Exhibition: Voices and Votes - Suffrage and the Representation of the People, 1832-1928

A new major exhibition coming to PRONI (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) in Belfast:

Voices and Votes: Suffrage and the Representation of the People, 1832-1928

The exhibition explores the history of suffrage from a local perspective, particularly the struggle for women’s representation, and includes unique archival material which highlights some of the people who championed change.

A range of educational resources will also be launched on the day, including an interactive resource featuring archival material relating to the suffrage movement, a graphic novel exploring the lives of Countess Constance Markievicz and Edith, Lady Londonderry, and a 2.5D animation charting the history of the suffrage movement.

The event will also see the first public performance of a new drama production from Kabosh Theatre Company, featuring a fictional meeting between Edith, Lady Londonderry and Countess Constance Markievicz.

Dr Margaret Ward, Queen’s University Belfast, will deliver a keynote lecture, ‘Winning the Vote: Suffrage in Ulster’.

Additional information

PRONI opening hours and getting here
DATE: Monday 2 July, 10.00am-1.00pm
LOCATION: PRONI, Titanic Quarter, Belfast
Admission is FREE, however booking is essential. Register for this event at Eventbrite
LUNCH SERVED from 12.30pm
For further details, please visit the PRONI website

(With thanks to PRONI)

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

FindmyPast updates its Suffragette Collection

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has updated its Suffragette Collection:

Suffragette Collection Update

Explore over 22,000 new additions to our Suffragette Collection. Exclusively available on Findmypast, this latest batch of records has been digitised and released online for the first time in association with the National Archives. It includes a wide variety of Home Office and Metropolitan Police files as well as 1911 census returns that list either "Suffragette" or "Suffragist" as an occupation.

The Suffragette Collection now contains more than 78,000 records that reveal the struggles endured by the movement's most ardent supporters and highlight the State's response as it attempted to contain them. These rich documents bring together the stories of women from all walks of life who actively supported women's suffrage, either by attending demonstrations and meetings or opting for militant "direct action".

The collection spans from 1902 to 1919 and includes the following series of records from The National Archives: AR 1, ASSI 52, CRIM 1, CRIM 9, DPP 1, HO 144, HO 45, HO 140, LO 3, MEPO 2, MEPO 3, PCOM 7, PCOM 8, PRO 30, T 1, T 172, TS 27, and WORK 11. Among these are photographs of suffragettes, cabinet letters, calendars of prisoners, Home Office papers of suffragette disturbances, an index of women arrested between 1906 and 1914 (the official watch list of over 1,300 suffragettes), reports of force-feeding, and more.


Women's Suffrage Petition 1866

Discover your ancestor in this index from the women's suffrage petition of 1866. The petition contains over 1,500 names and was obtained through www.parliament.uk. Each transcript will list your ancestor's name, address and any additional notes. Additional information about these records can be found on the source's website.

The suffrage petition of 1866 was the first Votes for Women mass petition put before Parliament. It was presented on 7 June 1866 by John Stuart Mill, a Member of Parliament. The original document with the individuals' signatures no longer exists. However, the list of signatories was printed in a pamphlet for circulation in 1866. Today, only two copies of this list exist, and it was from this document that this index was created.


Suffragette Newspapers Browse

Over 58,000 new records and 14 new titles have been added to our collection of Suffragette Newspapers.

The new titles available to browse include:

Church League for Women's Suffrage
Common Cause
Conservative and Unionist Women's Franchise Review
Free Church Suffrage Times
International Woman Suffrage News
Jus Suffragi
The Suffragist
The Vote
Woman's Dreadnought
Woman's Leader and the Common Cause
Woman's Signal
Women's Franchise
Women's Suffrage
Women's Suffrage Record

Further details at https://blog.findmypast.co.uk/findmypast-friday-2573964835.html

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

June's PRONI stakeholder forum meeting in Belfast

On Friday 1 June 2018 I attended the latest Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) user forum meeting in Belfast. Upon arrival I was greeted by Stephen Scarth, who handed me a copy of the new Plantations of Ulster, 1640-41: A Collection of Documents guide, which has been reprinted and updated, and which I will review separately – suffice to say, the smile on Stephen's face and on everyone else who received a copy was well warranted!

