Gladice Georgina Keevil (later Mrs Rickford; 1884 – 1959) was a British suffragette who served as head of the Midlands office 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 ...

between 1908 and 1910.

Early life

Gladice was born and had her childhood at Clitterhouse Farm in Cricklewood. She was educated at the Cricklewood Kindergarten (where she won a prize for clay modelling in 1891) and Cricklewood High School, the Frances Buss School in Camden, and the

Lambeth School of Art Founded in 1854 as the Lambeth School of Art, the City and Guilds of London Art School is a small specialist art college located in central London, England. Originally founded as a government art school, it is now an independent, not-for-profit ...

. She worked as a governess in France and the USA before returning to Britain in 1907. She married in 1913, becoming Mrs. Rickford.

Involvement in the Women's Suffrage Movement

After joining the WSPU in September 1907, Gladice was employed as the head of the Midlands as a National Organiser in 1908. She opened a WSPU Midlands headquarters in Birmingham where she worked with Bertha Ryland and Laura Ainsworth. She was campaigning at the Bury St Edmunds by-election (1907) with

Rachel Barrett Rachel Barrett (12 November 1874 – 26 August 1953) was a Welsh suffragette and newspaper editor born in Carmarthen. Educated at the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth she became a science teacher, but quit her job in 1906 on hearin ...

Nellie Martel Ellen Alma "Nellie" Martel, (; 30 September 1855 – 11 August 1940) was an English-Australian suffragist and elocutionist. She stood for the Senate at the 1903 federal election, one of the first four women to stand for federal parliament. ...

, Emmeline Pankhurst,

Aeta Lamb Aeta Adelaide Lamb (1886–June 1928) was one of the longest serving organizers in the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), the leading militant organization campaigning for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom. Early life and education ...

and

Elsa Gye Elsa Gye (1881–1943) was a music student at Guildhall who became a suffragette and involved in disruptive events in London and Scotland and was imprisoned for the cause of women's suffrage. She married the brother of fellow suffragette Dais ...

, organised the campaign during the

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...

by-election in 1908. She was a key speaker at demonstrations in support of women's suffrage in Heaton Park (July 1908) Hyde Park (1908) and Belfast (1910).

Arrest in 1908

Gladice was one of twelve women who was arrested after walking single file through the streets towards the houses of commons with Mrs. Pankhurst in February 1908 "to present a petition from the Conference at Caxton Hall, and to the refusal of the authorities to treat suffragist offenders as first-class misdemeanants." Gladice was arrested along with Mrs Pankhurst and others and was charged with resisting and obstructing the police.

Recognition

In 1910 Keevil was invited to stay at Eagle House in Bathampton, Somerset where a tree was planted in her honour. Many significant women from the suffragette movement were invited to stay at

Mary Blathwayt Mary Blathwayt (1 February 1879 – 25 June 1961) was a British feminist, suffragette and social reformer. She lived at Eagle House in Somerset. This house became known as the "Suffragette's Rest" and contained a memorial to the protests of ...

's parents' home and to plant a tree to recover from and celebrate a prison sentence. The trees were known as "Annie's Arboreatum" after

Annie Kenney Ann "Annie" Kenney (13 September 1879 – 9 July 1953) was an English working-class suffragette and socialist feminist who became a leading figure in the Women's Social and Political Union. She co-founded its first branch in London with Minnie ...

. Gladice was invited to Eagle House several times. Mary's mother thought her one of the nicer suffragettes. The Blathwayt's fell out with the movement when politician's were assaulted. The WSPU movement split over the authority demanded by Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst and their increasing demands for extremism. and Keevil is thought to have left in about 1911. Keevil married in 1913 and went to live in Burpham in the 1940s where she brought up three sons. She died in 1959.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keevil, Gladice 1884 births 1959 deaths English suffragists Eagle House suffragettes Women's Social and Political Union