Elizabeth and Agnes Thomson were Scottish suffragettes and members of the

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

branch 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 an ...

. They were arrested for their involvement in WSPU

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooper ...

s in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...

s were involved in the first arson attempt in Scotland as part of the WSPU arson campaign in 1913. Elizabeth was imprisoned for her role and 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 ...

. She was later released under the

Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill Health) Act 1913 The Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill Health) Act, commonly referred to as the Cat and Mouse Act, was an Act of Parliament passed in Britain under H. H. Asquith's Liberal government in 1913. Some members of the Women's Social and Political U ...

, so-called

Cat and Mouse Act The Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill Health) Act, commonly referred to as the Cat and Mouse Act, was an Act of Parliament passed in Britain under H. H. Asquith's Liberal government in 1913. Some members of the Women's Social and Political ...

.Geddes, JF (2008). "Culpable Complicity: the medical profession and the forcible feeding of suffragettes, 1909–1914". Women's History Review. 17(1):79–94. doi:10.1080/09612020701627977. p82.The Suffragist Disturbances. The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 23 November 1911. Elizabeth was awarded 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 t ...

'for Valour' by the WSPU.

Early life and career

Agnes Colquhoun Thomson was born in 1846 and Elizabeth Thomson in 1847, in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland. They subsequently moved, with their widowed mother Margaret, to Hartington Place in Edinburgh. The 1881

Census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

records the three women as living on "income from interest of money". The sisters subsequently spent 18 years in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

"being engaged in

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

work", before returning to Edinburgh.

Campaign for women's suffrage

The Thomson sisters were active members of the Edinburgh WSPU and were involved in protests in London and Scotland. On 21 November 1911, they were 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. T ...

, to which they had travelled with other women from the Edinburgh branch, including

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 ...

, Alice Shipley and

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. They were both sentenced to five days' imprisonment 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. Histor ...

. Elizabeth served a further term in Holloway in May 1912.

Arson campaign

In April 1913 the "elderly sisters", along with fellow Edinburgh WSPU members

Arabella Scott Arabella Scott (7 May 1886 – 27 August 1980) was a Scottish teacher, suffragette and campaigner. As a member of the Women's Freedom League (WFL) she took a petition to Downing Street in July 1909. She subsequently adopted more militant tac ...

and Edith Hudson, travelled to

Kelso racecourse Kelso Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Kelso, Scotland. The official website describes the course as "Britain's Friendliest Racecourse". It was voted the Best Small Course in Scotland and the North of England in 2007, ...

and attempted to burn down a stand. The four women were arrested along with

Donald McEwan Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...

, who had ordered the taxi from Edinburgh, and subsequently tried in Jedburgh Court on 19 May. The jury found the charges against Agnes (then 67) were '

not proven Not proven (, ) is a verdict available to a court of law in Scotland. Under Scots law, a criminal trial may end in one of three verdicts, one of conviction ("guilty") and two of acquittal ("not proven" and "not guilty").The Scottish criminal ju ...

' and recommended

leniency Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religi ...

for Elizabeth (then 65). Elizabeth was sentenced to three months while the others each received nine-month sentences. They were sent to Calton Jail where the women immediately went on a hunger strike.

The Cat and Mouse Act

The

, also known as the Cat and Mouse Act, had recently been introduced which allowed prisons to release women whose hunger strike had reached a critical stage. Elizabeth was released under the act on 23 May on licence to return when her health improved. None of the women returned to prison when their licences expired and Leneman records that Elizabeth "vanished" after her release, no longer attending WSPU meetings as police actively sought her there.Leneman, Leah (1995). A Guid Cause. Revised edition. Mercat Press. p140-144. Agnes continued to be active in the movement, and wrote to the

Scottish Prison Service The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is an executive agency of the Scottish Government tasked with managing prisons and Young Offender Institutions. The Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, currently Teresa Medhurst, is responsible f ...

to intercede on Arabella Scott's behalf in August 1913 when she was rearrested under the Cat and Mouse Act at a WSPU protest in London and returned to Calton Jail.Leneman, Leah (1995). A Guid Cause. Revised edition. Mercat Press. p155.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, Elizabeth 1846 births 1848 births People associated with Edinburgh Prisoners and detainees of Scotland Sisters Scottish expatriates in India Scottish prisoners and detainees Scottish suffragettes Scottish suffragists Year of death missing Women's Social and Political Union

Early life and career

Campaign for women's suffrage

Arson campaign

The Cat and Mouse Act

See also

References