The meeting started with a demonstration of PRONI's contribution to the Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN) web platform. This is a platform which has been up and running for a few years now, and which is essentially an official record of The Troubles, with documents from governments north and south, and in England, concerning the last 40 years. Access to PRONI's contributed records is available through the CAIN archive's website at http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/proni/index.html. On 10 MAY 2018, some 500 document records from 1988-89 and earlier were added, some 2200 pages of content, following the latest 20 year release of government papers, covering politics, security, the economy, Harland and Wolfe, the Irish language, education, social issues, health, and much more, including the talks at the time about ending the conflict. The archive presents the records in thematic areas or by annual listings (though not chronologically within a year), and contains a fascinating insight into our Troubled society at the time. There was some very Sir Humphrey type language in parts, with phrases such as 'spotting icebergs' used in one document to mean unexpected items coming their way, etc!

Another topic discussed was one that might be of interest to Northern Irish folk who experienced life in the Troubles, the possible establishment of an oral history archive, as posited in the 2014 Stormont agreement. Such an archive will need to be established by legislation, and so a consultation is currently under way, which closes on 10 SEP 2018. The consultation is online at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/addressing-the-legacy-of-northern-irelands-past.

We then had an update on recent acquisitions. These include papers relating to PACE (Protestant and Catholic Endeavour) from 1992-2018, a single volume from 1919 containing an inventory of household goods belonging to Robert Young (of Young and Mackenzie architects), and 121 diaries of a Major Henry John Furnace Potter covering 1941-2000 – though sadly, most of us who were in the room will never likely see them, as they have a 50 year closure on them, as requested by the family.

On cataloguing, the Londonderry Papers have had more work on them including records relating to the Women's Legion from the 1930s and 1940s, and Mount Stewart estate papers from 1933-35. PRONI's efforts to digitise recently borrowed Anglican and Methodist records has now been completed for this year – for more on this, and a summary of all digitised records that can be accessed on site at PRONI (including those added last year), see http://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2018/06/new-digitised-northern-irish-church.html. The records will be available through PRONI's on site catalogue from autumn.

On the exhibitions front, Northern Lights: A Century of Design by Young and Mackenzie Architects kicks off on 7 June, with a lecture on site at 1pm by Paul Harron, and after finishing a stint in PRONI the exhibition will then travel across Northern Ireland. There will also be a Spanish Flu conference at PRONI at 2pm on 14 June 2018.

The big event for this year will be the Voices and Votes: Suffrage and Representation of the People 1832-1928 exhibition, commemorating the 1918 Representation of the People Act centenary which extended the vote to women for the first time. We had a sneak peak at parts of the exhibition, which launches on 2 July 2018, and which will look at the legislation, who championed the change, the early experience of women, suffragists and suffragettes, women, class and war, reform, equality, and much more. The exhibition panels will also include QR (Quick Response) codes for attendees to engage with on their mobile devices, lining to other websites and more. In addition, an exciting addition to the Spatial NI website will see an interactive map with links to documents and stories at various locations across Northern Ireland linked to the fight for the vote. There will also be a graphic novel launched to illustrate the stories of Lady Edith Londonderry and Countess Markiewicz, which will tie in to the key stage 3 of the Northern Irish schools curriculum. There will be a few other events and releases tied into the exhibition, so keep an eye on the PRONI website for more details!

A further exhibition in the works is one on prisons in Northern Ireland, from bridewells to the present day, mostly dealing with the late 19th and early 20th century.

On publications, as well as the new Plantations of Ulster, 1640-41: A Collection of Documents reproduction, PRONI is currently working on a re-invention of its former Steps to Partition facsimile pack, for release in September. The exact format of this is still being worked on, but there may be two versions, one for school use, and one in more depth for a more general release.

