Alice Maud Shipley (5 June 1869 – 16 December 1951) was a militant
suffragette
A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
and member of the
Women's Social and Political Union
The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1918. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and ...
(WSPU) who received a prison sentence during which she went on
hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...
and was
force-fed
Force-feeding is the practice of feeding a human or animal against their will. The term ''gavage'' (, , ) refers to supplying a substance by means of a small plastic feeding tube passed through the nose ( nasogastric) or mouth (orogastric) into t ...
, for which action she received the WSPU's
Hunger Strike Medal
The Hunger Strike Medal was a silver medal awarded between August 1909 and 1914 to suffragette prisoners by the leadership of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). During their imprisonment, they went on hunger strike while serving th ...
.
Born in
Higham Ferrers
Higham Ferrers is a market town and civil parish in the Nene Valley in North Northamptonshire, England, close to the Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire borders. It forms a single built-up area with Rushden to the south and has an estimated populati ...
in
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
in 1869, the eldest of three children born to Martha ''née'' Smith (1845-1876), a dressmaker, and Alfred George Shepherd Shipley (1844-1914), the foreman in a shoe manufactory and a
Wesleyan
Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles W ...
lay evangelist, in 1891 she was a dressmaker like her mother, while by 1901 she was living in
Dryfesdale
Dryfesdale ( ) is a civil parish of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is part of the county of Dumfriesshire.
Overview
The parish church of Dryfesdale, located in the centre of Lockerbie, was dedicated to St Cuthbert. ...
in
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county.
I ...
in Scotland as lady's maid to a Mrs Margaret Pairman.
On 21 November 1911 Shipley was among the 223 protesters arrested at a WSPU demonstration at the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
, to which she had travelled with other women from the Edinburgh branch of the WSPU including
Elizabeth and Agnes Thomson
Elizabeth and Agnes Thomson were Scottish suffragettes and members of the Edinburgh branch of the Women's Social and Political Union. They were arrested for their involvement in WSPU protests in Scotland and London. The sisters were involved i ...
,
Jessie C. Methven
Jessie Cunningham Methven (1854 - 15 February 1917) was a Scottish campaigner for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, women's suffrage. She was honorary secretary of the Edinburgh National Society for Women's Suffrage from the mid 1890s unti ...
,
Edith Hudson
Edith Hudson (born 1872) was a British nurse and suffragette. She was an active member of the Edinburgh branch of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) and was arrested several times for her part in their protests in Scotland and London ...
and a
Mrs N Grieve
Mrs. (American English) or Mrs (British English; standard English pronunciation: ) is a commonly used English honorific for women, usually for those who are married and who do not instead use another title (or rank), such as ''Doctor'', ''Prof ...
. The demonstrations followed the "torpedoing" of the
Conciliation Bill
Conciliation bills were proposed legislation which would extend the right of women to vote in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to just over a million wealthy, property-owning women. After the January 1910 election, an all-party Con ...
. She appeared at
Bow Street Magistrates' Court
Bow Street Magistrates' Court became one of the most famous magistrates' court in England. Over its 266-year existence it occupied various buildings on Bow Street in Central London, immediately north-east of Covent Garden. It closed in 2006 and ...
after which she was released without charge. She was again arrested in West London in March 1912 during a window-smashing campaign in the
West End of London
The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buil ...
following which she appeared at the London Sessions on 19 March 1912 where she refused to be bound over and received a four-month prison sentence in
Holloway Prison
HM Prison Holloway was a closed category prison for adult women and young offenders in Holloway, London, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. It was the largest women's prison in western Europe, until its closure in 2016.
Hist ...
.
At her trial she stated:
"More than half my life I have been doing what lies in me to help the poor & unfortunate. As a member of a Vigilance Society, & as a worker in connection with other societies, I know the condition of our women & girls, & the dangers that lie about them & that they have no power to protect themselves; & that knowledge has made me take up the attitude I have today. I feel our case is a most urgent one, & I feel that only a woman can understand a woman’s needs, that women suffer for the want & care of men, & that their salvation lies in looking after their own needs & in demanding the vote".
In Holloway she went on
hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...
and was
force-fed
Force-feeding is the practice of feeding a human or animal against their will. The term ''gavage'' (, , ) refers to supplying a substance by means of a small plastic feeding tube passed through the nose ( nasogastric) or mouth (orogastric) into t ...
.
In prison she was one of the suffragette co-signatories on
The Suffragette Handkerchief
The Suffragette Handkerchief is a handkerchief displayed at The Priest House, West Hoathly in West Sussex, England. It has sixty-six embroidered signatures and two sets of initials, mostly of women imprisoned in HMP Holloway for their part in the ...
, a symbol of defiance, organised by fellow prisoner who retained it until her death,
Mary Ann Hilliard
Mary Ann Hilliard (1860–1950) was an Irish nurse and suffragette. She was arrested for breaking windows in March 1912, and while imprisoned contributed to the Suffragette Handkerchief.
Biography
Mary Ann Hilliard was born in Cork in 1860, to ...
,
[The Suffragette Handkerchief - Sussex Archaeological Society](_blank)
/ref> On Shipley's release from prison at the end of June 1912, she received a Hunger Strike Medal
The Hunger Strike Medal was a silver medal awarded between August 1909 and 1914 to suffragette prisoners by the leadership of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). During their imprisonment, they went on hunger strike while serving th ...
'for Valour' from the leaders of the WSPU.
Alice Maud Shipley died in Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
in Scotland in 1951 and was buried in the family plot of the Pairman family in the churchyard of St Mary's church in Biggar, South Lanarkshire
Biggar ( gd, Bigear ) is a town and former burgh in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, in the Southern Uplands near the River Clyde on the A702. The closest towns are Lanark and Peebles.
Details
The town was once served by the Symington, Biggar a ...
. Her inscription on the memorial reads: "Alice Maude Shipley faithful friend of the Pairman family for nearly 60y d. at Edinburgh 16.12.1951) Pairman".- Survey of St Mary’s Churchyard,Biggar - Biggar Archaeology Group
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shipley, Alice Maud
1869 births
1951 deaths
English suffragettes
English feminists
British women's rights activists
Women's Social and Political Union
Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales
Hunger Strike Medal recipients