Perth Prison and the Women's Suffrage Movement

The women's suffrage movement is normally thought of as a fight which took place in London, and Scotland is often left out of the narrative when it was actually a national phenomenon. In terms of historiography which includes Scotland, Edinburgh and Glasgow tend to dominate the narrative as centres of suffrage activity in Scotland, and smaller towns and cities are forgotten altogether. In the Tayside area, Dundee was the first city where Suffragettes were imprisoned and they were on hunger strike, Perth Prison, was where the majority of force-feedings took place in Scotland [1].

Due to force-feedings in Perth prison, it had turned Perth into a hot-spot of the suffrage movement in the summer of 1914. Despite the attention which Perth had recieved in the later years of the women's suffrage movement in the twentieth century, there has been little mention of Perth. The historical novel of 'A Petrol Scented Spring,'  by Ajay  Close, shone some light to the public about the women's movent in Perth, but there has been little attention brought to the subject, other than Leah Leneman's book, 'Martyrs In Our Midst, Dundee, Perth Forcible Feeding of Suffragettes,' which has been the only book which has used Perth prison as a case study.

Ethel Moorehead, radical suffragette, and the first to be force-fed in Scotland. 

An Introduction to the Woman's Suffrage Movement in Scotland and Militancy in Perth.

The first three of the women's suffrage societies in Britain were established in 1867, with Manchester, London, and Edinburgh. The Edinburgh society would branch itself as the 'Edinburgh National Society for Women's Suffrage,' and while Edinburgh was the headquarters, branches of the organisation were established in many towns including Perth. The Edinburgh National Society's activities were centred on Edinburgh, but suffrage activity went around the whole of Scotland and societies were established among all areas of Scotland. [2] There were 95 public suffrage meetings which were held in Scotland in 1872. By 1874, this led to local women's suffrage societies based around the whole of the country, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, Tain, and Wick.[3]

The first suffrage organisations were predominantly middle-class movements to begin with, which would use non-militant forms of protests such as heckling politicians, petitioning, which had little impact on progressing women's suffrage. [4].  Despite the fact that non-violent methods of protest made little progress, it had established the image of the suffragette through newspapers and by anti-suffrage propaganda. The image of the suffragette, as seen as the one bellow, would portray the suffragette as ugly and as man-hating, and were just simply unflattering which reflected attitudes of the period.



Due to the lack of progress for the vote, Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst established the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1903, and this broke the traditional method of non-violent tactics to attain women's suffrage, and that militancy would be used.  There were other suffrage societies other than the often talked about militant WSPU, and they were often law-abiding groups, but they would still copy militant methods used by other groups.

In 1910 and 1911, Nannie Brown of the Women's Freedom League in Edinburgh was involved in activities such as heckling politicians, arranging dances, and being involved in open-air meetings.  In October 1912, there was publicity grabbing 400-mile suffrage march and it was from Edinburgh to London, and it would be used to gather signatures for a petition to Asquith. There would be open-air meetings held every evening and talks to be given in villages, which would lead to a rally in London. [5].

Suffrage March in Edinburgh, October 1912, National Library of Scotland,https://digital.nls.uk/suffragettes/sources/source-10.html

The use of militancy brought attention to the suffrage cause and publicity stunts would be used to obtain further newspaper coverage, making the cause impossible to ignore.  This leads to the need of discussing the militancy which happened in Perth. Suffrage militancy was not limited to London and even small counties, such as Perthshire and in Tayside. It is impossible to list all militant acts, but I've included some highlights, such as local incidents and several incidents from women who were in Perth prison.

One of the most prominent suffragette protests which took place in Perth wan the King was in Perth on July 10th 1914, during the campaign against force-feeding.  Once the Royal motor-car was going through Country Place, and a suffragette Rhoda Fleming of Glasgow was dressed in black, and had a petition against force-feeding, ran to the car and grabbed the handle and she was dragged forty yards and had apparently smashed the glass of the window when she was not able to get into the car.  Flemming was not maimed or killed, and believed was saved when a riot took place and police had to beat off the crowd. [6]   Another Incident in Dundee took place on the same day, where a woman dressed in green, threw leaflets for women's suffrage at the car at Victoria Road. The women also held an umbrella and tried to dash for the car before guards police pulled her out of the way. [7] 