Finally from the meeting, PRONI is still working on being Northern Ireland's first accredited archive, and made its submission in March, with assessors visiting the archive in May. Good luck to the archive, the best in the UK as far as I'm concerned!

After finishing the meeting, I made my way to the search room, and kept bumping into folk, including Michael Rooney from Ancestor Network, and a couple called Alex and Nancy who heard me give a talk in Toronto three years ago, and who are active members of the Toronto branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. Requisite selfies were duly acquired...!

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

FindmyPast adds Devon records and Suffragette material

The following is this week's update to FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

Suffragette Collection Update
An additional 3,000 records have been added to our recently released Suffragette collection. The new additions consist of fully indexed newspaper reports taken from The Suffragette (later The Britannia). The paper was edited by Christabel Pankhurst and was the official organ of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). In 1915, the newspaper title changed its name to reflect the WSPU's patriotic ideals and was used to campaign for the war effort while retaining a focus on women's issues.

Suffragette Newspaper Collection Browse
Browse 271 issues of the Suffragette and Britannia. The collection holds issues from 1912 up to 1918 when publication ceased.

Missouri, Moniteau County Roman Catholic Marriages
Discover your ancestor's marriage details from this index pertaining to Moniteau County, Missouri.

Devon Baptisms
Over 30,000 new records have been added to our collection of Devon baptisms. The collection now contains over 2.6 million records of baptisms spanning 400 years of the county's history. Individual entries will contain an image and transcript of and original document. Records will reveal a combination of your ancestor's date of baptism, place of baptism, parent's names, father's occupation and parent's residence.

Devon Banns
An additional 39,325 records have are now available to search within our collection of Devon Banns. Banns of marriage, more commonly known simply as the 'banns' or 'bans' (from a Middle English word meaning 'proclamation', rooted in the Old French) are the public announcement in a Christian parish church of an impending marriage. Their purpose is to prevent invalid marriages by allowing anyone to raise any canonical or civil legal impediment to the marriage.

Devon Marriages
Over 79,000 new records have been added to our collection of Devon Marriages. The collection covers the years between 1507 and 2002 and consists of images and transcripts that have been made available online thank to the assistance of volunteers of the Devon Family History Society.

Devon Burials
31,351 new records have been added to our collection of Devon Burials. The collection consists of original Anglican parish registers and burial registers from Ford Park Cemetery and Torquay Cemetery.

Devon, Plymouth & West Devon Parish Registers Browse
This week's new additions to our collections of Devon parish baptisms, banns, marriages and burials are also available to browse.

British in India
Over 56,000 records have been added to our collection of British in India records. The new additions consist contain biographical and service data on the families and officers of the East India Company taken from an index compiled by Lieutenant-Colonel Kendall Percy-Smith.

For further details visit https://blog.findmypast.co.uk/findmypast-friday-2532662129.html

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

National Archives launches Suffrage 100 portal

The National Archives in England (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) has launched a new platform to commemorate the securing of the right to vote for some women a century ago. From the site:

100 years of women’s suffrage

2018 marks 100 years since some women were given the vote in parliamentary elections and 90 years since women got to vote on equal terms to men. The National Archives has a world-renowned collection of documents relating to the 20th century women’s suffrage movement. The wealth of records come from a range of government departments and illustrate the huge impact suffrage campaigns had across government.

Suffrage 100 is part of the nationwide Vote 100 campaign

To view the new platform visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/suffrage-100

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

February events at PRONI in Belfast

The following events are taking place at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni), in Belfast, during the month of February:

February 2018

• Suffrage and Society: Then and Now – Reflections on the Representation of the People Act, 1918
• The Art and Science of Linen
• War, women and the gypsy caravan: the emergence of Belfast's first female police officers, 1914-43
• The contribution of the Indian Community through Trade, Migration and Cultural rites of passage
• Western Front Association 2018 program
• National Monuments and Buildings Record NI lecture series
• Association football & Irish-born player migration to Britain & the USA, 1888-1939
• Practical Workshop – Using family and local history resources online

For further details visit https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/talks-and-events.

