Annie Jane Bennett Pearson (née Bennett, 1873–1956), also known as Annie Seymour Pearson, was a British women's suffrage activist who ran a safe house for suffragettes evading police.[1]
Annie Pearson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) WSPU prison brooch of the type awarded to Pearson | |
| Born | Annie Jane Bennett 1873 Bolsover, Derbyshire, England |
| Died | 1956 (aged 82–83) |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Suffragette |
| Spouse | Arthur Seymour Pearson |
| Children | Four |
Personal life
editPearson was born at Bolsover, Derbyshire in 1873 and was known as Nancy or Nance to friends.[2] She was married to Arthur,[3] had four children (surviving children were Elsa, Francis and Roland), and lived in York.[4]
Activism
editPearson was a supporter of votes for women and was both arrested for her militant campaigning and supported others to evade arrest. In 1912,18-year-old journalist Harry Johnson, a supporter of women's enfranchisement and possible member of the Men's Political Union (MPU),[5] was sentenced to a year's imprisonment in Wakefield Gaol with hard labour for attempting to blow up a house near Doncaster for the cause.[6] He went on hunger strike and was released temporarily from prison under the Cat and Mouse Act, and Pearson, along with Violet Key Jones, helped him to evade rearrest.[7] Pearson also set up her own safe house for suffragettes and supporters.[8]
In 1913, Pearson went to protest at the House of Commons and walked arm-in-arm with a nurse from Birmingham towards Downing Street.[9] She was arrested,[1] charged[4] with obstructing the police,[1] and summoned to appear in court on 18 January 1913.[10] Pearson was sentenced to a choice of a 40 shilling fine, or time in prison and opted for prison.[4][11] Two days later her husband paid the 25 shillings and sixpence fine,[2] and Pearson was released from Holloway.
After returning to York, Pearson received a Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) prison brooch,[12] and was invited to the next WSPU prisoners' reception where she was thanked for her contribution.[13] She was interviewed by a reporter from The Yorkshire Herald during which she explained her motivation for travelling to the demonstration and what happened when there.[14]
In popular culture
editIn 2017, York Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre staged Everything Is Possible: The York Suffragettes a play about Pearson and other suffragettes.[15] Pearson was a central character who was played by professional actress Barbara Marten.[9] Maten has said that "the house in Heworth Green, where she ran a safe house, no longer stands and there’s no blue plaque. Even her obituary made no mention of her having been a Suffragette.”[16]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Mrs Annie Seymour Pearson / Database - Women's Suffrage Resources". Retrieved 3 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Who were the York suffragettes?". York Press. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ Suffragettes-STUDENT-V1.pdf (PDF), p. 21, retrieved 3 June 2020
- ^ a b c Suffragettes-STUDENT-V1.pdf (PDF), p. 16, retrieved 3 June 2020
- ^ "Mr Harry Johnson / Database - Women's Suffrage Resources". www.suffrageresources.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "In History: Suffragettes speak about direct action and their brutal treatment". BBC News. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "What did the suffragettes do in York? Quite a lot actually..." York Press. 18 October 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ Godfrey, Jennifer (4 July 2024). Secret Missions of the Suffragettes: Glassbreakers and Safe Houses. Pen and Sword History. p. 159. ISBN 978-1-3990-1399-4.
- ^ a b "Theatre: Suffragette city heading to York". The Northern Echo. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ Suffragettes-STUDENT-V1.pdf (PDF), p. 17, retrieved 3 June 2020
- ^ Cowman, Krista (15 July 2007). Women of the Right Spirit: Paid Organisers of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), 1904-18. Manchester University Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-7190-7002-0.
- ^ Suffragettes-STUDENT-V1.pdf (PDF), pp. 22–23, retrieved 3 June 2020
- ^ Cowman, Krista (2007). The Militant Suffragette Movement in York. Borthwick Publications. p. 18. ISBN 9781904497219.
- ^ Suffragettes-STUDENT-V1.pdf (PDF), pp. 24–25, retrieved 3 June 2020
- ^ Brennan, Clare (25 June 2017). "Everything Is Possible: The York Suffragettes review – an extraordinary community production | Stage | The Guardian". The Observer. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
- ^ Hutchinson, Charles (30 April 2020). "York Theatre Royal goes digital for Suffragette stream of Everything Is Possible protest play". charleshutchpress. Retrieved 21 November 2024.