Fonds GB 106 7MET - TAYLOR, Mary Ellen

Identity area

Reference code

GB 106 7MET

Title

TAYLOR, Mary Ellen

Date(s)

  • 1912-1971 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

0.5 A box (equivalent: 4 objects)

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Mrs Mary Ellen Taylor (fl 1910-1914) and her husband Captain Thomas Smithies Taylor were friends of the Pethick Lawrence family, Dr Elizabeth Wilkes (her sister) and her brother-in-law Mark Wilkes. By early 1912 Mrs Taylor was an active member of the Women's Social and Political Union which was then engaged in a campaign of militant action against government and private property. On 4 Mar 1912 she took part in a window smashing party with a Miss Roberts and a Miss Nellie Crocker, attacking a post office in Sloane Square. They were arrested and brought before a magistrate at Westminster Police Court, who referred their case to the Sessions. From the 5-22 Mar 1912 they were placed on remand at Holloway Prison until Taylor went before Newington Session and was given a three months sentence. While in prison, she went on hunger strike, though she was not forcibly fed, and was subsequently discharged and taken to her sister's house on the 27 Apr 1912. She was imprisoned a second time in Jul 1913 under the alias of Mary Wyan of Reading. Mrs Ellen Mary Taylor refused release under the Cat and Mouse [Temporary Discharge for Ill-health] Act of 1913. She claimed complete discharge and declined to give the prison governor any address. When she was conveyed to a nursing home she refused to enter until her full release was granted and continued her strike on a chair in the road outside. The police then removed her to the Kensington Infirmary where she eventually gave up her protest. Around this time, the Woodford assault case took place, touching the Taylor's immediate circle of friends.

Repository

Archival history

GB 106 7MET 1912-1971 fonds 0.5 A box (equivalent: 4 objects) Taylor , Mary Ellen , fl 1910-1914 , suffragette

Mrs Mary Ellen Taylor (fl 1910-1914) and her husband Captain Thomas Smithies Taylor were friends of the Pethick Lawrence family, Dr Elizabeth Wilkes (her sister) and her brother-in-law Mark Wilkes. By early 1912 Mrs Taylor was an active member of the Women's Social and Political Union which was then engaged in a campaign of militant action against government and private property. On 4 Mar 1912 she took part in a window smashing party with a Miss Roberts and a Miss Nellie Crocker, attacking a post office in Sloane Square. They were arrested and brought before a magistrate at Westminster Police Court, who referred their case to the Sessions. From the 5-22 Mar 1912 they were placed on remand at Holloway Prison until Taylor went before Newington Session and was given a three months sentence. While in prison, she went on hunger strike, though she was not forcibly fed, and was subsequently discharged and taken to her sister's house on the 27 Apr 1912. She was imprisoned a second time in Jul 1913 under the alias of Mary Wyan of Reading. Mrs Ellen Mary Taylor refused release under the Cat and Mouse [Temporary Discharge for Ill-health] Act of 1913. She claimed complete discharge and declined to give the prison governor any address. When she was conveyed to a nursing home she refused to enter until her full release was granted and continued her strike on a chair in the road outside. The police then removed her to the Kensington Infirmary where she eventually gave up her protest. Around this time, the Woodford assault case took place, touching the Taylor's immediate circle of friends.

Deposited in the Fawcett Library by Dr Dorothea Taylor c.1970. [A note in the accessions file c.1990 states 'Photographs mentioned in letter of Jan 1968 are stored in the photographs collection.' A later note indicate 'Absent at 9 Aug 2000.' it is not clear where the letter or the photographs are].

The archive originally consisted of correspondence and objects. At some date the correspondence between Mrs Taylor and her daughter Dr Dorothea Taylor c.1912, was moved to Autograph Letter Collection Volume 9/26. In 2000 the objects were catalogued as part of the artefacts cataloguing project by Catherine Marshall.

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

Readers must wear gloves to handle textiles.

English

The Women's Library Catalogue

The Women's Library also holds 9/26 Autograph Letter Collection: Taylor Collection and 10/03 Scrapbook [on women's suffrage and the Contagious Diseases Acts]. The Women's Library also holds the records of a number of militant, Women's Social and Political Union members, including Emily Wilding Davison (7EWD) and Louisa Garrett Anderson (7LGA). The records of the Women's Social and Political Union are held at The Museum of London. The Women's Library Printed Collections also holds a number of publications by the Women's Social and Political Union.

Finding aid created by export from CALM v7.2.14 Archives Hub EAD2002. 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.

05/03/2008 Internal politics Electoral systems Womens suffrage Women Taylor , Mary Ellen , fl 1910 , suffragette Sex Sex distribution

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Deposited in the Fawcett Library by Dr Dorothea Taylor c.1970. [A note in the accessions file c.1990 states 'Photographs mentioned in letter of Jan 1968 are stored in the photographs collection.' A later note indicate 'Absent at 9 Aug 2000.' it is not clear where the letter or the photographs are].

Content and structure area

Scope and content

The archive originally consisted of correspondence and objects. At some date the correspondence between Mrs Taylor and her daughter Dr Dorothea Taylor c.1912, was moved to Autograph Letter Collection Volume 9/26. In 2000 the objects were catalogued as part of the artefacts cataloguing project by Catherine Marshall.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

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

Readers must wear gloves to handle textiles.

Conditions governing reproduction

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

The Women's Library also holds 9/26 Autograph Letter Collection: Taylor Collection and 10/03 Scrapbook [on women's suffrage and the Contagious Diseases Acts]. The Women's Library also holds the records of a number of militant, Women's Social and Political Union members, including Emily Wilding Davison (7EWD) and Louisa Garrett Anderson (7LGA). The records of the Women's Social and Political Union are held at The Museum of London. The Women's Library Printed Collections also holds a number of publications by the Women's Social and Political Union.

Finding aids

The Women's Library Catalogue

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Publication note

Notes area

Note

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Women's Library

Rules and/or conventions used

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.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area