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

FindmyPast adds Suffragette papers and Durham records

The latest releases from FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk)

Suffragette Collection
Search our new collection of over 3,000 records from The National Archives recording the details of the women and men who supported women's suffrage in the early 20th century. Discover your suffragette ancestor among the arrest records, parliamentary papers, watch list of over 1,300 suffragettes, personal statements, reports of force-feeding, and transcripts of speeches.

Suffragette Collection Browse
Over 50 volumes - Browse Home Office files and Police records pertaining to suffragettes spanning the years 1902 to 1919.

Durham Diocese Bishop's Transcripts 1639-1919 Image Browse
Browse through over 900 bishop's transcripts from the Durham diocese. The diocese's boundaries will have changed over time, and included in this collection are records from Cumberland, Durham, Northumberland, and Yorkshire counties.

Durham Diocese, Calendar Of Marriage Bonds & Allegations 1594-1815 Image Browse
This browse-only collection contains name indexes of prospective brides and grooms, place indexes, and marriage abstracts.

United States, Union Provost Marshal Files Of Individual Civilians, 1861-1866 Browse
Browse through 300 files from the Union Provost Marshal created during the Civil War. These records provide a wide array of information on topics such as deserters, civilians suspected of disloyalty, civilian passage through military zones, and Confederate spies.

United States, Union Provost Marshal Files, 1861-1866 Browse
Browse through 94 volumes of records of Confederate prisoners of war during the American Civil War spanning the years 1861 to 1865.

United States, Records Of Confederate Prisoners Of War, 1861-1865 Browse
Browse 149 registers from the War Department's Office of the Commissary General of Prisoners may include such details as name, rank, regiment, county and state, and where and when captured, as well as whether an individual was discharged, exchanged, or transferred.

PERiodical Source Index
In total, 73,516 new images and 10,386 new articles have been added to the index this month. The new additions have been added to the following six titles;
Search the PERiodical Source Index
• California Historical Society Quarterly
• Catholic Record Society Publications
• County Louth Archaeological Society Journal
• American Monthly Magazine
• Herts Genealogist and Antiquary
• The Index Library

For further details and relevant links, visit https://blog.findmypast.co.uk/findmypast-friday-february-2nd-2530713178.html

UPDATE: FindmyPast is offering free access to its Suffragette collection - further details at https://www.family-tree.co.uk/news-and-views/free-access-to-findmypasts-new-suffrage-collection-and-birth-marriage


Last week FindmyPast also offered the following new data of interest to those in England:

British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms
Over 92,000 records have been added to our collection of British overseas Births and Baptisms. This collection brings together records held by the General Register Office and The National Archives in one search and consists of birth records of children born to those working within the armed forces, merchant navy, and consular forces, as well as, civilian ship passengers.

British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages
Did your ancestor get married while stationed abroad or at sea? Search through over 35,000 new additions and discover marriages pertaining to military personnel, British Consul staff, and other British nationals working overseas.

British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials
Search over 193,000 records to uncover the details of members of the British armed forces who died while serving their country overseas, British civilians who died while travelling or working overseas, and individuals, including seamen, who died at sea.

British Armed Forces and Overseas Browse
The new additions above have also been added to our British Armed Forces and Overseas Browse.

Hertfordshire baptisms
Over 87,000 records have been added to our collection of Hertfordshire parish baptisms.

Hertfordshire Banns & Marriages
Nearly 62,000 records have been added to our collection of Hertfordshire parish marriages.

Hertfordshire burials
Over 66,000 records have been added to the collection. Dating as far back as the 1400s, these records will reveal your ancestors burial date, age at death and burial place.

