WSPU and Prison

By 1905 the media had lost interest in the struggle for women's rights. Newspapers rarely reported meetings and usually refused to publish articles and letters written by supporters of women's suffrage. In 1905 the WSPU decided to use different methods to obtain the publicity they thought would be needed in order to obtain the vote.

On 13th October 1905, Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Kenney attended a meeting in London to hear Sir Edward Grey, a minister in the British government. When Grey was talking, the two women constantly shouted out, "Will the Liberal Government give votes to women?" When the women refused to stop shouting the police were called to evict them from the meeting.

Pankhurst and Kenney refused to leave and during the struggle a policeman claimed the two women kicked and spat at him. Pankhurst and Kenney were arrested and charged with assault.
Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Kenney were found guilty of assault and fined five shillings each. Kenney and Pankhurst were found guilty of assault and fined five shillings each. When the women refused to pay the fine they were sent to prison. The case shocked the nation. For the first time in Britain women had used violence in an attempt to win the vote.

This was only the start to the story. The following members of the WSPU were later imprisoned for their actions.

Constance Lytton
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wlytton.htm

Edith Mansell Moullin
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wmansell.htm

Kitty Marion
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WmarionK.htm

Dora Marsden
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WmarsdenD.htm

Charlotte Marsh
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WmarshCH.htm

Christabel Marshall
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WmarshallC.htm

Hannah Mitchell
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wmitchell.htm

Dora Montefiore
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wmontefefiore.htm

Flora Murray
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WmurrayF.htm

Adela Pankhurst
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WpankhurstA.htm

Christabel Pankhurst
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WpankhurstC.htm

Emmeline Pankhurst
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WpankhurstE.htm

Sylvia Pankhurst
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WpankhurstS.htm

Elsie Howey
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Whowley.htm

Edith How-Martyn
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wmartyn.htm

Gladice Keevil
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WkeevilG.htm

Annie Kenney
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wkenney.htm

Jessie Kenney
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WkenneyJ.htm

Aeta Lamb
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WlambA.htm

Mary Leigh
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WleighM.htm

Victoria Lidiard
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wlidiard.htm

Charlotte Despard
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wdespard.htm

Elsie Duval
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wduval.htm

Helen Fraser
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WfraserH.htm

Mary Gawthorpe
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wgawthorpe.htm

Margaret Haig Thomas
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Whaig.htm

Vera Holme
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WholmeV.htm

Hilda Brackenbury
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WbrackenburyH.htm

Georgina Brackenbury
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WbrackenburyS.htm

Marie Brackenbury
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WbrackenburyM.htm

Laura Ainsworth
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WainsworthL.htm

Louisa Garrett Anderson
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wgarrett.htm

Rachel Barrett
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WbarrettR.htm

Jane Brailsford
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wbrailsford.htm

Mary Clarke
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WclarkeM.htm

Clara Codd
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wclodd.htm

Helen Crawfurd
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRIcrawfordH.htm

Emily Wilding Davison
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wdavison.htm

Mary Phillips
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WphillipsM.htm

Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wpethick.htm

Mary Richardson
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WrichardsonM.htm

Elizabeth Robins
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wrobins.htm

Grace Roe
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wroe.htm

Evelyn Sharp
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wsharp.htm

Ethel Smyth
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jsmythe.htm

Marion Wallace-Dunlop
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wwallace-Dunlop.htm

Helen Kirkpatrick Watts
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WwattsH.htm

Vera Wentworth
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WwentworthV.htm