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Militant Swindon woman

portrayed in new film: Suffragette

If you’ve never heard of Swindon two windows, both tactics that the
schoolteacher Edith New before, suffragettes were later to employ to
you soon will, writes local historian great effect.
Frances Bevan. Although many Liberal MPs were
In Suffragette, which hits cinemas in favour of women’s suffrage, As- Beautiful flowers
in October, Helena Bonham Carter quith remained a lifelong opponent. for all occasions
plays Edith, one of the leading lights His government introduced the to include
in the Votes for Woman campaign, practice of force feeding imprisoned weddings, funerals
alongside Meryl Streep and Carey women on hunger strike to further and gift flowers
Mulligan. their protest behind bars.
With an ironic twist, Bonham Attacked for using a method Delivery to Swindon,
Carter is the great-granddaughter deemed as ‘torture’ by the medical Swindon villages & Marlborough
of HH Asquith, the Liberal Prime journal The Lancet, Asquith went on Contact:
Minister who strongly opposed to introduce the Prisoners (Tempo- 01672 539840
giving women the vote. rary Discharge for Ill Health) Act or 07825 871984
1913, which became known as the [email protected]
Cat and Mouse Act. Instead of forci- www.poppywillow-flowers.co.uk
bly feeding the women who went
on hunger strike they were released
when they became dangerously
weak and then promptly re-arrested
when they became stronger.
Celebrating a leader
In yet another venture supported
by Swindon Heritage magazine,
local historians will be delivering a
series of events including a guided
walk around Old Town looking at
places of significance in Edith’s life
in the week before the screening at
Cineworld, Regent Circus in October.
Edith Bessie New was born in There will also be an illustrated
1877 in North Street, the daughter talk about Edith and the Votes for
of Frederic New, a railway clerk Women campaign at a date and
at the GWR Works and his wife venue to be confirmed.
Isabella, a music teacher. Frederic And to get the real suffragette
was killed in a railway accident experience, and to reflect on the
before Edith’s first birthday, leaving position of women in society over
Isabella to raise her three young 100 years ago, there will a march
children alone. and rally at Regent Circus where
By the age of 14 Edith was work- costumed re-enactors will deliver a
ing as a pupil teacher at Queens- selection of rousing speeches once
town Infants’ School. After gaining spoken by Emmeline Pankhurst and
her teaching certificate, she moved the campaigning women.
to London to work in the tough, More detail will be provided in the
dockland area of East Greenwich. October Link Magazine, including
Inspired by the challenges faced the release date and timing of
by her mother, Edith spent a special showings in Swindon.
lifetime campaigning for equal Facebook: Swindon Suffragette
rights for women and was the Support the purchase of costumes
first suffragette to chain herself to and props for the recreation of the
railings outside 10 Downing Street, Suffragette rally at: www.crowd-
where she later returned to break funder.co.uk/swindons-suffragette/

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