Wednesday 29 September 2010

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

Tuesday 28 September 2010

Spartacus Educational and British Cartoonists

For a long time I have had a keen interest in the work of political cartoonists. I especially like the work of Will Dyson and David Low.

You can find my latest updates here:

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/cartoons.htm

Bruce Bairnsfather
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jbairnsfather.htm

Henry Mayo Bateman
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTbateman.htm

Lewis Baumer
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTbaumer.htm

George Belcher
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTbelcher.htm

Cyril Bird (Fougasse)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTbird.htm

Henry Matthew Brock
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTbrock.htm

Michael Cummings
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jcummings.htm

James H. Dowd
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTdowd.htm

Will Dyson
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jdyson.htm

James Friell (Gabriel)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTfriell.htm

Harry Furniss
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jfurniss.htm

Carl Giles
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jgiles.htm

Frank Horrabin
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRhorrabin.htm

Leslie Illingworth
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTillingworth.htm

Alfred Leete
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTleete.htm

David Low
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jlow.htm

Savile Lumley
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTlumley.htm

Norman Mansbridge
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTmansbridge.htm

Phil May
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jmay.htm

George Morrow
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTmorrow.htm

William Orpen
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTorpen.htm

Frederick Pegram
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTpegram.htm

Leonard Raven-Hill
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jraven.htm

Ralph Sallon
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTsallon.htm

Frank Reynolds
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTreynolds.htm

Wyndham Robinson
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTrobinsonW.htm

Ernest Shepard
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTshepard.htm

Robert Sherriffs
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTsherriffs.htm

George Stampa
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTstampa.htm

Sidney Strube
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jstrube.htm

Edmund Sullivan
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTsullivan.htm

Bert Thomas
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTthomas.htm

Frederick Henry Townsend
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTtownsend.htm

Victor Weisz (Vicky)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jvicky.htm

George Whitelaw
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTwhitelaw.htm

Jack Butler Yeats
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTyeats.htm

Philip Zec
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jzec.htm

Friday 10 September 2010

David Cameron and Andy Coulson

The strangest aspect of the News of the World phone-hacking case was why did David Cameron employ Andy Coulson as his Director of Communications, only six months after he was forced to resign because of the strong suspicion that he had ordered journalists to hack the phones of politicians. This straight away illustrated that Cameron was willing to engage in dirty tricks in order to win the next election. This was in direct contrast to the image that Cameron wanted to create of himself at the time. Why was he willing to tarnish his image with this appointment?

Could it be that Cameron had no choice in the matter? Is Cameron being blackmailed by Coulson? I suspect that the private detectives employed by Coulson were not only getting information for the News of the World but was also getting the dirt on Labour MPs for Conservative Party headquarters. If that is the case, can you imagine what impact this would have on the public if this information came out in court.

This theory became even more credible with the news yesterday that the only Tory on the phone hacking list was Boris Johnson. Cameron was at Eton with Johnson and the two have been deadly rivals ever since. Cameron believes that Johnson has the potential to challenge him for the leadership of the party.

Evidence that the government is rattled by the Coulson story was the announcement made by George Osborne of 4bn extra welfare cuts. This was not even discussed with other members of the cabinet. The only reason for the announcement was to take the Coulson story off the front pages. It did but this is a story that will not go away. Although it is extremely unlikely that Cameron will ever be named as being one of those who commissioned the phone hacking, it will do him long-term damage and will definitely tarnish his image as “Mr. Clean”.

Thursday 9 September 2010

Stanley Spencer

After completing the Sandham Memorial Chapel the artist, Stanley Spencer and his young family moved to Lindworth, a house in Cookham. However, it was not a happy marriage and her passionate Christian Science principles seriously impaired their sex life. During this period Spencer became friendly with Patricia Preece who lived in Cookham with her friend and sexual partner Dorothy Hepworth. Hilda's refusal to accede to demands for a ménage à trois demanded by Spencer forced her eventually to file for a divorce which was granted on 25th May 1937.

Spencer married Preece four days later. They never lived together and according to Tee A. Corinne: "Spencer went into debt giving Preece money, clothing, and jewelry... Spencer then married Preece, but when he attempted to consummate the marriage, Preece immediately fled to Hepworth. Although Spencer and Preece never lived together as man and wife, they never divorced." Although the marriage was unconsummated, it did produce some remarkable nude portraits including Nude: Patricia Preece (1935), Self Portrait with Patricia Preece (1936) and Double Nude Portrait: the Artist and his Second Wife (1937).

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTspencer.htm

You can see the Patricia Preece paintings here:

http://badarthistory.blogspot.com/2009/09/stanley-spencer.html