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Top 13 Remarkable Facts about Emmeline Pankhurst

*Originally published by Charity K on March 2022 and Updated by Vanessa R on May 2023

Emmeline Pankhurst was born on the 14^th of July, 1858 in Moss Side, Manchester. She got married to Dr. Richard Pankhurst at the age of 20 years. They had children like Christabel, Sylvia, Adela, and Henry Francis.

She was the founder of Women’s Social and Political Union. The organization was dedicated to practical activism.

This was dedicated to obtaining equal votes for women. Her two daughters, Christabel and Sylvia were part of the movement.

Emmeline is remembered in England as the militant champion of women suffrage. Her 40 years campaign achieved complete success in the year of his death. The British women obtained full equality in the voting franchise.

Her daughter was among the first members to be imprisoned. Emmeline got jailed severally. She once went on a hunger strike that she had to be force-fed by the prison officers. She was a persistent and focused lady.

Before the First World War broke out, the activism was very active. Two days after it broke out, she and her daughter called off the actions. This was to have the government concentrate on the war first so as to regain peace.

After the war, she transferred from the Independent Liberal Party to the Conservative Party. Here, she was selected as a candidate for Parliament in White chapel and St. George.

She died at the age of 69 years on the 14^th of June, 1928 in Hampstead London, United Kingdom.

1. Emmeline changed her birthday date

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She was born on the 14^th of July, 1858 in Moss Side, Manchester. As per the birth register, it was written 15^th of July, the same year.

It is possible that she changed to 15^th for it marks the French Revolution. The revolution had its resonance with themes of equality.

2. Emmeline’s teacher insisted on equality

She was sent to Ecole Normale Superieure finishing school in Â鶹APP. She reported in her autobiography about her school’s director, Marchef Girard. Other than being the director, she believed that girls should be educated as well as boys were.

Emmeline included chemistry and other sciences in her course. In addition, she did embroidery. Moreover, she had her daughters taught bookkeeping. She later returned home and took a place in her father’s home as a finished young lady.

3. Emmeline was married to a lawyer

At the age of 20, she got betrothed and married Dr. Richard Pankhurst. He was 24 years old and a liberal lawyer at the time. In addition, Richard was a socialist and a supporter of radical causes, including women’s rights.

Luckily, Richard had a position of great respect in the Independent Labor Party. The couple was part of a political circle that had great members. These were inclusive Keir Hardie, Annie Besant, William Morris, and George Bernard Shaw.

4. Emmeline was the founder of the Women’s Social and Political Union

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The organization was not affiliated with any political party. They frequently opposed the political decisions and manifestos. The Women’s Social and Political Union was only dedicated to practical activism dedicated to obtaining equal votes for women.

The organization gained a reputation for increasingly militant acts and often violent. This was inclusive of cutting telephone lines, attacking Chancellor David Lloyd George, sending letter bombs, and chaining themselves to railings.

5. Emmeline’s daughters were part of the movement

The eldest daughter, Christabel became a leading member of the Women’s Social and Political Union. She was among the first suffragettes to be imprisoned.

She was taken away together with other members after they interrupted a liberal party meeting. This they did by shouting demanding women’s votes.

In court, they were charged a fine. She and Annie Kenney refused to pay a fine. They were sent to prison. Unlike the expected, their imprisonment was an advantage. The organization’s membership increased. The trial created an interest among people.

Emmeline took the imprisonment seriously that and she began to take more militant action. As a result, she was as well imprisoned several times. The younger daughter, Sylvia was an artist.

In addition, she was also a suffragist and a communist activist. She was responsible for making the posters of the organization and banners too.

6. Emmeline was imprisoned for her persistence

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She led a march to the parliament with more than 300 women behind her. Unfortunately, they were sent an aggressive and violent police response under orders of Winston Churchill, the then-home secretary.

The officers punched protesters. They extended to points of pulling the women’s breasts. The protest was unsuccessful as the Prime Minister, Asquith refused to meet with her. Later on, Emmeline was involved in a window-smashing campaign.

The police raided the organization’s offices and arrested her. She was convicted of conspiracy for committing property damage. She was imprisoned in Holloway. Here, she went on a hunger strike. She was forced to eat by the officers. They even force-fed her.

7. Emmeline called off the activism after the first world war broke out

Her leadership was mature and reasonable. With her daughter, Christabel, they called an immediate halt to the militant suffrage activism two days after the war broke out. This they did to give a hand in making the war easy.

The government recognized the step made by the organization. In return, it agreed to free all suffragette prisoners. The organization changed its newspaper’s name from The Suffragette to Britannia. It was meant to reflect the new patriotic focus of the organization.

After the war, votes for some women were introduced. The Representation of the People Act extended the votes to all men over 21 years and women over 30 years. There was an inequality in the age between men and women. This was to prevent men from being less than women due to the loss of many of them during the war.

8. Emmeline transferred to Conservative Party

She joined the Conservative Party. Later, she was selected as a candidate for Parliament in Whitechapel and St. George. Emmeline a report she made about the party transfer decision. She claimed that her war experience and the experience on the other side of the Atlantic had changed her views considerably.

As per the relations made by historians, there may have been another reason for her transfer. The Conservative Party had a large majority in leadership after the war.

The Tory government would make equal votes a reality within a short period. The transfer thus was like a strategy for pressing further towards equal votes.

9. Emmeline did not benefit much from her fight

She died in a Hampstead nursing home. 18 days later, the parliament passed the Representation of the People, the equal franchise act of 1928. This gave women equal votes as much as men. This meant the age of a woman to gain votes was 21 years old as that of men.

Unfortunately, Emmeline was not there to witness her dream come true.

10. There is a Statue of Emmeline

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Manchester City has only two women statues. One is of them is Queen Victoria and the other is Emmeline Pankhurst. Emmeline’s statue was unveiled by her great-granddaughter, Helen. It was the 100^th year from the time equality in votes was introduced. Unfortunately, Emmeline died before the passing of equal votes for men and women was passed. There is a statue in the city of Manchester for her memorial.

11. Her husband was a radical lawyer 

She married liberal lawyer Dr. Richard Pankhurst in 1879 when she was 20 years old and he was 24 years older. He was a  socialist and passionate advocate for radical causes, such as women’s rights, Dr. Pankhurst held a prominent position in the Independent Labour Party.

The pair belonged to a political group that also included George Bernard Shaw, William Morris, Annie Besant, and Keir Hardie.

12. She attended a school in Â鶹APP

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In 1873, Emmeline was transferred to the École Normale Supérieure, a finishing school in Â鶹APP.

The following is from her autobiography, My Own Life: “The school was under the direction of Marchef Girard a woman who believed that girls’ education should be quite as thorough as the education of boys. 

“She included chemistry and other sciences in the course, and in addition to embroidery, she had her girls taught bookkeeping. When I was nineteen I finally returned from school in Â鶹APP and took my place in my father’s home as a finished young lady.”

13. Voting was only allowed for some women…not all

All men and women over 21 and over 30 who owned property or were graduates could now vote in a “university constituency” under the Representation of the People Act of 1918. This statute divided men and women in order to prevent men from becoming an electoral minority in the wake of the Great War’s staggering death toll.