Clacton remembers its fight for women’s right to vote

In 1918, women aged over-30 and who met a property qualification were granted the vote in the UK for the first time.

Ten years later women were finally granted equal rights to men.

Holland-on-Sea resident Faye Cooper, née Goulden, is great-niece of leading suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, who founded the active Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1903.

Along with Faye’s daughter (Emmeline Pankhurst’s great-great-niece) Kathrine Cooper, the pair began to research the movement and uncovered links to the town.

Not only did Emmeline bring her children to Clacton when they were young, but a number of prominent Suffragettes lived in the town – including some who took part in high-profile protests in London.

Artist - Lois Cordelia’s Autograph is part of the Octopus Ahoy! trail to mark Clacton’s 150th anniversary

Many of them spent time in Holloway Prison for their part in the protests, but returned to a heroines’ welcome at Clacton Railway Station.

This and some other examples of what they uncovered are captured in an audio post outside Clacton Railway Station, which forms part of the Clacton 150 Heritage Trail between Jaywick Sands and Holland-on-Sea.

Kathrine said: “I am so pleased that this important aspect of our social history is recorded as part of Clacton 150, and can’t help but feel some family pride too.

“While we take women’s suffrage as the norm now, we should not forget that less than 100 years ago women did not have the same voting rights as men, and 103 years ago they had none at all.

“This only changed due to the work of Emmeline and the other Suffragettes.”

One of the sculptures in the current Octopus Ahoy! art trail, Autograph, marks the Suffragette’s work.

Both Faye and Kathrine signed Autograph, designed by artist Lois Cordelia, and people taking part in the trail can see it – to find the octopus download the Octopus Ahoy! app and join in.

Octopus Ahoy!, which marks the town’s 150th anniversary, runs until September 5, challenging you to find 91 sculptures around Tendring and the surrounding area.

To find out more, go to octopusahoy.co.uk or download the free app.

Suffragette - Lilian Hicks from Great Holland

The Representation of the People Act in 1918 allowed all men and some women over the age of 30 to vote in Parliamentary elections for the first time. It paved the way for universal suffrage a decade later.

Mother and daughter Lilian and Amy Hicks, who lived at Great Holland Hall, joined the movement.

They were arrested on November 18, 1910, at the violent Black Friday protest, which saw campaigners struggle with police in Parliament Square.

Amy also took part in the suffragette window smashing campaign in March 1912, and was arrested and sentenced to four months hard labour.

She spent time in Holloway and Aylesbury prisons, including time in solitary confinement.

She was one of the suffrage prisoners who went on hunger strike, and was subjected to brutal force feeding.

Sisters Kate and Louise Lilley, daughters of Clacton magistrate Thomas Lilley, also took part in the window smashing campaign in London and were sentenced to two months imprisonment with hard labour in 1912.

They were released in May and on returning home to Clacton they were “met with a most hearty welcome home from hundreds of spectators” according to the Clacton Graphic.

On the hunger strike which took place while they were in Holloway, Kate wrote: “The horrors of it are still too fresh in my memory for me to feel able to dwell in any way on the details.”