Hertfordshire Parish Record Browse
Browse through over 16,000 additional images of baptism, marriage, and burial records from the English county of Hertfordshire.

Yorkshire Memorial Inscriptions
Over 8,000 new records have been added to our collection of Yorkshire Monumental Inscriptions. The new additions cover cemeteries in Rawmarsh, Thorpe Hesley and Treeton.

Northumberland & Durham Monumental Inscriptions
Over 30,000 records covering 26 burial sites have been added to our collection of Northumberland & Durham Monumental Inscriptions.

British Newspapers
Over 3 million new articles as well as 11 brand new titles have been added to our collection of historical British Newspapers.
The new titles include;
• West Middlesex Herald
• Bristol Daily Post
• Isle of Wight Times
• Clifton and Redland Free Press
• Leicester Herald
• Horfield and Bishopston Record and Montepelier & District Free Press
• Middlesex & Surrey Express
• Bristol Magpie
• Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Tenbury Wells Advertiser
• Reading Observer

Further details on these are at https://blog.findmypast.co.uk/findmypast-friday-janueary-2-2528778516.html


Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

TNA podcast - Sylvia Pankhurst

If you haveen't yet heard it, the National Archives in England (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) has a podcast online entitled Sylvia Pankhurst: suffragette, socialist and ‘scourge of the empire’, a recording of just under 40 minutes of a talk given by Katherine Connelly. Here's the blurb:

From militant suffragette at the beginning of the 20th century to campaigner against colonialism in Africa after the Second World War, Sylvia Pankhurst dedicated her life to fighting oppression and injustice.

Katherine Connelly will examine Pankhurst’s role at the forefront of significant developments in the history of radical politics. Guiding us through Pankhurst’s activism – from her teens as a member of the Independent Labour Party and her time as a leading suffragette before the First World War, to her revolutionary socialist, anti-fascist and anti-imperialist campaigning in later years.

To access the recording, visit http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/sylvia-pankhurst-suffragette-socialist-scourge-empire/

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Forthcoming events at TNA in March

The following events are taking place at The National Archives (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) in Kew, England:

Thursday 3 March 2016, 7:00 pm
100 years of the WI: The acceptable face of feminism
FREE

Friday 4 March 2016, 2:00 pm
Spitfire girls
FREE

Saturday 5 March 2016, 2:00 pm
Out of the Archives: A zine workshop on 20th century women's movements
PAID

Tuesday 8 March 2016, 6:00 pm
Myth-busting the Suffrage movement
FREE

Friday 11 March 2016, 9:45 am
Theatre in the First World War
PAID

Friday 11 March 2016, 2:00 pm
Simply a Jacobite woman? The life experience of Margaret, Lady Nairne
FREE

Tuesday 15 March 2016, 4:00 pm
Experiencing the First World War in the Middle East
FREE

Thursday 17 March 2016, 7:00 pm
Beyond the guns: Experiences of women in the First World War
PAID

Friday 18 March 2016, 2:00 pm
'Tell Them of Us' screening
FREE

Monday 21 March 2016, 1:00 pm
Dispatches from the front
FREE

Tuesday 22 March 2016, 2:00 pm
100 years of the Military Medal
FREE

Tuesday 29 March 2016, 4:00 pm
Making the most of The National Archives' Library
FREE

Further details are available at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/whats-on/events/

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. My Pinterest account is at https://www.pinterest.com/chrismpaton/.

A Decade of Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923

Now on sale in Australia is another of my latest Unlock the Past books, entitled A Decade of Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923. A UK edition, Canadian edition and ebook version will also be available shortly. Here is the back cover blurb:

As the issue of Home Rule reared its head for a third time, its supporters and detractors raised militias to defend their positions, whilst women fought for the vote and labourers fought for better terms from their employers. The First World War would soon dramatically change everything, leading some to see England's difficulty as Ireland's opportunity. When an independent republic was proclaimed through force of arms at Easter 1916, the response would see a brutal guerilla war fought between the British forces the Irish republicans, a partitioned island, and a nation divided.

