaps?

Annie’s Check out some of the visitors to Annie’s Arboretum in the database. Q: What does it tell us about how history is recorded and remembered? Image credits: Bath in Time (Clockwise from TL) https://www.bathintime.co.uk/suffragettes-adela-pankhurst-and-annie-kenney-1910-17326.html https://www.bathintime.co.uk/suffragettes-lady-constance-lytton-and-annie-kenney-1910-17324.html https://www.bathintime.co.uk/suffragette-annie-kenney-planting-tree-with-mrs-emmeline-pethick-lawrence-and-lady-constance-lytton-1909-17635.html https://www.bathintime.co.uk/suffragette-aeta-lamb-1911-17263.html Adela Pankhurst with Annie Kenney Constance Lytton with Annie Kenney Annie Kenney, Emmeline Pethick Lawrence and Constance Lytton Elsie Howey Mrs Edith Wheelwright and Mrs Lilias Ashworth Hallett Aeta Lamb

How effective was the ‘Votes for Women’ campaign in Bristol? Plenary: How much more activity was there in Bristol after 1900? In your opinion, to what extent was it effective? NB: Don’t forget to complete your Timeline resource sheet for the period.