For most people, the story of the struggle for votes for women conjures up images of suffragettes chaining themselves to railings, haranguing crowds of hostile men – or, here in Heaton, arson attacks on Heaton Park bowls pavilion and Heaton Station – but the campaigning actually started at least half a century earlier. The fight was slow and complex, with flurries of activity at certain key dates and hopes raised and dashed several times before the eventual victory after the First World War. Our January 2015 talk addresses the movement’s long history through an exploration of significant events and individuals, concentrating on the north-east of England, between the mid 1860s and 1918.
Elizabeth Ann O’Donnell, a former history lecturer in further and higher education, works as an oral historian for Northumberland County Archives, Woodhorn, Ashington. Her doctoral thesis examined the north-east Quaker community in the 19th century and she has published a number of articles on the subject. Her research interests include the origins of first-wave feminism, the anti-slavery movement and the development of social services in the late 19th and early 20th century.
The talk takes place at The Corner House, Heaton Road NE6 5RP on Wednesday 28 January at 7.30pm (Doors open at 7; you are advised to take your seat by 7.15pm).FULLY BOOKED but add your name to the reserve list by contacting maria@heatonhistorygroup.org /07443 594154.