Ethel Moorhead was force-fed in Perth prison and she was involved in several incidents. In December 1910, she threw an egg at Winston Churchill in Dundee.   In September 1912, she smashed the glass of the Wallace Monument, which resulted in her being held in a police cell in Stirling for the night, before serving seven days at Perth Prison. [8] Moorhead also participated in incidents such a throwing cayenne pepper into the eyes of a police constable in 1913.  Moorhead also whipped a man with a dog whip after she found out that he had ejected her from a meeting in Edinburgh, but she was not arrested.  [9]

One of the main figures who were in Perth prison was Arabella Scott, and she was the main figure in Close's novel, A Petrol Scented Spring.  Arabella was a militant who was convicted of attempted to set fire to Kelso racecourse in May 1913, and when she was arrested, she would participate in hunger strike when she was arrested. [10]

Maude Edwards was sent to Perth prison for three months in July 1914, after slashing the portrait of King George V with a hatchet at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh. [11]Other incidents would involve the tampering of letterboxes, windows being smashed.  Arson was a common tactic which was used by suffragettes and it led to the burning of Perthshire Cricket club in April 1913.  House of Ross, Perthshire, and Allt-an-Phionn mansions, St. Fillians, Perthshire, was destroyed by 'Rhoda Robinson,' on 5th of February 1914. [12] There was attempted to blow up Burns Cottage, Alloway, by Janet Parker, who was in Perth prison in July 1914.

Perth Prison and Force Feeding.

A Suffragette Being Force-fed in England, in The Suffragette by Sylvia Pankhurst, 1911.

The suffragette on hunger strike is one of the most common images of the militant suffragette in public memory. The use of militant acts had kept the suffrage cause going and newspapers had become the predominant tool to get attention and sympathy for the suffrage cause. Before the start of the First World War,  the suffragette in Scotland was often portrayed as an arsonist and a vandal, who would be force-fed. Coverage of force-feeding of suffragettes in Perth Prison brought attention to Perth. [13]

In 1909, the first hunger strike took place and it was believed to have originated by Marion Wallace Dunlop after she was arrested for defacing St. Stephen's Hall with suffrage slogans, and she went on hunger strike. This protest was picked up by other figures of the movement and it was not until 1914, that hunger strikes took place in Scottish prisons. [14]  The hunger strike and the force-feeding which took place, attracted a lot of attention in newspapers and it leads to Perth being a centre of suffrage activity.

It was decided in June 1914 that all suffragettes convicted in Scotland would be sent to Perth Prison and they would be forcibly fed by Dr Fergus Watson.   In the summer of 1914, four women were force-fed in Perth, and this included Ethel Moorhead, Arabella Scott, Frances Gordon and Janet Arthur. [15]

  It was viewed by historians that the hunger strike was a physical sacrifice for a suffrage cause and that they were mimicking a political tactic which was used by men. The hunger strike would also have brought a lot of attention, as it was challenging conventional behaviour for middle-class Edwardian women. [16] Imprisoned suffragettes would go on hunger strike once they were arrested, and as part of the Cat and Mouse Act, they would be allowed to be taken out of prison once their health was in danger, and once they had recovered, they would be placed in prison.

Conditions for the women who went to Perth Prison went through a horrifying ordeal. They were placed in solitary confinement up to five weeks, apart from then they were force-fed. The force-feeding of Ethel Moorhead was a shock to the public, especially as it was believed that it was a barbaric act that only took place in England and that it was something that took place in the middle ages. [17]

Horrifying accounts from Arabella Scott were written for the Suffragette and it allowed the horrors of force-feeding to be spread to a large audience, and it mobilised protests in Perth, such as the Rhoda Flemming jumping on the royal car.

'On the removal of the gag, my head was seized . . ., my chin dragged upwards and backwards, my jaws and lips held tightly together. Sometimes voluntarily, sometimes involuntarily the food would be returned into my mouth, and unable to escape would burst through my nose. Then my nose would be pinched, and I was ordered to swallow it again. I wouldn't and struggled for breath. Then they would say, "We will let you breathe when we see you going purple."'[18]

Arabella Scott, Suffergette and force-feeding victim when she was in  Perth prison. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/force-fed-tube-funnel-barbaric-6429281

 The Reaction in Perth

 One of the first reactions to the treatment of suffragettes in Perth resulted in the WSPU forming a 24-hour picket around the prison from 3 July 1914, and it helped to bring the attention of the prisoners to the public of Perth. There was also fear of a siege of the prison as well. It was noted on the 12th of July that suffragettes and their followers singing hymns outside the prison. On the 20th of July, it was recorded that there was a suffragette meeting outside of the prison gates which attracted an audience which was about 2000 to 300 people.

