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L I V E S 0 F M O E R N WO M E N
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Daughters of the famous feminist leader, they were united in their
suffragette aims, but bitterly divided over the way to achieve them
BARBARA CASTLE
PENGUIN BOOKS
SYLVIA AND CHRI STABEL PANKHURST
Barbara Castle \Vas educated at Bradford Girls' Grammar School
and St Hugh's College. Oxford, and was a Me1nber of Parliament
from 194 5 to 19 79. She was a member of the National Executive
Com1nittee of the Labour Party from J 950 to 1984. becoming
Chairman of the Labour Party (] 958- 9). She held four Cabinet
posts in Harold Wilson's Governments of 1964- 70 and 1974-6.
She has been a me1nber of the European Parliament since 1979
and is currently Member for Greater Manchester West. The Castle
Diaries have been published in two volumes. the first in 1980 and
the second in 1984.
LIVES OF MODERN WOMEN
General Editor: Emma Tennant
Lives of Modern Women is a series of short biographical portraits
by distinguished writers of women whose ideas, struggles and
creative talents have made a significant contribution to the way
we think and live now.
It is hoped that both the fascination of comparing the aims,
ideals. set-backs and achievements of those who confronted and
contributed to a world in transition and the high quality of writing
and insight will encourage the reader to delve further into the lives
and work of some of this century's most extraordinary and
necessary women.
Titles already published in this series
Annie Besant Rosemary Oinnage
Elizabeth Bo\ven Patricia Craig
Vera Brittain Hilary Bailey
Coco Chanel Diane Johnson
Colette Allan Massie
Jean Rhys Carole Angier
Bessie Smith Elaine Feinstein
Freya Stark Caroline Moorehead
Mine Sun Yat-sen Jung Chang \.Vith Jon Halliday
Rebecca West Fay Weldon
Barbara Castle
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Penguin Books
Penguin Books Ltd. Harmondsworth. Middlesex. England
Viking Penguln Lnc .. 40 West 23rd Street, New York 100 I 0. USA
Penguin Books Australia Ltd. Ringwood. Victoria. Australia
Penguin Books Canada Ltd. 280 I John Street. Markham. Ontario. Canada L3R l 84
Penguin Books (NZ) Ltd. 182-190 V\lairau Road. Auckland 10. New Zealand
Published in Penguin Books 1987
Copyright K:) Barbara Castle. 1987
All rights reserved
Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following:
Por extracts from The Suffragette Movement: An Intimate Account of Persons and Ideals
( 19 31) by Sylvia Pankhurst to Longman Group Ltd;
For extracts from Unshackled: The Story of How We Wo11 the Vote ( 19 59) by
Christabel Pankhurst LO Hutchinson. an imprint of Century Hutchinson:
For extracts from unpublished material by Sylvia Pankhurst in the Institute of
Social History. Amsterdam. to Richard Pankhurst.
Filmset in l 0 on I 3 pt Monophoto Photina
Made and printed in Great Britain by
Richard Clay Ltd. Bungay. Suffolk
Except in the United States of America. this book is sold subject to
the condition that It shall not. by way of trade or otherwise. be lent.
re-sold. hired out. or otherwise circulated without the publisher's
prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than thai in
which it is published and without a similar condition including this
condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser
CONTENTS
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List of Plates 6
Acknowledgements 8
Chronology 9
SYLVIA AND CHRISTABEL PANKHURST
One: Childhood 17
Two: Suffragettes 33
Three: The New Militancy 100
Four: War 133
Five: The Final Years 140
Select Bibliography 157
LIST OF PLATES
Dr Richard Pankhurst. beloved husband and father. c. 1896
(ruchard Pankhurst)
Emmeline Pankhurst as honorary secretary of the Women's
Social and Political Union she founded in 1903 (Museum of
London)
The little gjrls of Russell Square: Sylvia eight. Adela five and
Christabel ten. c. 1892 (David Mitchell)
In Trafalgar Square Christabel incites women to 'rush the House of
Con1mons', 11 October 1908 (Museum of London)
In the dock at Bow Street: Christabel with 'General' Flora
Drummond and mother Emmeline. October 1908 (Popperfoto)
Suffragettes campaign against the Liberals in the general election
of I 910 (Museum of London)
Sylvia ·s charcoal. chalk and crayon portrait of Keir Hardie. c. 1910
(National Portrait Gallery. London)
Christabel and Sylvia (Museum of London)
The Women's Coronation Procession. 1911 (Mary Evans Picture
Library/Fawcett Library)
Sylvia ·s decorations from the Prince's Skating Rink Exhibition
enliven another Suffragette bazaar at the Portman Rooms.
December J 911 (Museum of London)
Sylvia making converts at her new Sufiragette headquarters in
the East End, 1912 (BBC Hulton Picture Library)
At Trouville Annie Kenney and Emmeline Pankhurst recuperate
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LIST OF PLATES
with Christabel from their prison ordeal. 1 91 3 (Museum of
London)
Police remove Ernmeline Pankhurst from the gates of Buckingham
Palace as she tries to lead a deputation to the King, May I 914
(Museum of London)
Helped by waiting friends, Sylvia leaves Holloway Prison. May
19 21 (BBC Hulton Picture Library)
Sylvia relaxes v.rith her son. Richard. at Red Cottage. 1930
(Topham Picture Library)
Sylvia leads a protest to the House of Commons against a proposal
to return Eritrea and Somaliland to the Italians. April l 948
(Topham Picture Library)
The four line drawings that appear in the text are reproduced
courtesy of Mary Evans/Fawcett Library.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My warmest thanks must go to the Fawcett Library in the City of
London Polytechnic for their generosity and patience in giving me
access to so many books, many of which are out of print. I am
grateful for the help they gave my research assistant, Anita
Pollack, in turning up in their files the cuttings [ needed of
Christabel's and other people's articles. I hope it will not be long
before the Fawcett Library is able to rehouse its archives as
spaciously as they deserve to be.
I am also grateful to tvfien Schreuder of the Institute of Social
History, Amsterdam, for helping me find my way through Sylvia
Pankhurst's personal papers.
My thanks to Anita Pollack for her efficient research and to Alen
Mathewson, who competently took over from Anita while she had
her baby. I am also indebted to my incomparable secretary, Joan
Woodman, who typed away at all hours and helped me to piece
this book together.
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