Fonds GB 106 7EWD - DAVISON, Emily Wilding (1872-1913)

2 boxes, 2 oversize boxes and artefacts

The Emily Wilding Davison archive was deposited with the Fawcett Library by Mrs Ruth Yates, daughter-in-law of Rose Lamartine Yates, in two accessions in Dec 1985 and Jan 1986. Yates had contacted Dr and Mrs Pankhurst (then City of London Polytechnic Librarian) in Oct 1985 after reading an article about Sylvia Pankhurst (by Richard Pankhurst) which mentioned a missing portrait of Mary Gawthorpe. This was in Yates' possession together with the other papers in the collection.

Most of the material relating to Emily Wilding Davison came into the possession of the Lamartine Yates family through Thomas Lamartine Yates, a lawyer who represented EWD's family at the inquest into her death. The archive also includes some of Rose Lamartine Yates' own papers. RL Yates was a member of the Wimbledon branch of the WSPU and was involved in the founding of the Suffragette Fellowship in the 1930s. Through this connection, many of the items of suffragette memorabilia seem to have been brought together, originally for the Suffragette Fellowship's Women's Record Room. The Suffragette Fellowshiop initially held the material at the Minerva Club in Brunswick Square, London. Then, in May 1939, the Reading room was transferred to 6 Great Smith Street before closing in Sep due to the outbreak of the Second World War. The records were then distributed to places of safety. The papers seem to have remained with the family until their deposit in the Fawcett (subsequently The Women's) Library in 1985/06.

GB 106 7EWD 1905-1989 fonds 2 boxes, 2 oversize boxes and artefacts Davison , Emily Wilding , 1872-1913 , suffragette

Emily Wilding Davison was born in Blackheath in 1872. She attended Kensington High School and then Holloway College. However, two years into her course her father died and she was forced to leave to become a governess. She was subsequently able to pay for a course a St Hugh's College at Oxford. She sat her final examinations in 1893 when she took a first-class degree. She was subsequently employed by the Church of England School for Girls in Edgbaston from 1895-6 before moving to Seabury School in West Worthing. She then move again to Berkshire where she again became a governess until 1906, the year in which she joined the Women's Social and Political Union.

She was employed by the Women's Social and Political Union as chief steward at the Hyde Park procession in June 1908 and was one of the nine arrested in March 1909 when a deputation marching from the Caxton Hall to the Houses of Parliament was prevented from seeing the Prime Minister. She was arrested a second time in July when after interrupting a meeting in Limehouse addressed by David Lloyd George. This time the sentence was doubled to two months and Davison went on hunger strike. She was released after five days, beginning the long series of arrests, imprisonments and releases after force-feeding that would make up much of the rest of her life. In September she was arrested with Dora Marsden for throwing balls labelled 'bomb' through the window of a meeting in Manchester, received a two month sentence and was released after two and a half days having gone on hunger strike. Unable to find work, she became a paid organiser of the WSPU from April 1910. She managed to enter and hide in the House of Commons three times between 1910 and 1911, and was the first to embark on a campaign of setting fire to pillar-boxes. During her imprisonment in Holloway in 1912, she threw herself over landing railings on two separate occasions, incurring injuries which would continue to afflict her. On the 4th June 1913, she tried to seize the bridle of Anmer, the King's horse running at the Derby. She received head injuries and never recovered consciousness, dying on the 8th June. Her funeral was preceded by a large funeral cortege that became one of the iconic events of the campaign for Women's Suffrage. The service took place at St George's Church, then the coffin was taken by train to the family grave in Morpeth in Northumberland. After her death, she became an almost mythic figure in popular culture and her memory was perpetuated both within the movement and beyond.

The Emily Wilding Davison archive was deposited with the Fawcett Library by Mrs Ruth Yates, daughter-in-law of Rose Lamartine Yates, in two accessions in Dec 1985 and Jan 1986. Yates had contacted Dr and Mrs Pankhurst (then City of London Polytechnic Librarian) in Oct 1985 after reading an article about Sylvia Pankhurst (by Richard Pankhurst) which mentioned a missing portrait of Mary Gawthorpe. This was in Yates' possession together with the other papers in the collection.