As well as the picket around Perth prison, further protests took place which raised the attention of the suffragettes in prison. At King's Cinema in Perth on 18th July, a  woman stood up and brought attention to the women in prison when the film showed a scene of a convict. There were also protests in St. Ninan's Cathedral, when a group of suffragettes prayed for Emmeline Pankhurst, Arabella Scott and other suffragettes in prison.  The most radical action which happened in Perth was during the royal visit.

The constant picket and the speeches and the demonstrations which are believed to have the greatest impact, and most importantly, the newspaper attention which surrounded Perth during the protests was great. It was also reported by the Dundee Advertiser that the Perth trades Council resolved to protest against the force-feeding of women in Perth and they were going to petition parliament on the matter.  It was reported by the secretary, Mr. J. M. Rae that:

'Twelve months ago a militant could not receive a hearing and was hooted and bawled at as if she were a fanatic. Now, large crowds nightly assembled to hear and express sympathy with them. No one could stand and listen to the recital of the sufferings of those confined in their prison unmoved.'[19]

It can be argued that militancy was key for the progression of the suffrage movement and that the hunger strike and the following force-feeding, helped to bring attention to women's suffrage, especially as women, were using drastic methods in order to have a basic right.   The force-feedings which took place in Perth brought sympathy for the women but was soon forgotten when the prisoners were free, and the  First World War had started and the WSPU had dropped the militant campaign. Perth is often neglected when it comes to recent history, especially in the suffrage movement, when in fact, it can be argued that it was the centre of the fight in Scotland in the later years of the moment, and this part of local history can not be forgotten.

A hunger strike medal awarded to Frances Parker in 1912 after her hunger strike in Perth Prison. https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/discover-collections/read-watch-play/history/new-zealanders-and-british-suffrage-movement/who-was-frances-parker

References

[1] L. Leneman, Martyrs In Our Midst, Dundee, Perth, Forcible Feeding of Suffragettes, (Dundee, 1993), pp.7-10.

[2] Ibid, p.7.

[3] L. Leneman, The Scottish Suffragettes, (Edinbugh, 2000). p. 9.  

[4] ibid, pp. 9-10.

[5] ibid, pp. 64-65.

[6]  'Suffragettes and The King' Manchester Guardian, 11 July 1914 https://search.proquest.com/hnpguardianobserver/docview/475820172/fulltextPDF/769B7BD09E9543C0PQ/4?accountid=14547 &  The Freelance, 11 July 1914  https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1296&dat=19140711&id=II9UAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ro8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3905,1198550

[7] https://search.proquest.com/hnpguardianobserver/docview/475820172/fulltextPDF/769B7BD09E9543C0PQ/4?accountid=14547 'An Afternoon in Perth,' Manchester Guardian, 11 July 1914

[8] 'Sufferage Outrage At Wallace Monument,' The Stirling Observer,  September 3, 1912.https://www.stirling-lhs.org/sca-suffragette-action.html

[9]  Leneman, The Scottish Suffragettes, pp. 75-78; Leneman, Martyrs in Our Midst, pp. 15-16.

[10]  Leneman, Martyrs In Our Midst, p.21.

[11] ibid. p.29;  'Suffragette Sentenced', Edinburgh Evening Dispatch,  2 July 1914.https://www.scottisharchivesforschools.org/suffragettes/maudeEdwardsSource02.asp

[12] https://womenssuffragescotland.wordpress.com/appendix-ii-report-of-militant-attacks-in-scottish-newspapers/  :  'Suffragette tries to Blow up Burns Cottage', Glasgow Herald,  9 July 1914. https://digital.nls.uk/scotlandspages/timeline/1914.html

[13] S. Pedersen, 'Suffragettes and the Scottish Press during the First World War, Women's History Review, Vol. 27, pp. 534-550.

[14] S. Pedersen, The Scottish Suffragettes and the Press ( London, 2017)   pp. 111- 113.

[15] Leneman, Martyrs In Our Midst, p. 19.

[16] J. Purvis, The Prision Experiences of The SUffragettes in Edwardian Britain, Women's History Review Vol. 4. (1995), pp. 106-107.
[17]  Leneman, Martyrs In Our Midst, p. 18.
[18] ibid. p.23.
[19] ibid. pp. 35-39.