| Holloway brooch | |
|---|---|
 Holloway brooch from the UK Parliamentary Collections | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Presented by | Women's Social and Political Union |
The Holloway brooch was presented by the Women's Social and Political Union (WPSU) to women who had been imprisoned at Holloway Prison for militant suffragette activity. It is also referred to as the "Portcullis badge", [1] the "Holloway Prison brooch" [2] and the "Victoria Cross of the Union". [2]
Beginning in 1902 Holloway Prison was a female-only prison in London, England. [3] In the early part of the twentieth century many suffragettes were incarcerated at the prison. As their actions became more militant the women received more severe sentences. Once in prison the women continued their protests, eventually going on hunger strikes as they demanded to be designated as "political prisoners". [4]
The Holloway brooch was designed by Sylvia Pankhurst. Made of silver, it depicts the portcullis symbol of Parliament and a broad arrow, associated with prison uniforms, in purple, white, and green enamel. [1] [2] The brooches were given to suffragettes upon their release from Holloway. [4] The size is one inch by 3⁄4 of an inch. [5] It was manufactured by Toye & Co London. [6]
On 29 April 1909 the first brooches were distributed at a large meeting at the Albert Hall organised by the WSPU. [7] [8] The first brooches were presented by Christabel Pankhurst and Emmeline Pankhurst, Annie Kenney and Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence. [9]
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The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1918. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and policies were tightly controlled by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Christabel and Sylvia; Sylvia was eventually expelled.
A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members of the British Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), a women-only movement founded in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst, which engaged in direct action and civil disobedience. In 1906, a reporter writing in the Daily Mail coined the term suffragette for the WSPU, derived from suffragist, in order to belittle the women advocating women's suffrage. The militants embraced the new name, even adopting it for use as the title of the newspaper published by the WSPU.
The Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst Memorial is a memorial in London to Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel, two of the foremost British suffragettes. It stands at the entrance to Victoria Tower Gardens, south of Victoria Tower at the southwest corner of the Palace of Westminster. Its main feature is a bronze statue of Emmeline Pankhurst by Arthur George Walker, unveiled in 1930. In 1958 the statue was relocated to its current site and the bronze reliefs commemorating Christabel Pankhurst were added.
Edith Bessie New was an English suffragette. She was one of the first two suffragettes to use vandalism as a tactic. She and Mary Leigh were surprised to find their destruction was celebrated and they were pulled triumphantly by lines of suffragettes on their release in 1908.
Mary Elizabeth Phillips was an English suffragette, feminist and socialist. She was the longest prison serving suffragette. She worked for Christabel Pankhurst but was sacked; she then worked for Sylvia Pankhurst as Mary Pederson or Mary Paterson. In later life she supported women's and children's organisations.
Lillian Dove-Willcox (1875–1963) was a British suffragette who was a member of Emmeline Pankhurst's personal bodyguard.
Edith Hudson was a British nurse and suffragette. She was an active member of the Edinburgh branch of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) and was arrested several times for her part in their protests in Scotland and London. She engaged in hunger strikes while in prison and was forcibly fed. She was released after the last of these strikes under the so-called Cat and Mouse Act. Hudson was awarded a Hunger Strike Medal 'for Valour' by the WSPU.
Louie Cullen was a British suffragette and hunger striker who emigrated to Australia to continue her feminist activism. She was imprisoned for her activist work, and was awarded a Holloway brooch.
Eleanor Grace Watney Roe (1885–1979) was Head of Suffragette operations for the Women's Social and Political Union. She was released from prison after the outbreak of World War I due to an amnesty for suffragettes negotiated with the government by the WSPU.
Minnie Turner was a British suffragette who was known for running a guest house, the "Sea View", in Brighton. In November 1911 she was arrested for breaking a window in the Home Office for which she received a 21 day sentence Holloway Prison.
The Hunger Strike Medal was a silver medal awarded between August 1909 and 1914 to suffragette prisoners by the leadership of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). During their imprisonment, they went on hunger strike while serving their sentences in the prisons of the United Kingdom for acts of militancy in their campaign for women's suffrage. Many women were force-fed and their individual medals were created to reflect this.
Kate Williams Evans was a Welsh suffragette, activist and campaigner for women's rights. She was imprisoned in Holloway Prison where she went on hunger strike for which she received the Women's Social and Political Union's (WSPU) Hunger Strike Medal which was sold to Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales for £48,640 in 2018.
Sarah Barbara Benett was a suffragette, a member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) and Treasurer of the Women's Freedom League (WFL). She was one of the "Brown Women" who walked from Edinburgh to London in 1912 and went on hunger strike during her imprisonment in Holloway Prison for which she received the WSPU's Hunger Strike Medal and Holloway brooch.
Patricia Woodlock was a British artist and suffragette who was imprisoned seven times, including serving the longest suffragette prison sentence in 1908 ; she was awarded a Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) Hunger Strike Medal for Valour. Her harsh sentence caused outrage among supporters and inspired others to join the protests. Her release was celebrated in Liverpool and London and drawn as a dreadnought warship, on the cover of the WSPU Votes for Women newsletter.
Janie Terrero was a militant suffragette who, as a member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), was imprisoned and force-fed for which she received the WSPU's Hunger Strike Medal.
Mary Ann Aldham was an English militant suffragette and member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) who was imprisoned at least seven times.
Doreen Allen was a militant English suffragette and member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), who on being imprisoned was force-fed, for which she received the WSPU's Hunger Strike Medal 'For Valour'.
The Suffragette Handkerchief is a handkerchief displayed at The Priest House, West Hoathly in West Sussex, England. It has sixty-six embroidered signatures and two sets of initials, mostly of women imprisoned in HMP Holloway for their part in the Women's Social and Political Union Suffragette window smashing demonstrations of March 1912. This was a brave act of defiance in a prison where the women were closely watched at all times.
The WSPU Holloway Banner is a suffragette banner designed by Scottish artist Ann Macbeth.
Anna Lewis (1889–1976) was a British suffragette, member of the militant Women's Social and Political Union. Lewis was imprisoned at least three times, went on hunger strike and was force-fed by the authorities, fighting the cause of women's rights to vote. Lewis was awarded the Holloway brooch (twice) and the WPSU Hunger Strike Medal on 10 February 1914 'for Valour'. Her medals were auctioned to a private buyer for over £27,000, one of the highest prices for such items in May 2019.