Megan Lloyd George was the first female MP to represent a Welsh constituency. Lloyd George grew up in No. 11 and then No. 10 Downing Street while her father, David Lloyd George, was Chancellor of the Exchequer and later Prime Minister. Her first language was Welsh, and it wasn’t until she was four that she …
Alice Paul was an American suffragist and feminist who dedicated her life to women’s rights. She was one of the leaders of the campaign for the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Paul first learned about the fight for women’s suffrage from her mother, Tacie Paul who was a member of the National American Woman …
Dolores Huerta is a labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farmworkers Association – later the United Farm Workers (UFW). Huerta’s career in life was inspired by both of her parents, mother’s independence and entrepreneurial spirit was one of the primary reasons she became a feminist. Although her parents divorced, she was fiercely proud …
Eleanor Rathbone was an independent British MP, social reformer, suffragist and feminist who is best known for her success in fighting for family allowance and women’s rights. Rathbone was born into a influential family in Liverpool, her father was social reformer William Rathbone VI and her mother, his second wife, Emily Lyle. Rathbone’s parents encouraged …
Lucy Deane Streatfeild was a social worker, suffragette and one of the first female factory inspectors in the UK. She was one of the first to raise awareness of the health risks of exposure to asbestos. Deane was born in Madras, India to Lieutenant-Colonel Bonar Millett Deane and the Hon. Lucy Boscawen. She was trained …
Dame Ethel Smyth was a celebrated composer, author, musician and suffragette. She was the first female composer to be awarded a damehood. Smyth showed a talent for music at a young age, but had to fight to be able to study it as her father did not support her interests. At 19, Smyth was allowed to …
Sophia Jex-Blake was an English physician and feminist who led the Edinburgh Seven, the first women to matriculate at a British university. Jex-Blake was dissuaded from pursing an education by her parents, who did not believe that women were entitled to equal education. She eventually managed to attend Queen’s College, where she impressed the faculty …
Dora Montefiore was a women’s suffragist, socialist, poet and writer. Montefiore was born at Kenley Manor near Coulsdon, Surrey. She was educated at home, before being sent to Mrs Creswell’s school in Brighton. In 1874, she travelled to Sydney where she met and married George Barrow Montefiore. They had two children before he was tragically …
Edith Margaret Garrud was one of the first female professional martial arts instructors in the Western world. She trained the Bodyguard unit of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in jujutsu self-defence techniques. Garrud was in born Bath, Somerset and later moved to Wales. She met and married William Garrud, a physical instructor specializing …
This year marks the centenary of some women gaining the right to vote in the UK. To celebrate this, I have a special #suffrage100 #zine for sale on Etsy! http://etsy.me/2EtCJ2K Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence was a British women’s rights activist. From a young age, she began to rebel and was accused as being “a corrupting influence on …