A century on, in this book from Unlock the Past, Northern Irish born family historian Chris Paton will help you to discover whether your ancestors were caught up in the events of that period - whether they were Suffragettes, unionised workers, Ulster or Irish Volunteers, fighting with the British Army and Crown forces, against them as rebels and revolutionaries, and in the ensuing civil war on both sides of the Treaty divide. With improved cataloguing by archives, and better access to the records, both online and offline, a new gateway has been opened into one of the island's most tumultuous, tragic, exciting, and utterly desperate periods of the 20th century. In this book he will show you how to step through it.

To further give a flavour of the structure of the book, the following is the contents list:

Contents:

Introduction
Acknowledgements

1. The genealogical landscape
- Vital records
- Burials
- Censuses
- Probate
- Newspapers
- National archives and libraries
- Family and local history societies

2. Home Rule
- Ireland in the Union
- The Ulster Covenant
- Ulster and Irish Volunteers
- Researching the Volunteers

3. Women's suffrage
- Demand for the vote
- The campaign escalates
- Suffragette sources

4. Workers' rights
- Background
- The Dublin Lockout
- Researching the Lockout
- Other disputes

5. The First World War
- Military records

6. The Easter Rising
- The Rebellion
- The participants
- Researching the Rising

7. Towards independence
- Conscription and election
- The War of Independence
- The Treaty
- The Irish Civil War
- Northern Ireland
- Legacy
- Researching 1919-1923

Further reading
Index

The book is available from Gould Genealogy at http://www.gould.com.au/A-Decade-of-Centenaries-Researching-Ireland-1912-p/utp0288.htm.

UPDATE: The ebook edition is now available from http://www.gen-ebooks.com/a-decade-of-centenaries-researching-ireland-1912.html, priced at AU$9.95 (about £4.80 in Sterling). There's a free PDF based sample of the book, the link is under he PayPal logo.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including my recently released Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. My Pinterest account is at https://www.pinterest.com/chrismpaton/.

England, Suffragettes Arrested 1906-1914 collection on Ancestry

Ancestry has released a new collection entitled England, Suffragettes Arrested 1906-1914. The source is the Home Office collection HO 45/24665 as held at the National Archives in England.

From the site:

At the outbreak of the amnesty the Home Office compiled a list of all suffrage campaigners they were providing amnesty to, and although the document is entitled ‘Amnesty of August 1914: index of women arrested 1906-1914’ it also includes the names of more than one hundred men. The Home Office actually began keeping indexes of suffrage supporters (male and female) prior to the amnesty, so that they could trace and link multiple convictions of the same person. Originally written on index cards, which were often out of order, in 1922 the records were copied into a book. Each record consists of the name of the person arrested, and the date and place of arrest. If a person was arrested more than once, the details of each arrest are documented. In the last half of the book were inserted letters, minutes, reports, and several news articles related to the activities of the suffragists and suffragettes. The value of the index was primarily for day to day office work in the Home Office. However, the clerk notes “should the history of the Suffragette Movement ever …. be written in detail, [it] would be a source of information not otherwise obtainable.”

The richness of this source is not in the story of the amnesty and the different reactions to war by many different suffrage societies. Instead, it is in the literal wealth of names to be found in the document - over 1000 male and female suffrage campaigners who were at some point arrested. It’s a document that moves away from viewing only the Pankhurst figureheads of the movement to look at the wealth of individuals who, for a cause they believed in, were prepared to risk their jobs, families, and sometimes their health by hunger striking. Though the details are brief, it provides a partial overview of the movement. Many individuals were part of varied societies that often don’t get their due attention, including the East London Federation of Suffragettes, the Artists Franchise League and the Women’s Freedom League. This index contains the names of Flora Drummond, who at the time of her imprisonment was in her first trimester of pregnancy; William Ball, temporarily certified insane after a being force fed in prison; and Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, who was at the front of the Black Friday procession when suffragettes clashed with the police. Most importantly, the index lists many largely unknown persons from across the country and argues against the London centric view of women’s suffrage. The very nature of this document’s focus on arrest naturally excludes those who campaigned by pacifist means, though ultimately this document illustrates a view of suffrage rarely seen: a mass movement of active women and men across the country from many different types of suffrage societies.