Most of the material relating to Emily Wilding Davison came into the possession of the Lamartine Yates family through Thomas Lamartine Yates, a lawyer who represented EWD's family at the inquest into her death. The archive also includes some of Rose Lamartine Yates' own papers. RL Yates was a member of the Wimbledon branch of the WSPU and was involved in the founding of the Suffragette Fellowship in the 1930s. Through this connection, many of the items of suffragette memorabilia seem to have been brought together, originally for the Suffragette Fellowship's Women's Record Room. The Suffragette Fellowshiop initially held the material at the Minerva Club in Brunswick Square, London. Then, in May 1939, the Reading room was transferred to 6 Great Smith Street before closing in Sep due to the outbreak of the Second World War. The records were then distributed to places of safety. The papers seem to have remained with the family until their deposit in the Fawcett (subsequently The Women's) Library in 1985/06.

The Emily Wilding Davison collection was deposited with the Library in Dec 1985 and Jan 1986 by the family which had collected individual items together, originally for the Suffragette Fellowship's Record Room.

Papers of Emily Wilding Davison comprising personal papers (1909-1913), including employment papers (1913), personal correspondence (1909-1913), writings (1911-1913), papers related to membership of Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) (1912-1913) and to her death (1913-15); papers of Rose and Tom Lamartine Yates related to the Davison inquest; WSPU papers (1905-1914), and papers of other suffrage organisations (1910-1914); papers of the Suffragette Fellowship and the Women's Record Room (1936-1940); photographs (1908-1914), miscellaneous items including 'Justice Tea' teabags, revolving picture of 'elusive Christabel', newspapers and cuttings (1910-1988); posters and illustrations (1908-1914); papers related to the Cat and Mouse Act (1913); artefacts; additional papers (1980s).

The following pamphlets were removed from the archive in 1988 and added to The Women's Library Printed Collections:

1) The bye-election policy of the Women's Social and Political Union / FW Pethick Lawrence (Classmark as at Mar 2007: 324.62306041 WOM)

2) The citizenship of women : a plea for women's suffrage / by J Keir Hardie (Classmark as at Mar 2007: 324.6230941 HAR)

3) Ancient suffragettes / by Margaret Wynne Nevinson (Classmark as at Mar 2007: 933 NEV)

4) The constitutional basis of women's suffrage / by Mrs CC Stopes (Classmark as at Mar 2007: 324.6230941 STO)

The nature of the archive has created difficulties in compiling a catalogue. Many items were probably part of the Suffragette Fellowship Women's Record Room holdings but these cannot be identified precisely. Original order did not survive and material was sorted into classes and catalogued in 1988.

EWD/A Emily Wilding Davison - Personal Papers

EWD/B Rose Lamartine Yates - Papers

EWD/C Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU)

EWD/D Other Suffrage Societies

EWD/E Suffragette Fellowship / Women's Record Room

EWD/F Miscellaneous

EWD/G Newspapers

EWD/H Posters and illustrations

EWD/J Photographs

EWD/K Additional items from the Fawcett Library relating to EWD

EWD/L Additional deposited items

EWD/M Objects

This collection is partially available for research. Readers are advised to contact The Women's Library in advance of their first visit.

• Papers are available on microfilm only.

• Photographs are available for research.

• Some artefacts are currently UNAVAILABLE as they are awaiting conservation (from Jan 2006).

  English

Circa 1989 The British Library provided a grant which enabled the conservation of all the photographs and posters, a full repair of The Suffragette Newssheet and the framing of the ticket and lily as well as contributing towards general deacidification and repair of other manuscript materials.

Handlist. The Women's Library Catalogue.

In 2006 the papers were microfilmed due to the extensive use made of the archive.

The Women's Library Museum Collection contains photographs of Emily Wilding Davison's funeral. The Women's Library Archives contains additional press cuttings and ephemera related to Emily amongst the archives of several suffrage campaigners. These include a programme for memorial service of Emily Wilding Davison pasted into the Suffrage Scrapbook reference 10/45.

The National Archives holds papers in the Metropolitan Police Archive, MEPO/2/1551 and in the Prison Commission Archive, PCOM/8/174. Royal Holloway College, Egham, Surrey, contains a reference in the register of students, RHC AR/200/1, p. 14.

As at 2007 stills and film footage were made available on the web at www.britishpathe.com A search for 'Emily Davison' resulted in contemporary footage of her being injured in 'The Derby 1912 and 1913' and her subsequent funeral.

