Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928), founder of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU)
A permanent display about the suffragettes showcasing a suffragette medal and a scarf belonging to Emily Wilding Davison. The display is located off Central Lobby, on the way to the public gallery of the House of Commons.
Pankhurst medal
The display follows the acquisition by the Works of Art Committee of a medal awarded to Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928), founder of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), the early 20th century militant suffrage organisation. The medal was awarded to Pankhurst on her release from prison after she had been found guilty of inciting a rush on the House of Commons on 13 October 1908.
Ten years after this event , women aged over 30 were granted the vote under the Representation of the People Act 1918. Ten years later, in 1928, women finally received the same voting rights as men. In 2008 the medal provides a timely reminder that it is only 90 years since women in Britain were granted the vote, as well as marking the centenary of the rush on the House of Commons.
Suffragettes and Parliament
From protesting in a boat opposite the House of Commons Terrace to chaining themselves to statues in St Stephen's Hall, the display illustrates the many stories of suffragette protest in Parliament.
Emily Wilding Davison scarf
The display also includes a campaigning scarf, on loan to the Works of Art Committee from Barbara Gorna, which was worn by the suffragette Emily Wilding Davison the day she was killed at the Epsom Derby. Emily Wilding Davison was a regular suffragette protester at Parliament, including gaining illegal entry to the building on census night 1911, when she hid in a cupboard so she could give her address as the 'House of Commons' on the census form.