The collection can be searched at http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61005.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including my recently released Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. My Pinterest account is at https://www.pinterest.com/chrismpaton/.

Stand Up and be Counted! Suffrage in the Decade of Centenaries

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.proni.gov.uk) has launched its Stand Up and Be Counted online resource, subtitled Suffrage and gender in Ireland during the Decade of Centenaries and beyond. The page holds links to several articles looking at the subject of women's suffrage in Ireland's most tumultuous period prior to Partition.

From the site:

The original archival documents made available as part of this online resource will allow anyone interested in the themes of suffrage, gender and democracy – or indeed the wider Decade of Centenaries – to explore original documents created at the time. This resource will not only widen access to PRONI archives, but will exemplify how they can be used to engage people in a conversation, exploring the relevance of historical events in today’s society.

The information packs available on the site are themed as follows:

PRONI Document Packs:
Document Pack 2 - Suffrage and Nationalism (Stand up and be Counted!: Suffrage in Ireland).
Document Pack 3 - Suffrage, Labour and Class (Stand up and be Counted!: Suffrage in Ireland).
Document Pack 4 - Suffrage and Suffragettes (Stand up and be Counted!: Suffrage in Ireland).

Background and context:
Background and Contextual Information (Stand up and be Counted!: Suffrage in Ireland).
Ireland Decade of Centenaries Timeline (Stand up and be Counted!: Suffrage in Ireland).
Female Suffrage in UK and Ireland Timeline (Stand up and be Counted!: Suffrage in Ireland).

Workshop activities:
Workshop activities (Stand up and be counted! Suffrage in Ireland)

An interesting fact that I wasn't aware of is that women in the Irish Free State obtained equal suffrage rights to men in 1922, gaining the right to vote at the age of 21, whilst in Northern Ireland this did not happen until 1928.

An excellent resource.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including my recently released Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. My Pinterest account is at https://www.pinterest.com/chrismpaton/.

TNA podcast - 1911 census boycott by Suffragettes

The latest podcast from the National Archives in England is entitled Vanishing for the Vote: diverse suffragettes boycott the 1911 census, a 47 minute long talk from Jill Liddington.

It can be accessed at http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/vanishing-vote-diverse-suffragettes-boycott-1911-census/ or downloaded for free from iTunes.

Chris

For details on my latest book Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, and my other genealogy guide books please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. To commission me for genealogical research, please visit my research site at www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk.

Glasgow Women's Heritage Cycle Trail

Glasgow Women's Library (http://womenslibrary.org.uk) held a heritage cycle trail event in the city on Saturday 28th June to highlight women's cycling history. From its site:

The bicycle has been an important fixture in women’s history. The ride will stop off at Nelson’s Column which was a meeting point for suffragette rallies. The bicycle enabled suffragettes to distribute leaflets and promote events, thus playing an important role in the women’s suffrage movement. The route will also take cyclists to Anderston, where industries such as shipbuilding and engineering thrived. Many women were employed in these industries and cycling gave them a greater freedom and independence. It changed the way they dressed as the restrictive styles of the 19th Century weren’t conducive to riding a bike.

The full story is at http://womenslibrary.org.uk/2014/06/19/womens-heritage-bike-ride/

Although the trail has already happened, you can pick up a copy of the Women’s Heritage Bike Ride map from the Library, which is open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm and 7pm on a Thursday. (It's based in the same building complex as the Mitchell Library)

(With thanks to Sue Johns and Gabrielle Macbeth)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And FindmyPast - please reinstate the original Scottish census citations on your new site.