ID: 2682
Black Friday: Suffragette demonstration
Women's Suffrage: Henry Noel Brailsford
Category: Autograph Letters/Manuscripts
Place/Publisher/Date:
Hampstead, London No publisher, December 17th 1910.
Description:
Autograph Letter signed from Henry Noel Brailsford to his mother on Conciliation Committee For Woman Suffrage headed paper. Brailsford was a journalist, political activist and husband of the militant suffragette Jane Brailsford. He was also Secretary and founding member of the Conciliation Committee For Woman Suffrage. The Committee was an all-party group of MPs formed chaired by Lord Lytton, to draft moderate bills granting limited votes to some propertied women, aiming for a compromise that would satisfy both moderate suffragists and anti-suffragists. Three such "Conciliation Bills" were introduced (1910, 1911, 1912) but failed, partly due to government opposition and fears among some MPs that enfranchising women would hurt their parties, with militant suffragettes also rejecting the limited scope. The letter dated 17 December 1910 refers to the event subsequently called "Black Friday" on 18 November 1910 when 300 women marched on Parliament and many were arrested and allegedly sexualy assaulted by the Police and male bystanders. In the letter Brailsford tells his mother "The evidence is simply sickening. The police were worse than usual. They indulged in many instances in the foulest sort of indecent assault". Brailsford was one of the key figures in instigating a public inquiry into Black Friday and he talks of this possibility. A public inquiry was rejected by Winston Churchil and as a result Brailsford collected 135 statements from demonstrators, nearly all of which described acts of violence against the women; 29 of the statements also included details of violence that included indecency. The memorandum they published summarised their findings:The action of which the most frequent complaint is made is variously described as twisting round, pinching, screwing, nipping, or wringing the breast. This was often done in the most public way so as to inflict the utmost humiliation. Not only was it an offence against decency; it caused in many cases intense pain ... The language used by some of the police while performing this action proves that it was consciously sensual. In the letter Brailsford mentions his efforts to arrange for women canvassers in the constituencies of Lloyd George and Churchill and his wife's campaigning in Torquay against an anti - suffragist Liberal MP. a
Price £1350.00
