Suffragettes in prison
Over 1,000 Suffragettes went to prison as a result of militant activities like these.
This police summons was issued to the Suffragette Janie Terrero. She was required to attend Bow Street Court charged with wilful (deliberate) damage. She had been caught window smashing and was sentenced to four months in Holloway prison. While she was in prison, Janie went on hunger strike twice.
Like Janie, Suffragette prisoners often went on hunger strike. In prison they were not classed as political prisoners but as common criminals. Their hunger strike was in protest against this treatment.
The authorities feared that Suffragettes on hunger strike might die from starvation. As a result Suffragettes were force fed.
In 1913 the government decided to release hunger-striking prisoners so they could recover, then re-arrest them. Suffragettes called this ‘The Cat and Mouse Act’.
- Introduction
- Why did the campaign move to London in 1906?
- Why did the Suffragettes chain themselves to the railings of government buildings?
- Violence and disruption
- Suffragettes in prison (this page)
- Hunger strikes
- Further information
Download 'Suffragette City: How did the ‘votes for women’ campaign affect London 1906–1914?' (PDF, 143KB)
