This year marks the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act, which gave the vote to some women in Britain. York Castle Museum volunteer Emma Flint has been helping to research the history of women’s suffrage, which will be shared with visitors to the museum in regular talks. Find out more in this blog entry from Emma.

I am a current Masters student at Newcastle University and have been volunteering at the museum since April 2017. It has been a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the area and more about the struggle women have faced to achieve equality (still not quite there!). It can sometimes be a bit of a juggle with my studies, but the team have been so supportive. If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer, I’d definitely recommend it!

I have recently been researching on behalf of the museum to celebrate the centenary of (some) women over 30 gaining the vote back in 1918. There will be a series of talks ran by myself and other volunteers exploring the role of Suffragettes in York and the surrounding areas, which visitors to the museum will be able to listen to.

This year marks the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act, which allowed some women in the UK to vote for the first time. While it wouldn’t be until 1928 that all women could vote, the 1918 act does highlight there had been a shift in how women were viewed. This triumph would not have been possible if it were not for the Suffragettes. The Suffragette movement campaigned for votes for women through a variety of means, some violent and some more subtle.

The Suffragette movement in Britain emerged in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but became particularly militant in the 1910s. Examples of violence to property and hunger strikes litter the history of the suffrage movement. The women who fought for our right to vote were existing beyond the normal means of political protest, and these women used the methods they had seen men use in the pursuit of political rights.

There are a number of significant figures in the history of the suffrage movement in Britain, some of which have links to York itself. Lillian Lenton is one of the most militant and famous suffragettes, and she managed to evade arrest by disguising herself as a delivery boy in Leeds. The talks will explore the lives of some of these women in much greater detail, and also examine how women were able to create political identities at a time when they were supposed to have none.

I became interested in the project primarily because I actually didn’t know that much about the suffrage movement in the North East of England! I thought it would be an excellent way to broaden my knowledge and appreciate just how much these women have done for us in terms of equality.

I have really enjoyed getting my teeth stuck into some research, and it is so fun to be able to write something that other people will soon be able to hear. I was also really excited at the prospect of getting into Edwardian costume!

Emma and the volunteer team will be delivering their talks on women’s suffrage from Monday 5th February 2018 until the end of the summer holidays. Talks will be included in admission with no need to book ahead – please check our Events Page here for dates and times.