Emily Pankhurst and The Suffragettes

This is a story about the struggle of women to obtain the same right as men to vote in British general elections, a struggle which did not end until 1928 when they acquired that right. It is a violent story – the violence of the militant suffragettes, police violence against the suffragettes, crowd violence against the suffragettes, and suffragette prisoners being violently force fed. It is told with particular reference to Emily Pankhurst and her organization The Women’s Social and Political Union. Emily Pankhurst endured long periods of violence from the police and crowds of men, and she was sentenced to terms of imprisonment on five occasions, but she had an unshakeable belief in the righteousness of her cause, and an almost unimaginable inner strength, which enabled her to lead the suffragettes to victory. When amateur historian Roy Johnstone completed his career as a solicitor 12 years ago, he reconnected with his love of history. He developed a repertoire of 30 historical talks, ranging from Tudor times to modern times, and he gives these talks to groups over a wide geographical area. Why not make a day of it at Lauriston and have some lunch at Mimi’s café on-site after your lecture experience?