This document was generated by Javascript from an HTML form which structured the input according to the elements of ISAD(G) Version 2. Collection description by the Archives Hub, amended by Genesis Project Manager Jan 2002. Fawcett Library Catalogue 1988. Selected visual items given Fawcett Library descriptions by Catherine Marshall c.2000. Catalogue descriptions of objects (7EWD/M) by Lauren Burrows, The Women's Library volunteer, Dec 2007. Photographs repackaged by Gemma Waterston, The Women's Library volunteer, Jul 2008. Edited for AIM25 by Sarah Drewery.

In compliance with ISAD (G): General International Standard Archival Description - 2nd Edition (1999); UNESCO Thesaurus, December 2001; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Dec 2008. Liberalism Politics Women Internal politics Electoral systems Womens suffrage Yates , Rose Lamartine , 1875-1954 , suffragist Davison , Emily Wilding , 1872-1913 , suffragette Women's Social and Political Union Political doctrines Sex Political science Sex distribution

The Emily Wilding Davison collection was deposited with the Library in Dec 1985 and Jan 1986 by the family which had collected individual items together, originally for the Suffragette Fellowship's Record Room.

Papers of Emily Wilding Davison comprising personal papers (1909-1913), including employment papers (1913), personal correspondence (1909-1913), writings (1911-1913), papers related to membership of Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) (1912-1913) and to her death (1913-15); papers of Rose and Tom Lamartine Yates related to the Davison inquest; WSPU papers (1905-1914), and papers of other suffrage organisations (1910-1914); papers of the Suffragette Fellowship and the Women's Record Room (1936-1940); photographs (1908-1914), miscellaneous items including 'Justice Tea' teabags, revolving picture of 'elusive Christabel', newspapers and cuttings (1910-1988); posters and illustrations (1908-1914); papers related to the Cat and Mouse Act (1913); artefacts; additional papers (1980s).

The following pamphlets were removed from the archive in 1988 and added to The Women's Library Printed Collections:

1) The bye-election policy of the Women's Social and Political Union / FW Pethick Lawrence (Classmark as at Mar 2007: 324.62306041 WOM)

2) The citizenship of women : a plea for women's suffrage / by J Keir Hardie (Classmark as at Mar 2007: 324.6230941 HAR)

3) Ancient suffragettes / by Margaret Wynne Nevinson (Classmark as at Mar 2007: 933 NEV)

4) The constitutional basis of women's suffrage / by Mrs CC Stopes (Classmark as at Mar 2007: 324.6230941 STO)

The nature of the archive has created difficulties in compiling a catalogue. Many items were probably part of the Suffragette Fellowship Women's Record Room holdings but these cannot be identified precisely. Original order did not survive and material was sorted into classes and catalogued in 1988.

EWD/A Emily Wilding Davison - Personal Papers

EWD/B Rose Lamartine Yates - Papers

EWD/C Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU)

EWD/D Other Suffrage Societies

EWD/E Suffragette Fellowship / Women's Record Room

EWD/F Miscellaneous

EWD/G Newspapers

EWD/H Posters and illustrations

EWD/J Photographs

EWD/K Additional items from the Fawcett Library relating to EWD

EWD/L Additional deposited items

EWD/M Objects

This collection is partially available for research. Readers are advised to contact The Women's Library in advance of their first visit.

• Papers are available on microfilm only.

• Photographs are available for research.

• Some artefacts are currently UNAVAILABLE as they are awaiting conservation (from Jan 2006).

• English

• Latin

English

The Women's Library Museum Collection contains photographs of Emily Wilding Davison's funeral. The Women's Library Archives contains additional press cuttings and ephemera related to Emily amongst the archives of several suffrage campaigners. These include a programme for memorial service of Emily Wilding Davison pasted into the Suffrage Scrapbook reference 10/45.

Handlist. The Women's Library Catalogue.

In 2006 the papers were microfilmed due to the extensive use made of the archive.

The National Archives holds papers in the Metropolitan Police Archive, MEPO/2/1551 and in the Prison Commission Archive, PCOM/8/174. Royal Holloway College, Egham, Surrey, contains a reference in the register of students, RHC AR/200/1, p. 14.

As at 2007 stills and film footage were made available on the web at www.britishpathe.com A search for 'Emily Davison' resulted in contemporary footage of her being injured in 'The Derby 1912 and 1913' and her subsequent funeral.

In compliance with ISAD (G): General International Standard Archival Description - 2nd Edition (1999); UNESCO Thesaurus, December 2001; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

• English